September 6
“This I say therefore, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality, for the practicing of every kind of impurity with greediness. But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.” (Ephesians 4:17-24)
| FROM Conformed to the World | TO Transformed in Christ |
| 10. Living in the old self, the flesh, ignorant, callous, corrupted, deceived, given over to sensuality, unconcerned about the consequences of sin | 10. Putting on the new self, renewed in the spirit of the mind, given over to holiness and truth, very concerned about others and losses and negative effects of sin |
This last transformation encompasses the need to develop the habit of every day putting off the old and putting on the new. It is not a transformation that is achieved and finished, but rather it is a transformation of mind set and habit. Our flesh is ever moving downward and becoming more corrupted by every lust we allow it to indulge in. It is becoming more and more out of control and harder to reign in, at least that is how I understand what Paul is talking about in these verses.
Our task of putting on the Lord Jesus Christ and making no provision for the flesh (Romans 13:14), our task of being renewed in our minds and transformed on a daily basis (Romans 12:1-2), our task of putting off the old and putting on the new, none of these things is a once and for all thing we do, unfortunately! How much easier it would be to live the Christian life if we could once and for all put off the old nature and put on the new! No, God’s design is that we struggle, we wrestle, we seek and knock, we pray, and we work at putting off the flesh and putting on Christ. He is there ever present and always providing power and truth and any assistance we need, but it is His will, I believe, that we really want Him and regularly choose Him and diligently pursue His righteousness.
Perhaps it is like Jesus is testing us to see whether we will love Him more than our sin.
This transformation is an essential part of our daily life in Christ, a transformation from one of being continually deceived and hardened by our own corrupted and unregenerate old natures, to one of continually choosing Christ and His righteousness, putting on the new man and pursuing the things above, letting the Holy Spirit empower and use us. Will you ask God to transform you and make the conscious habit of putting on the Lord Jesus and the new man each and every day to be an essential joy that you never neglect?
ASSIGNMENT: Ask God to give you a heart and mind to desire Him and His nature far, far more than any lust of the flesh. Ask Him to fill you daily and transform you to not become callous and ignorant in the deceitfulness of sin, but rather ask Him to make you tender hearted and very concerned about sin. Ask him to transform your thinking and make you very conscious of your need for Him and to daily long for the new self to be in control. Ask Him to show you what you should be doing to renew your mind daily and how to most effectively put on the new man. Take notes when He shows you things, and follow through with an obedient heart to diligently put these things into practice.