Day 9 — Put On The New Self
Opening Prayer
Gracious Father, thank you that through Jesus you have brought me from death to life and made me your child. By your Spirit, renew my mind through the truth that is in Jesus. Help me put away the patterns of my old life and live in the new life you have given me. Amen.
Headline
God gives us a new identity in Christ and renews us to live in the righteousness and holiness he creates.
Ephesians 4:17-24
17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.
20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned 21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self,created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Comment
What does it mean to live as someone who is new in Christ?
Yesterday we saw that maturity is something Christ grows in the whole church: his people build one another up as each part serves in love. Today Paul turns to the change that must mark each Christian’s life. The same gospel that brings us into Christ’s body also gives us a new identity and a new way to live.
Paul insists that his readers must no longer live as the Gentiles do (v.17). He is writing to Christians who were Gentiles before they heard the gospel. He is not saying that one ethnic group is naturally worse than another. He is describing life turned away from God: thinking that has lost its true direction, hearts resistant to God, and conduct that follows. Earlier in the letter Paul reminds all believers that we were made alive with Christ by grace (Ephesians 2:1–5). No Christian can boast as if they were saved by being naturally wiser or better.
Paul traces outward behaviour back to what people believe about God and life. He describes minds that are futile and understanding that is darkened because people are separated from the life of God (vv.17–19). Sin is not only a list of bad actions that we can remove by trying harder. It affects what we love, what we trust and how we see ourselves. That is why Christian maturity includes the renewal of our minds by God’s truth.
Paul says that the Ephesians learned Christ (v.20). Christian faith is not simply learning a set of rules. We come to know Jesus through the gospel and are joined to him. The truth of the Christian life is found in the real Jesus: the Son of God who gave himself for sinners and rose again. Our new life rests on who he is and what he has done.
Then Paul describes a change with three parts: put off your old self, be made new in the attitude of your minds, and put on the new self (vv.22–24). Becoming a Christian is a decisive change of identity: God brings us into Christ and makes us his people. It is also a continuing change as the Spirit renews us and teaches us to live out this new identity. We do not earn God’s welcome by changing; because he has welcomed us in Christ, we are free to change.
The phrase “be made new” reminds us that this renewal is God’s work. The new self is “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (v.24). We cannot manufacture this life by willpower alone. Yet Paul’s words are active: Christians must put away the old patterns and put on the new. God works in us, and we respond by trusting his Word, turning from sin and practising what pleases him. The Spirit’s work does not make our choices irrelevant; it enables us to make them as people who belong to Jesus.
Yesterday’s reading showed us that maturity is shared: Christ grows his church as every member serves. Today we see that this shared growth includes personal renewal. As our thinking is reshaped by the truth about Jesus, we become more able to love, forgive, speak truthfully and serve others. Tomorrow’s reading will show how this new life takes the shape of love, as God’s children imitate their Father and walk in the way of Christ.
Why does God want me to hear this today? Perhaps I am excusing an old pattern as simply part of who I am, or I feel discouraged because change is taking time. Paul points me to a deeper truth: in Christ, God has given me a new identity and his Spirit is renewing me. When I fail, I can return to Jesus for forgiveness, name the pattern honestly, ask for God’s help and take a next step that fits the new life he has given.
Reflect
- What does Paul say lies beneath the old way of life he describes?
- How do putting off the old self, being renewed and putting on the new self fit together?
- Where do you need God to renew your thinking so that your life reflects your identity in Christ?
Action
Name one old pattern of thinking or behaviour that you need to put off. Read Ephesians 4:20–24 again and ask God to renew your mind through the truth about Jesus. Decide on one specific action that reflects the new life he has given you, and ask a trusted Christian to pray with you and encourage you.
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for making me alive in Christ and giving me a new self that reflects your righteousness and holiness. Forgive me when I return to the patterns of my old life. Renew my mind by your Spirit and your Word. Help me trust what is true in Jesus and take the next step of obedience, so that my life increasingly reflects the grace I have received. Amen.
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