Hello brothers and sisters in Christ,
Today, let’s explore the final piece in Paul’s breakdown for total spiritual transformation:
“And to put on the new man, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”
Ephesians 4:24
The third piece of the puzzle is to put on the new man. After one has come to terms with their fallenness in sin, they realize their need for a savior. Here, they become aware that they cannot save themselves from the wrath to come. They are then renewed in the spirit of their mind as the Holy Spirit works in them to bring about this second birth and enable them to place their faith in Christ.
What follows is becoming this new creation. Another important point to note is who is putting on this new man. It’s not merely the work of the man to do, but rather it’s once again by the power of the Holy Spirit.
“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”
2 Corinthians 5:17
This new man is a completely new creation that has completely done away with the corruption of the old man. This new man has a completely new inclination towards the will of God as opposed to the old man whose inclination was to sin. This new man has been enabled to trust in Christ. This new man is one over whom sin has no rule anymore:
“For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”
Romans 6:14
Paul says of this new man that he’s being created in the likeness of God. Since this new man has been joined to Christ through faith, the righteous life of Christ has then been credited to him, such that when they stand in front of the judgment throne of God they are not condemned because of their sin, but rather they are covered in the righteousness of Christ Himself.
The reason for this is because the sinless life that Christ lived is now being credited to this new man, and their sin debt that they had has been paid by Christ’s death on the cross. This is what Paul means when he says “there’s now no condemnation for those who are in Christ” — Romans 8:1
Furthermore, this new man is also being created in righteousness and holiness. This speaks of the kind of life that the new man now lives. While the old man lived only for themselves, this new man lives for God. He does this by living righteously with his fellow men, but more importantly, he lives holy before God. This transformation into the new man happens both externally and internally in thought and intents of the heart.
It’s important to understand that all these three pieces go together. This is less of a temporal process and more of a logical one. For there to be a full spiritual transformation, the old man has to be put off, the mind has to be renewed, and the new man has to be put on.
It is more than common for one to desire to put on the new man without ever repenting of sins in putting off the old man, and without ever being renewed. This usually results in a false conversion. A conversion that puts the man in the center and has him working in his own self to try to attain salvation. This kind of conversion strives for some behavioral and moral transformation, however, since it’s not the Holy Spirit working through the man, this endeavor proves futile in the end and is usually short-lived.
Whenever persecution and the lusts of deceit make their way into the life of this person, they usually turn back and cannot continue to hold on because they trust in their own strength for the attaining and sustaining of their salvation. This strength they trust in is a finite kind of strength, unlike the infinite divine power that authors and sustains the salvation of a true convert.
Peter says of these true converts “who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” — 1 Peter 1:5.
Peter, in his second letter in the New Testament, further affirms who the main actor in salvation is:
“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the full knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the full knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.”
2 Peter 1:2-3
When it is the power of God that regenerates and sustains the believer, the result is assurance of salvation. This is the kind of assurance that Paul had with the Philippians regarding their true conversion:
“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 1:6
Here are some questions for self-reflection:
- Have I come to true repentance?
- Have I come to realize that I cannot save myself or pay the debt of sin that I’ve sinned against a Holy and righteous God?
- Have I truly placed my faith in Christ for my salvation?
- Have I put off the old man, been renewed, and put on the new man?
- Does my life now show evidence of me being created in the likeness of God in righteousness and holiness?
I pray this word brings conviction in our hearts and the joy of our salvation.
With love, Paul.
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