New Man Mind Renewal
Ephesians 4:23-32
Vs 23 God doesn’t do “robotomy’s!!! Remember Romans 12:1-2? It is by the Mercies of God, but we are the ones who present the sacrifice. Just as in Leviticus, the sinner had to present the sacrifice, so too, the New Man believer must knowingly and willingly walk through this “living sacrifice” business. This is mind renewal, not a spiritual lobotomy! The control center, the spirit of the mind (vs. 23) must be renewed by the Spirit’s washing with the water of the Word.
Vs 24 This New Man progressively looks like Someone, he bears the Family Likeness! The New Man is “after God”, after or according to God’s Nature. And what is that Nature? Righteousness and True Holiness. From its’ very first, this implies that there is no room for the flesh. Recall Phil. 3:3? The New Man doesn’t operate out of our old context, lifestyle, or mind set. He is being renewed after, according to the Mind of Christ!!! (I Cor. 2:16)
Here are the contrasts:
Vs 25 OM(Old Man): “Wherefore, putting away lying.” Any guesses as to why Paul starts with lying? How about Gen. 3:5 ....”You shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” In John 8:44, Jesus speaks of the Pharisees, but the application is to all outside of Christ.....”You are of your father the devil.....he was a murderer from the beginning, and did not abide in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks out of himself, for he is a liar, AND THE FATHER OF IT (LIES).” Think about it–the lie of Satan back in Genesis 3 was the first murder and in reality it was the murder of all God’s “Image Bearers” from that day forward. “He was a murderer from the beginning” and on and on and on! New Man, New Creation mind renewal must start here. There is only One God, and we aren’t Him.
NM(New Man): “Each one speak truth with his neighbor, FOR WE ARE MEMBERS OF ONE ANOTHER.”
First of all, this portion sets the context for this entire section–this is “body truth”, “family truth.” It hearkens back to 4:4, “There is one body and one Spirit”, as the motivation for “endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Vs 3
Secondly, It is the lie that murdered us, separated us from the Life that is God. It is the Truth that sets us free. (John 8:32) Christ Jesus is the TRUTH and the Life. (John 14:6) Those who have come to the Father, the adopted children, are to be truth tellers. We are to share the Word of Truth with one another for the building up one another. No more murderous lies about ourselves and one another.
Vs 26 OM: “Be angry”. And the old man stops right there, ignoring the rest of the verse. He harbors and nurtures anger into raging separation. It leads to bitterness, isolation, and often death, at least the death of relationship.
NM: “Be angry and do not sin, let not the sun go down on your wrath.” I doubt that this is referring to “righteous indignation.” Christ was probably the only one truly angry in that way. The focus of His anger was always assaults upon His Father’s Glory! This anger probably includes our first responses to the many perceived injustices we encounter. Here, it is in the one body and that one body endeavors to keep the unity of the Spirit. Therefore, “sin not”, anger must not fester. It may be a misunderstanding of the truth. Therefore the injunction to deal with it before the setting of the sun. Go to the other member of the body and with the gentleness and meekness of Christ, hash it out!!! (II Cor. 10:1) Remember to “endeavor”!!!
Vs 27 “nor give place to the devil.” Any of the old man behaviors gives the devil a foothold in our lives personally, but in context, it gives him a “crevice” in which to stir up division and strife in the One Body. But festering anger, undealt with, is a cauldron fitting for the devils dwelling! A hurt feeling here, a judging a brother by our standard and not Christ’s there, these are the “stuff” of church splits. Deal with it before the sun goes down!!!
Vs 28 OM: “Let him who stole steal no longer”. This is pattern of the old man. Jacob stole Esau’s birthright, Judas the purse, but the long term impact went far beyond the single act. In the One Body, stealing must be put away, whether it be money, reputations, husbands or wives. It destroys the bond of peace.
NM: “let him labor with his hands what is good”. Paul’s command in II Thes. 3:10 was that if any one in the assembly would not work, neither should he eat and that was of the charitable provision of the fellowship. Scripture knows nothing about “entitlement giving”.
“That he may have something to give him who has need.” It should also be noticed that scripture knows nothing about selfish working, laying up treasures on earth working! The children of the Heavenly Father live in the truth that He knows what they have need of, and in the promise that He will supply all need according to the riches of His Glory by Christ Jesus.
Vs 29 OM: “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth.” I like the structure of this phrase. In the body of this death, thoughts will constantly enter our minds. Judgements, sarcasm, flattery, all are lurking at the door, but put a stop to them at mouth’s door. God’s people should have short tongues from biting them often! The old man has diarrhea of the mouth. He must get his two cents worth in, no matter who gets hurt. Chew on James 3 for a month!!!
NM: “but what is good for necessary edification that it may impart grace to the hearer. Col. 4:6 “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man.” The grace test: Does my speech give flavor and does it preserve!
If not, I need to keep my mouth shut–apply the “short tongue” principle.
Vs 30 “And do not grieve the Spririt of God.....” Here is the crux of this whole section. The New Man mind, the New Man behavior is the fruit of the Wonderful Holy Spirit of God. He is the indwelling Life of God in our hearts. He is a Divine Person with Divine “Feelings”. He is always writing Galatians 5:22-23 on our hearts. This One Body is God’s Dwelling Place IN THE SPIRIT!!! Eph. 2:22
Where Judgementalism, backbiting, ego driven motivation exist, the Holy Spirit is grieved. These “Old Man” attitudes in our text Grieve the Spirit, and are also, if continuing, an evidence that He has withdrawn His Grace Giving Power. Remember, He is our seal unto all eternity, writing the Father’s Name on our foreheads. (Eph 3:15; Rev 22:4)
Vs 31 OM: “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger....be put away from you, with all malice.”
Malice–The shrewd and deceitful calculation of doing harm. If the exhortations of Vs 25-30 are not heeded, the Old Man behavior will deteriorate into the open display of Vs 31. Any “unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace will be destroyed and another “church fight” will be in the news.
Vs 32 NM: “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, JUST AS GOD IN CHRIST ALSO FORGAVE YOU.” Here is the summation of Spirit born, Spirit taught, New Man behavior in the One Body. In II Cor 10:1 pleads with the “messy” Corinthian church “by the meekness and gentleness of Christ.” There is no room for “heavy handed” tactics in the One Body. There is no room for “my way” thinking in the One Body. The thinking and behavior of each “contributing” member must grow out of “Just as God in Christ also forgave you.” Biblical knowledge that is not accompanied by this New Man mind and behavior, must never be considered as spiritual maturity. We are to “grow in grace”, i.e. become increasingly aware that all growth is the Spirit’s working and that we are not our own, we have been bought with a price. (I Cor 6:19-20)
Remember: “the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, GENTLE, AND WILLING TO YIELD, full of mercy and good fruits without partiality and without hypocrisy.” Sow peace, my beloved. Endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.!!!
Ephesians 4:23-32
Vs 23 God doesn’t do “robotomy’s!!! Remember Romans 12:1-2? It is by the Mercies of God, but we are the ones who present the sacrifice. Just as in Leviticus, the sinner had to present the sacrifice, so too, the New Man believer must knowingly and willingly walk through this “living sacrifice” business. This is mind renewal, not a spiritual lobotomy! The control center, the spirit of the mind (vs. 23) must be renewed by the Spirit’s washing with the water of the Word.
Vs 24 This New Man progressively looks like Someone, he bears the Family Likeness! The New Man is “after God”, after or according to God’s Nature. And what is that Nature? Righteousness and True Holiness. From its’ very first, this implies that there is no room for the flesh. Recall Phil. 3:3? The New Man doesn’t operate out of our old context, lifestyle, or mind set. He is being renewed after, according to the Mind of Christ!!! (I Cor. 2:16)
Here are the contrasts:
Vs 25 OM(Old Man): “Wherefore, putting away lying.” Any guesses as to why Paul starts with lying? How about Gen. 3:5 ....”You shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” In John 8:44, Jesus speaks of the Pharisees, but the application is to all outside of Christ.....”You are of your father the devil.....he was a murderer from the beginning, and did not abide in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks out of himself, for he is a liar, AND THE FATHER OF IT (LIES).” Think about it–the lie of Satan back in Genesis 3 was the first murder and in reality it was the murder of all God’s “Image Bearers” from that day forward. “He was a murderer from the beginning” and on and on and on! New Man, New Creation mind renewal must start here. There is only One God, and we aren’t Him.
NM(New Man): “Each one speak truth with his neighbor, FOR WE ARE MEMBERS OF ONE ANOTHER.”
First of all, this portion sets the context for this entire section–this is “body truth”, “family truth.” It hearkens back to 4:4, “There is one body and one Spirit”, as the motivation for “endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Vs 3
Secondly, It is the lie that murdered us, separated us from the Life that is God. It is the Truth that sets us free. (John 8:32) Christ Jesus is the TRUTH and the Life. (John 14:6) Those who have come to the Father, the adopted children, are to be truth tellers. We are to share the Word of Truth with one another for the building up one another. No more murderous lies about ourselves and one another.
Vs 26 OM: “Be angry”. And the old man stops right there, ignoring the rest of the verse. He harbors and nurtures anger into raging separation. It leads to bitterness, isolation, and often death, at least the death of relationship.
NM: “Be angry and do not sin, let not the sun go down on your wrath.” I doubt that this is referring to “righteous indignation.” Christ was probably the only one truly angry in that way. The focus of His anger was always assaults upon His Father’s Glory! This anger probably includes our first responses to the many perceived injustices we encounter. Here, it is in the one body and that one body endeavors to keep the unity of the Spirit. Therefore, “sin not”, anger must not fester. It may be a misunderstanding of the truth. Therefore the injunction to deal with it before the setting of the sun. Go to the other member of the body and with the gentleness and meekness of Christ, hash it out!!! (II Cor. 10:1) Remember to “endeavor”!!!
Vs 27 “nor give place to the devil.” Any of the old man behaviors gives the devil a foothold in our lives personally, but in context, it gives him a “crevice” in which to stir up division and strife in the One Body. But festering anger, undealt with, is a cauldron fitting for the devils dwelling! A hurt feeling here, a judging a brother by our standard and not Christ’s there, these are the “stuff” of church splits. Deal with it before the sun goes down!!!
Vs 28 OM: “Let him who stole steal no longer”. This is pattern of the old man. Jacob stole Esau’s birthright, Judas the purse, but the long term impact went far beyond the single act. In the One Body, stealing must be put away, whether it be money, reputations, husbands or wives. It destroys the bond of peace.
NM: “let him labor with his hands what is good”. Paul’s command in II Thes. 3:10 was that if any one in the assembly would not work, neither should he eat and that was of the charitable provision of the fellowship. Scripture knows nothing about “entitlement giving”.
“That he may have something to give him who has need.” It should also be noticed that scripture knows nothing about selfish working, laying up treasures on earth working! The children of the Heavenly Father live in the truth that He knows what they have need of, and in the promise that He will supply all need according to the riches of His Glory by Christ Jesus.
Vs 29 OM: “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth.” I like the structure of this phrase. In the body of this death, thoughts will constantly enter our minds. Judgements, sarcasm, flattery, all are lurking at the door, but put a stop to them at mouth’s door. God’s people should have short tongues from biting them often! The old man has diarrhea of the mouth. He must get his two cents worth in, no matter who gets hurt. Chew on James 3 for a month!!!
NM: “but what is good for necessary edification that it may impart grace to the hearer. Col. 4:6 “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man.” The grace test: Does my speech give flavor and does it preserve!
If not, I need to keep my mouth shut–apply the “short tongue” principle.
Vs 30 “And do not grieve the Spririt of God.....” Here is the crux of this whole section. The New Man mind, the New Man behavior is the fruit of the Wonderful Holy Spirit of God. He is the indwelling Life of God in our hearts. He is a Divine Person with Divine “Feelings”. He is always writing Galatians 5:22-23 on our hearts. This One Body is God’s Dwelling Place IN THE SPIRIT!!! Eph. 2:22
Where Judgementalism, backbiting, ego driven motivation exist, the Holy Spirit is grieved. These “Old Man” attitudes in our text Grieve the Spirit, and are also, if continuing, an evidence that He has withdrawn His Grace Giving Power. Remember, He is our seal unto all eternity, writing the Father’s Name on our foreheads. (Eph 3:15; Rev 22:4)
Vs 31 OM: “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger....be put away from you, with all malice.”
Malice–The shrewd and deceitful calculation of doing harm. If the exhortations of Vs 25-30 are not heeded, the Old Man behavior will deteriorate into the open display of Vs 31. Any “unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace will be destroyed and another “church fight” will be in the news.
Vs 32 NM: “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, JUST AS GOD IN CHRIST ALSO FORGAVE YOU.” Here is the summation of Spirit born, Spirit taught, New Man behavior in the One Body. In II Cor 10:1 pleads with the “messy” Corinthian church “by the meekness and gentleness of Christ.” There is no room for “heavy handed” tactics in the One Body. There is no room for “my way” thinking in the One Body. The thinking and behavior of each “contributing” member must grow out of “Just as God in Christ also forgave you.” Biblical knowledge that is not accompanied by this New Man mind and behavior, must never be considered as spiritual maturity. We are to “grow in grace”, i.e. become increasingly aware that all growth is the Spirit’s working and that we are not our own, we have been bought with a price. (I Cor 6:19-20)
Remember: “the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, GENTLE, AND WILLING TO YIELD, full of mercy and good fruits without partiality and without hypocrisy.” Sow peace, my beloved. Endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.!!!