Put on the New Man: Leaving the Lies of the World Behind

…that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore, putting away lying, ‘LET EACH ONE OF YOU SPEAK TRUTH WITH HIS NEIGHBOR,’ for we are members of one another. (Ephesians 4:22-25)

Paul encouraged the Ephesian church to pursue maturity in Christ by speaking the truth with love. The church is a body of interdependent parts where each individual Christian leans on the strengths of their fellow Christians. When everyone in the church puts their talents to work in service of one another, the body grows stronger. The apostle then exhorts us to leave the ways of the world behind. Living like the world leads to futility, darkness, ignorance, blindness, and alienation from God. And habitual sin carries unseen consequences we can sin so much that our conscience no longer works.

Paul reminds us this is not what Christ taught us to do: Jesus urges us to leave sin and worldliness behind and embrace righteous living. Let’s pick back up in Ephesians 4:22. Paul says one last thing about the way the world lives: he says this old man who we were before we became Christians “grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts.” Earlier in chapter 2, Paul describes our condition before we became Christians.

• We were dead in trespasses and sins when we walked according to the course of the world.
• We lived under the influence of Satan and his demons.
• We guided our lives by lust, doing what we wanted to do.

As Paul says in Ephesians 4:22, that way of living leads to increasing corruption. He also says these lusts are deceitful. Sin deceives by promising fulfillment just this one time, and it will be enough; I’ll never do it again. Sin also convinces us that the consequences, if they happen, will be far off into the future and won’t be as bad as we fear.

How to Put on the New Man Daily

Paul exhorts us to live with our eyes wide open by understanding the deceptive and corruptive nature of sin. We need to “put off”—leave behind, remove entirely—the life we used to live before we became Christians. However, too many Christians mistakenly believe that righteous living depends entirely upon resisting temptation. The Bible tells me to avoid sin, so if I do that, I will live the right way in the eyes of God. But resisting temptation is only half of the equation.

In addition to resisting temptation, we must also implement righteous living. As Paul says, it’s more than a matter of putting off the old man; we must also put on the new man. If we avoid returning to worldly ways, we have only gone part-way into the Christian faith.

Choosing the Narrow Path

Jesus describes this choice as two paths in Matthew 7:13-14,

Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Putting off the old man, as Paul describes it, means leaving behind the broad way that leads to destruction. Putting on the new man means we must walk the narrow, difficult path that leads to eternal life. If I leave the broad path, I must walk the narrow path; otherwise, I’m still walking on the broad path that leads to destruction.

Paul mentions another thing about our new life in Christ—we are renewed in the spirit of our mind. Much of the Christian life is lived between our ears. While it’s important for us to live the right way, how we behave reflects what happens in our minds and hearts. If we want to behave right, we must first pursue righteous thinking and feeling. And when we focus on right thinking and feeling, God bolsters our spiritual person through the work of the Holy Spirit.

Spiritual Renewal: Put on the New Man

Earlier in Ephesians 3:16, Paul prayed for the Ephesians “to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man.” He exhorts the Philippians to “work out their salvation with fear and trembling.” Paul assures them in the next verse, “for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12-13). So we don’t transform ourselves into this new person. Rather, God works with us, helping us become who He wants us to be.

In the next few verses, Paul begins mapping out this spiritual transformation (see Ephesians 4:25). If we struggled with lying before becoming Christians, we must stop and speak the truth. I put off lying, and I put on truthfulness.

And the reason why goes beyond “lying is wrong and truthfulness is right.”

Paul says we should be truthful because “we are members of one another.” Remember in Ephesians 4:16, Paul describes the church as a body with parts that depend on one another for strength and help. One of the keys to fostering that atmosphere is “speaking the truth in love.” Honest communication encourages personal growth and accountability, helping us mature into the image of Christ. Honesty also helps me be transparent about my problems and struggles and helps others lean on me when they struggle. Speaking the truth helps me address misunderstandings and conflicts, thus promoting reconciliation and healing in my relationships with my fellow Christians.

So, if I stop lying by practicing truthfulness, I not only please God, but I also can help my brethren in Christ.