We have to realize that we are new creatures in Christ – not just a more recent version of the old creature but an entirely different creation. We cannot keep the bond of peace and come into unity in the Body as long as we are old creatures trying to be patched up. We will only keep the bond of peace when we become new creatures, realize what our new creation is all about, and get rid of the things that were part of the old man – the anger, hostility, and pride. When we move out the old creation and move in the new creation that is made new in the love of Christ, then we are able to keep the bond of peace.
Paul made seven observations about the new creation in rather rapid-fire succession.
First, we no longer walk in the vanity of our minds.
This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind. (verse 4:17)
Second, we are no longer ignorant.
Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart. (verse 4:18)
Third, we are no longer lascivious, unclean, or greedy.
Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. (verse 4:19)
Fourth, we are taught the truth in and through Jesus.
But ye have not so learned Christ; If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus. (verse 4:20-21)
Fifth, we must put off the old sinful actions, habits, and thought patterns.
That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts. (verse 4:22)
Sixth, the makeover comes in the area of having our minds under the control of our spirit man.
And be renewed in the spirit of your mind. (verse 4:23)
Seventh, we have to take deliberate action in putting the new creation personality, character, and qualities into effect in our lives.
And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. (verse 4:24)
When believers were baptized in the first century church, they did not just go into the water and come back up out of the water. There was another step they followed that we don’t use today. The new believers would wear their old dirty coats to the baptismal waters. Many times, their coats were stained and tattered. When they would go into the water, they would take their old coats off and throw them back to the shore. When they came up out of the water, there would be somebody standing there ready to put new coats on them. These new garments would be perfectly white, sparkling clean robes. Baptism symbolized the burial and resurrection, but it also demonstrated the taking off of the old man and the putting on of the new man. They came to the river looking like normal people, but they walked out of the water looking like saints.
When Paul used the illustration of taking off the old and putting on the new, every believer who had ever seen a baptism understood perfectly what he was saying. There was a process to putting on the new coat during baptism. These new coats didn’t automatically just come upon them; there was a conscious effort to place one arm in a sleeve, then to put the other arm into the other sleeve, and then to pull the coat into proper place. The same thing is the case with our new nature in Christ. When we get born again, we do become new creatures automatically. However, there must also be an effort on our part to pull off the old ways and let them drop away. We have to be conscious to the fact that there are things we don’t want in our lives – attitudes, characteristics, and personality traits. We have to act upon the fact that the old man is dead and get rid of all the stuff he left behind in our lives in the same way that we clean out the house when the resident dies or moves away.
One of the things that Paul insists that we rid ourselves of is the vanity of our minds. Although we may immediately define “vanity” as emptiness, we must remember the message of the book of Ecclesiastes in which Solomon recited all his earthly accomplishments and labeled them all as vanity. He spoke of his academic achievements, his political successes, his financial enterprises, his social attainments, and his successes in almost every area of endeavor. Obviously, his mind was not empty; rather, it was full of ideas that built an empire and amassed a fortune that has never been equaled by any other individual in all of human history. We must also be able to relinquish all our own human plans and strategies to God so that He can give us His thoughts rather than our own.
So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. (Proverbs 3:4-7)
At the same time, we have to consciously put on the new garment. Where does this process take place? Paul tells us that this change comes through the renewing in the spirit of our mind. (verse 4:23) At first reading, this passage seems to say that there is a spirit of the mind – something separate from our human spirit. In actuality, a more accurate way of translating this passage would emphasize “in the spirit” or “through the spirit.” We must renew our minds through the spirit.
In another of his letters, Paul wrote, But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. (I Corinthians 2:9-10) It is the Spirit of God (who understands God, His characteristics, and what He is doing) who comes to us and reveals to us what is the mind of God and what are the hidden things that God has in store for us. It is through our spirit man, in tune with the Holy Spirit, that our minds are renewed. Our minds will not be renewed by listening to positive motivational tapes. Such tapes may change our minds, but they cannot renew our minds. Paul is talking about the renewing of the mind that can only take place in the spirit realm.
Francis Frangipane, in his book The Three Battlegrounds, made this comment about the battleground of the mind:
You will remember that the location where Jesus was crucified was called “Golgotha,” which meant “place of the skull.” If we will be effective in spiritual warfare, the first field of conflict where we must learn warfare is the battleground of the mind; i.e., the “place of the skull.” For the territory of the uncrucified thought life is the beachhead of satanic assault in our lives. To defeat the devil, we must be crucified in the place of the skull. We must be renewed in the spirit of our minds.
Paul made a statement toward this light in another of his epistles.
For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. (Romans 8:6)
Paul said that our spiritual life is all about taking off and putting on. It is a matter of our actually making a change. He didn’t tell us to have Jesus take it off and let Jesus put it on. He said for us to take off and for us to put on. Just as our clothes do not jump onto our bodies each morning and then back into the closet each evening, our thoughts, actions, and attitudes will not automatically change themselves without an effort on our part. We have to take the responsibility in disciplining ourselves. Perhaps it would be easy to have somebody pray for us, pour oil on us, and knock us to the floor so that we could get up as saints, but the Bible doesn’t say that this is the way to become renewed. Instead, it tells us that we are to take off the old man and that we are to put on the new man.
Becoming a saint in Christ requires that we put in some discipline. Too many people are actually failures because they are depending on somebody else’s prayers and faith as their answer. As good as those things are, the Bible tells us that our key to becoming the saints Jesus wants us to be is that we put some effort into taking off and putting on as we deliberately renew our own minds through the revelation of the Holy Spirit.
Chapter Six
Radically Different from
Our Old Unregenerate Man
When speaking of sinners around us, we often use the expression, “Except for the grace of God, there go I.” Yes, that is true; however, the emphasis of that sentence must be on the “grace of God” not on the “except.” Once we accept the grace of God, the except for the grace of God becomes insignificant. He totally regenerates us and begins to remake us in His image!
In his next several points, Paul addressed the issues of how radically different the new man is from the old, unregenerate one. The first area is a renewed tongue.
Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. (verse 4:25)
The second area deals with a renewed emotion.
Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath. (verse 4:26)
The next area of focus is renewed actions – but more deeply, a renewed worldview.
Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. (verse 4:28)
If a man were a thief under the old law, the requirement would be that he pay back what he stole, but the new relationship says that he must get a legitimate job and work with his hands so that not only can he make restitution for his sin, but so that he can become a giver to those in need. If he is giving to needy people, he is doing something important in their lives – he is stopping them from becoming thieves like he once was. The old creature who used to be a taker is now a giver. He is not a more recent version of the old man, but he is a radically different man.
Paul’s next point here begins a second cycle of admonition where he again addresses a renewed tongue.
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. (verse 4:29)
We used to be corrupt speakers. We could really give others a “piece of our mind” and tear people down by saying things that were against God and against His creation, but now out of our mouths come edifying words of encouragement and uplifting. In order to build the Body of Christ, we must learn to speak words that bless and encourage others. G. B. Stern wrote, “Silent gratitude isn’t much use to anyone.” Robert Braut added, “There is no such thing as gratitude unexpressed. If it is unexpressed, it is plain, old-fashioned ingratitude.” John F. Kennedy gave a clear summation, “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”
At the next point, we are again brought to the issue of a renewed spiritual alignment. This time Paul addresses a totally different aspect.
And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice. (verse 4:30‑31)
Next on this agenda is another admonition concerning the renewed emotion.
Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. (verse 4:32)
The following entry is again a discussion on renewed actions.
Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children. (verse 5:1)
Step by step we are following after God. We no longer follow the ways of the world (verse 4:17), but we are imitators and followers of God. We are still followers, but we are now following a new leader; we are now walking in God.
It is interesting that each of these transformations can play an important role in helping us to come into the unity within the Body that Paul has already stressed as being so necessary. We don’t care to get too close to liars, but we love to be around people who are speaking edifying words. Angry people repel us, but peacemakers attract us. We always try to keep a distance from thieves, but we gravitate toward givers. We keep our distance from those who are going to reach into our pockets, but we get close to those folks who have a habit of reaching into their own pockets.
In the middle of all this discussion about our own personal renewal, Paul brings it all back to spiritual conflict.
Neither give place to the devil. (verse 4:27)
We have to lock the door and tell him, “I resist you, and you are not coming into my life.” At the same time, we must be careful not to close the door of our lives on the Holy Spirit because our sensitivity to His voice is what ensures that we are preserved with that tamperproof seal.
And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. (verse 4:30)
Chapter Seven
Walking Circumspectly
In another context, Paul said for us to work out the salvation that is in us. (Philippians 2:12) There is a new creation that is inside of us, and we have to make an effort for it to come to the surface. We must work it out and make this new creation a reality and a demonstration in our lives.
In our position, we are not just to sit still and become “couch potatoes” in the kingdom of God. We are to take an offensive move and a forward aggression while we are in this position of authority. Paul began to discuss this very pointedly in Ephesians 5:14-15.
His first point concerning our offensive movement was that we must wake up and be aware.
Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light… (verse 5:14)
We are not to be settled “all snug in our beds” as the popular Christmas poem says. Instead, we are to awake from our sleep and let the light of Christ come through our lives.
His second point was that we walk circumspectly.
See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise. (verse 5:15)
Paul began to describe a forward advance, an offensive move. We are commanded to move forward. Sleepers are not moving forward. The dead are not moving forward. But we have awakened from our sleep and have risen from our deadness; we are starting to walk forward in our new spiritual position.
“Circumspectly” comes from the root word circum, meaning “around.” It is from this word that we get such English words as “circumference” (the measurement around a circle) or “circumcision” (a cutting around). We get our word “spectacles” from the other root spect, which means “to see.” To walk circumspectly is to walk looking around. We don’t just walk aimlessly like a man sleepwalking.
A few years ago, several fighter pilots were doing maneuvers in formation. One pilot lost his bearings and took a nosedive into the ground. Following the leader, all five of the other planes also crashed. What began as a routine training maneuver became a major tragedy. They did not walk circumspectly. On each one of those planes, there were instruments that told the pilots that they were headed for the ground, but the pilots ignored the instruments as they simply followed the leader.
Paul tells us that we are to be sure that we are walking circumspectly – looking around and keeping our eyes open to see the traps, snares, and detours – so that when we move, we do not move in the wrong direction. If we do not walk circumspectly, we walk as fools not knowing where we are going and what traps we are stepping into.
In thinking of the various kinds of traps I have seen used to capture wild animals, I noticed three interesting parallels with the ways the devil likes to capture his prey.
In Africa, there is a tribe of people who capture monkeys by placing a fistful of rice inside a coconut in which a very small hole has been drilled. The monkeys reach into the coconut to take the rice, but they soon find that they cannot pull their hands out of the coconut once their fists are closed around their treasured morsel of rice. Since the monkeys refuse to let go of their little treat, the hunters are able to easily capture them. I believe that the devil and his little helpers use this same kind of snare to bring millions of humans into captivity. If we would simply let go of the things we are holding on to, we could escape his snare. Sometimes, we hold on to habits that could easily be broken before they become addictions. Other times, we hold on to attitudes that could easily be changed unless they are allowed to remain until they become compulsions. Sometimes we hold on to physical things that must be released before they have us, rather than our having them. No matter what the case, we are ensnared unless we learn to let go. We can free ourselves if we simply will!
Another snare that some hunters use is the pit trap in which a roof of sticks and grass is laid over a deep hole in the ground. When the animal steps on the false floor, he falls through and is captured in the pit. I am reminded of a humorous story about two men who found themselves in just such a trap. It seems that one gentleman often cut through a cemetery as a shortcut from town to his home. One night, he fell into a new grave that had been dug since he last used his shortcut. After a number of unsuccessful attempts to get out, he reconciled himself to the idea that he would have to spend the night in the grave and wait for the morning when the workers would return. A while later, a second man had the same misfortune of taking the same shortcut and falling into the same open grave. Not noticing the first man in a dark corner of the grave, he set about to climb out of the hole. The first victim decided to watch a few minutes to see if the newcomer might find an escape route that he had missed. After a short while, he decided to warn the man that his attempts were futile, “Give up. There’s no way out.” But the second man instantly leapt all the way out of the pit and broke all previous track records racing out of the graveyard! It’s the same way with many who are held in the devil’s captivity – all they need is for someone else to motivate them a little to break out of the imagined bondage which they think to be real. With a little “jump start,” these people are often set free even without a prayer!
One final kind of snare is the mechanical trap that physically closes on its victim. A rabbit hutch, a bear trap, and a mousetrap would all be examples of this kind of snare. When captured in a trap of this sort, the victim cannot get free without outside help; someone else must open the door or release the spring and let him go free. This kind of deliverance can come only from a faith-filled believer who knows how to use the name of Jesus to cast out the demons that have taken control of the person’s mind, body, or spirit. Fortunately, Jesus left us the authority to do just that.
And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. (Matthew 10:1) And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues. (Mark 16:17)
It is always important to remember that it really doesn’t matter what kind of trap the devil may set because the steps of a righteous man are ordered by the Lord (Psalm 37:23); He will walk us around them – if we are led by the Spirit and walk circumspectly.
His third object of attention is mentioned in verse sixteen.
Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
We have to make all of our time count. We do not have the luxury of letting time be wasted. I find that little blocks of time are much more important than big blocks of time. Most people never complete the work they need to do because they are always waiting for those big blocks of three or four hours to start the project; it seems that such big blocks of time never come. Most people bypass bushels of small time segments and do nothing while waiting for that one big block of time. You may be waiting for twenty thousand dollars to buy a new car. The day may never come when someone hands you a twenty-thousand-dollar check. But you can get one hundred dollars at a time; put it in the bank; and then eventually you will have the money you need to buy the car. In the same way, you may never find a four‑hour slot of time to do a project, but you can use the ten minutes here and ten minutes there.
The same is true in the kingdom of God. Many people just waste time. They don’t witness to the person next to them on the bus or in the elevator because they are waiting for the time when they can stand up before a congregation of two or three hundred people to preach the gospel. The truth is that when we show ourselves faithful over the individual opportunities He places in our path, God will promote us to stand before the crowds.
Paul wanted us to understand that we live in an evil age and that we must, therefore, make every minute count for the Lord. We must look around and see what we need to be doing in this battle. Take every opportunity because these days are evil.
Chapter Eight
Knowing the Will of God
Next, Paul tells us that we must know the will of the Lord for our lives.
Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. (verse 5:17)
We are unwise if we are unable to find the will of the Lord. We need to understand, prove, and move into the will of God in our daily lives. This is our offensive and aggressive stage in moving forward. How to recognize the will of the Lord is one of the most important things that any Christian can ever learn. We can come to know the will of the Lord in several ways.
The first and foremost way to know the will of the Lord is from the written Word. The written Word tells us what is the will of the Lord. For example, it is God’s will that none shall perish but that all should come to everlasting life. (II Peter 3:9) If you are seated next to a sinner on the bus, what is the will of the Lord? The will of the Lord is for that person next to you to not perish but to come to the knowledge of everlasting life. Therefore, the will of the Lord for you is that you should help that person move into the will of the Lord for his life. You don’t have to ask God if it is His will for you to share the gospel with that person sitting next to you. You already have His will written in the Word, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. (Mark 16:15) The Word of God gives us general direction in what the will of the Lord is. We can study the Word and get a general revelation of God’s will.
Don’t get overly spiritual – as some have done – in seeking God’s will. One man opened the Bible randomly and pointed his finger to a verse that read, And Judas went out and hanged himself. (Matthew 27:5) He thought that he had better try again, so he closed his Bible, quickly opened it up again and randomly pointed his finger to another verse, Go and do thou likewise. (Luke 10:37) Remembering that in the mouth of two or three witnesses everything is confirmed (Matthew 18:16), again he closed his eyes, opened his Bible, and pointed his finger randomly to another verse. This time it read, And what you do, do quickly. (John 13:27) This is certainly not the recommended method for understanding what God’s Word would say concerning your life.
Another way the Lord reveals His will is through His Spirit. There is an inward witness inside each born-again believer to tell him what God wants for his individual life. God will speak to us; so, it is very important for us to get to the place where we can hear the voice of the Lord. So many people come up to me saying, “If God would only show me what to do, I would do it.” It is very likely that He is speaking, and they are not recognizing His voice. When we get very close and personal to the Lord, we are able to hear His voice.
Jesus said that His sheep would hear His voice and follow Him but would not follow a stranger. (John 10:3-5, 27) Notice that He said “sheep,” not “lambs.” We must mature in our relationship with the Lord in order to clearly recognize His voice. We must stay in close communion with Him so we will distinctly know His voice and obey it. Young lovers can talk for three or four hours about nothing at all. When their mothers ask what they have been doing and why they are coming in past their curfews, they reply, “Oh, we were just talking.” It was not facts or knowledge that they were communicating; rather, their communication was developing a relationship. The young man received something of the young lady’s personality, and she received something of his personality through the time they spent together. Talking is very important in establishing a relationship – with God as well as with other people. We need to get to the place where we can hear the voice of God and – regardless of the circumstances under which that voice comes – we know that it is the voice of God so that we are able to follow through with what He is saying. A mature Christian should be able to recognize the will of the Lord and not to be confused about it.
In Genesis chapter twenty-seven, we find the story of Isaac who had two sons, Esau and Jacob. We know that Isaac was old and blind, but the Bible doesn’t say anything about his having hearing problems. He asked his son Esau to go hunting and bring back some venison for him. In the meantime, Jacob put on his brother’s clothes in a plot to deceive the aged father. Isaac recognized that the voice was not the voice of Esau. Jacob smelled like Esau, he felt like Esau, but he didn’t sound like Esau. Isaac denied that voice because it didn’t match with the circumstances. He blessed the deceptive son because he didn’t follow the voice that he heard. We should learn a valuable lesson from this Old Testament story – obey the voice of God regardless of the circumstances!
Another way that we can know the will of God is through supernatural confirmation. God can use supernatural signs and wonders such as prophecy for confirmation of His will; however, He usually does not give us direction that way. Generally, He uses this form of communication as a confirmation of what He has already spoken to our hearts.
We can also know the will of God through the advice and counsel of elders. When there is something that you want to know or have a question about, bring it up before the eldership in your local church. We don’t need to go to a leading televangelist for his opinion on it, we need to go to somebody who personally knows us and loves us enough to give us what is really in his heart. Certainly, the evangelist may have a supernatural word that may relate to us, but our pastor or elder – the person who has seen us mature and has spiritual oversight over us – can go before God with a heart of care for us, and he will receive the answer from God.
One final way of knowing God’s will is through the circumstances in which we find ourselves. For instance, Paul certainly didn’t plan on getting himself bitten by a snake; but when it happened, he realized that God had set up the circumstances so that a revival could occur on the island. (Acts 28:3-10) Regardless of the method, it is imperative that we learn to know and follow the will of God for our lives and in our day-to-day affairs.