… and to put on the new self,
Summary: Using a computer for a modern metaphor for a spiritual concept is helpful. We operate in a similar way. The one major difference is that unlike the computer, we get to choose our “programming.”
I can’t help but feel that as we read through these verses in Ephesians 4, we are reading about the second most important concept in Christendom.
The first and most important concept is Jesus’ offer of salvation. Perhaps the most well-known summation of this concept is John 3:16 —
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
The idea that we can be saved from eternal damnation by believing in Jesus is comforting. But what does that have to do with my life here and now?
Paul says that we are to “put off your old self” (Ephesians 4:22) and “put on the new self.” We have already looked at what it means to put off the old self. What does Paul mean when he says to put on the new?
Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record Jesus mentioning that we have a heart, a mind, and a soul. (Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30, Luke 10:27) All three of these are invisible and untouchable by human hands. Paul is not talking about anything physical. The “self” he refers to is simply the definition of who we are.
“How can that be?” you ask. Think of yourself as a computer. A computer without a program is simply a machine, much like a body without a mind or a soul. What makes a computer valuable is the programming.
Imagine a computer programmed to always lie. No matter what question you ask the computer to solve, it gives you the wrong answer. That is not very useful, is it? Would you keep that computer very long?
No. If it couldn’t be fixed you would throw it in the trash.
Now imagine a computer that is programmed correctly. Any question you ask is answered correctly. The information that the computer gives you is always reliable. That is something worth keeping.
In a similar way, if our “programming” is bad, we are not worth saving. If we say we believe in Jesus but do not accept his teaching or obey his commands, we are like the computer with bad programming that can’t be fixed. (Matthew 7:21) If we do accept his teaching, maybe we still make mistakes, but by trying to do right, we demonstrate that we are worth fixing.
Putting on the “new self” is a two-step process. Step One is accepting Jesus as Lord. Step Two is accepting his teaching as our new programming. Together, these comprise the “new self” that Paul is telling us to put on.
Application: Read the Bible every day to better understand God’s will.
Food for Thought: What is the difference between someone telling us what the Bible says and reading the Bible for ourselves?
What is the difference between someone telling us what the Bible says and reading the Bible for ourselves?
There is a three word combination I like. Author, audience, agenda. Who is speaking, who are they speaking to, and why are they saying this? Anytime a person writes or speaks, these three things are present. Even in our own inner dialogue. Even in our walk with the Lord.
It usually come down to giving or taking. People either want to fortify or diminish. You can trust that God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit only want to do both to you simultaneously.
John 3:30 He must become greater; I must become less.
Reading the Bible yourself can change you at your very core, that is, if one can remove oneselves agenda from the equation. Humility is paramount. Recognizing what part of you is hungry will determine how you are fed.
James 4:10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
Matthew 7:7 Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
I had heard the story of Adam in the garden of Eden as a child, and in sermons in my adult life. I thought I knew everything about it for a long time. One day, I was led there to Genesis as an adult. I read the verses from the Bible, and I also read different translations of those verses. I found out that God didn’t just bring the animals to Adam to name, but that God delighted in watching Adam name the animals. That transformed the “story” for me, breathed life into His Word. It became more personal to me.
Hearing someone else tell you what the Bible says can be an “ohhh” experience. Reading the Bible for yourself can be an “ohhh-oooooooo” experience. It can help you understand your relationship with the Father, the Fathers relationship with you, and just how it applies to your life and everyones life. Not life, as in the lives we live, although that is a part of it, but life. The eternal life.
1 John 2:17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
Chris,
Thank you! Your “Author, audience, agenda” trio is very insightful. Having that lead you to the insight about God both wanting to fortify and diminish at the same time is really interesting. That fits with what Paul is teaching us about putting off the old and putting on the new.
07-11-2023, What is the difference between someone telling us what the Bible says and reading the Bible for ourselves?
A mother will eat high quality solid food, take lots of vitamins, and her new baby will receive benefit from the milk produced by the mother. However the baby will never receive the full value of the solid food if they remain on a diet of milk. The full value of solid food can only be received by when a person choses to turn from milk, to solid food.Turn from depending on others to tell us what Gods Word tells us, and begin seeking His truths through personal, prayerful study.
God’s Word is a multifaceted jewel, beyond our ability to fully comprehend during our short lifetime. ( I have spent 46 years in study, and continue to learn more ) We are called to spend time with our Lord, the source of His word, knowing the author will reveal what we need to know now. He has purpose for each of us and it is our job to prepare by spending time in study and application of God’s Word each day.
For although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the very first principles of God’s Word all over again! You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who has to drink milk is still a baby, without experience in applying the Word about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, for those whose faculties have been trained by continuous exercise to distinguish good from evil.
Hebrews 5:12-14
Thank you, Ron!
Both forms of taking in the Bible have value as you point out. Comparing the Word of God to a jewell is a great way to think of the Bible. Thank you!!