Ephesians 4:24 – Intro to Part II: All the Work

… put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Summary: Why does it feel like “putting on” this “new self” is a lot of work? The answer, like so many things in life, depends on how you look at it. Looked at correctly, we are not doing any work at all. Instead we are honoring our King, Jesus.

Even though it has been twenty centuries since Paul wrote his letter, his words seem fresh and relevant today. Paul’s words touch us where we live. Except for changes in technology, people are the same as they were two thousand years ago. We have the same weaknesses and needs.

One of those needs is to realize that life on our own, without God, doesn’t work. Self-medicating the emotional consequences of our past mistakes with drugs and alcohol doesn’t fix the problem. At some point, if we are honest with ourselves, we realize that our biggest problem is the person looking back at us in the mirror. We are the ones who have to change. But how?

Paul tells us that God can change our attitude. (Ephesians 4:23, Romans 12:2) Not simply change our opinions about something, but change how our mind functions. Instead of operating out of fear and greed, God can change us so that we are loving and obedient to his will.

Now, you might well ask, “If God is changing me, why do I have to do all the work?”

In the first place, this “work” would not be possible if God himself had not come to us as a man named Jesus and died on the cross for our sins. So next time you think about “all the work,” don’t forget to add that bit of work into the equation.

Second, what seems like work is really just responding to Jesus when he says, “follow me.” (Matthew 16:24)

In the story of the ungrateful servant (Matthew 18: 21-35), a man is brought before the king to settle accounts. Somehow, this guy (a servant of the king) had racked up a debt of ten thousand bags of gold! To put that into perspective, let’s assume each bag weighs five pounds. Five pounds equals eighty ounces, and assuming a market value of $2,000 per ounce, each bag is worth $160,000.

Each. Bag.

Now, multiply that by ten thousand bags, and you end up with 1.6 billion dollars! This man is in some serious debt!

Since the servant cannot pay the king back, he begs the king for patience and more time. The king, in a display of amazing generosity, cancels the entire 1.6 billion dollar debt and sends the man on his way.

The punishment for fraud is imprisonment and torture, but instead, the king forgives him, and the man goes free. The man now has a choice. What is he going to do with his newfound freedom? Should he continue with the ways that got him into trouble in the first place, or should he consider being more like the king who just forgave his unbelievable debt?

To put this into the context of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, the man can continue to live as he did before, as his “old self” that got him into debt, or he can take advantage of his new lease on life and put on a “new self” that honors his king and his generous gift.

Do you see how that works?

Our King, Jesus, forgives us all our debts (1 John 1:9). Paul is explaining how we can honor our King by making better choices. God is speaking to us through Paul’s writings. The Holy Spirit also speaks to us directly. Both Paul and the Holy Spirit work together to guide us into making better decisions that honor our King.

That’s what it means to put on your new self.

Application: Honor the King!

Food for Thought: How should we look at the concept of righteousness? Is it a way of impressing God or a way of honoring God? What is the difference?