Ephesians 4:22, Paul uses a powerful metaphor, to put off the old man, the image is of someone removing old, worn, contaminated clothing. This clothing represents the old way of living, one that was corrupted by the desires of deceit. The old man is not just a set of bad habits, it is the fallen nature you inherited from Adam, the inclination to sin that dominates the life of one who is separated from God. Paul is saying that this nature cannot be reformed or educated, it needs to be removed, abandoned as something that no longer serves, a definitive action that should have happened at the moment of conversion, but which needs to be continuously applied in daily practice.
The old man is corrupted according to the desires of deceit, this expression reveals something profound about the nature of sin. The desires are not just intense wants, but deceptive desires which promise satisfaction and deliver emptiness, they operate through deceit, making sin appear attractive, harmless, even necessary. That is why someone who lives according to the flesh, justifies their actions, minimizes their consequences and blames circumstances or other people. Deceit is the tool that keeps the old man in control, it convinces the person that they can sin without reaping the consequences, that they can serve two masters, that they can negotiate with God.
Paul is categorical, this old man needs to be put off, there is no middle ground, there is no way to wear the new over the old. Putting off the old man is an act of death, Romans 6:6, our old man was crucified with Christ, so that the body of sin might be done away with. This means that Christian transformation is not merely behavioral, but ontological, it is a change on the level of being, when someone is in Christ, the old nature has been legally removed from the throne, it no longer has the right to reign.
Many Christians continue to listen to the old man, because they do not understand that the old man has already been judged and condemned on the cross, they live as if they were still slaves to a nature that has already been deposed. Putting off the old man, is to recognize daily, that the old man no longer has authority over you. It is to refuse to heed the old man’s requests, treating the old man as something dead, powerless, without rights and this requires constant vigilance, because the old man tries to convince you that he is still alive.
The old man is corrupted according to the desires of deceit, this expression reveals something profound about the nature of sin. The desires are not just intense wants, but deceptive desires which promise satisfaction and deliver emptiness, they operate through deceit, making sin appear attractive, harmless, even necessary. That is why someone who lives according to the flesh, justifies their actions, minimizes their consequences and blames circumstances or other people. Deceit is the tool that keeps the old man in control, it convinces the person that they can sin without reaping the consequences, that they can serve two masters, that they can negotiate with God.
Paul is categorical, this old man needs to be put off, there is no middle ground, there is no way to wear the new over the old. Putting off the old man is an act of death, Romans 6:6, our old man was crucified with Christ, so that the body of sin might be done away with. This means that Christian transformation is not merely behavioral, but ontological, it is a change on the level of being, when someone is in Christ, the old nature has been legally removed from the throne, it no longer has the right to reign.
Many Christians continue to listen to the old man, because they do not understand that the old man has already been judged and condemned on the cross, they live as if they were still slaves to a nature that has already been deposed. Putting off the old man, is to recognize daily, that the old man no longer has authority over you. It is to refuse to heed the old man’s requests, treating the old man as something dead, powerless, without rights and this requires constant vigilance, because the old man tries to convince you that he is still alive.
