Put on the New (Ephesians 4:24)

The prophet Isaiah called Jesus our “robe of righteousness”—the clothing we must wear if we desire to live holy, godly, and righteous.

In Ephesians 4:24, Paul uses the same clothing language to give the final aspect of what it means to “learn Christ”—that as we put off sin, so too we must put on Christ. In short, our lives are not our own and we must be marked by His life, righteousness, and holiness.

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Key Passage: Ephesians 4:24

… and to put on the new man, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
– Ephesians 4:24

Learning Christ

• Paul gives a contrast between the life we once lived in sin (Ephesians 4:17–19) and the life we now live in Christ (Ephesians 4:20–24).
• Ephesians 4:20–24 – But you did not learn Christ in this way—if indeed you heard Him and were taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus—
  • 1. to lay aside, in reference to your former conduct, the old man, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, 
  • 2. and to be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 
  • 3. and to put on the new man, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth

Put On

• Ephesians 4:24 – … and to put on the new man, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
  • Clothing language (put off sin/put on Christ)

New Man

• Created by God (God did all the work to bring about our salvation and redemption)
• Ephesians 2:10 – For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
  • In the likeness of Him (image bearers – Genesis 1:26)
  • After His pattern / model: righteousness and holiness of the truth [of Jesus and the Word]
• Leviticus 11:44–45 – For I am Yahweh your God. Therefore, set yourselves apart as holy and be holy, for I am holy. … For I am Yahweh who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; thus you shall be holy, for I am holy.
• Luke 1:74–75 – [Zechariah at birth of John] To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.
• Titus 1:8 – [Overseer] … [must be] hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, righteous, holy, self-controlled …
• 1 John 4:17 – By this, love has been perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, because as He is, so also are we in this world.

Robe of Righteousness (Put on Christ)

• Isaiah 64:6 – For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; and all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, carry us away.
• Isaiah 61:10 – I will rejoice greatly in Yahweh; My soul will rejoice in my God, for He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
  • Jesus is my garment of salvation
  • Jesus “Yahweh saves” or “Yahweh is salvation”
  • I must be clothed in His work and righteousness, not my own

Living in Holiness and Righteousness

• How do you become holy?
  • Only God is inartistically holy
    • Moses (holy ground)
    • Uzzah (touching ark)
  • Embrace the One who is holy

Jesus was born in a stable … but lives in a temple

• Romans 13:13–14 – Let us walk properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on [clothe yourself with] the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.
• Romans 13:13–14 (AMP) – Let us live and conduct ourselves honorably and becomingly as in the [open light of] day, not in reveling (carousing) and drunkenness, not in immorality and debauchery (sensuality and licentiousness), not in quarreling and jealousy. But clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah), and make no provision for [indulging] the flesh [put a stop to thinking about the evil cravings of your physical nature] to [gratify its] desires (lusts).

FOOTNOTES

Photo Credit: Teddy Bae

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In Our Next Study Together …

I invite you to join me on this journey from the book of Ephesians to discover God’s eternal purpose, His plan for your life, and learn how to practically live out an abundant and fruitful Christian life. 

• The focus of our next study: Ephesians 4:25
  • We are going to step back and look once again at the concept clothing of a Christian.
  • I encourage you to read through Ephesians a couple of times this week and focus specifically on Ephesians 4.