Our identity of a follower of Jesus should lead us to live a new life as we lay aside our old life...

This week, we are looking at a section of a letter in the New Testament of the Bible called the book of Ephesians. Yesterday, we saw Paul urge followers of Jesus throughout history to no longer live their day to day lives like those who do not know Jesus and who are far from God.  Paul urged followers of Jesus throughout history to no longer live their day to day lives with a mindset that is without value and that is focused on worthless things and that is blind to what is true. Paul urged followers of Jesus throughout history to no longer live their day to day lives with a lack of gratitude and obedience to God that is due to a hardness towards God that produces a practiced lifestyle of rebellion against God.

Today, we will see Paul reveal what a life that is worthy of our identity as a follower of Jesus looks like in one’s day to day life. So let’s look at it together, beginning in Ephesians 4:20:

But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have  been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former  manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit,
 

In these verses, we see Paul reveal for us the reality that instead of living as like those who do not know Jesus and who are far from God, we are to live our lives according to all that we have learned about Jesus. Paul urges the members of the church at Ephesus to remember how they came to hear and understand the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel.

When Paul states that you did not learn Christ in this way, he is reminding the members of the church of Ephesus that they did not come to have a sense of gratitude and obedience to God in relationship with Jesus as a result of a lifestyle of license, corruption, and selfish desires. But not only were the members of the church of Ephesus to remember how they came to hear and understand the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel.

In the second half of verse 21, Paul urges the members of the church of Ephesus to remember how they had been instructed to live their day to day lives when it came to the message and teachings of Jesus. Paul reveals four specific things that the members of the church of Ephesus had been instructed in when it came to how they lived their day to day lives as followers of Jesus.

First, in the second half of verse 22, when Paul states "just as truth is in Jesus", this phrase refers to Jesus and the content of Christianity as being the ultimate truth. Paul here is urging the members of the church at Ephesus to remember that the message and teachings of Jesus contain the ultimate truth that Jesus is the ultimate truth. And in the same way today, as followers of Jesus, we are to remember that the message and teachings of Jesus contain the ultimate truth that Jesus is the ultimate truth.

Second in verse 23, Paul calls the members of the church at Ephesus to, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self. But what does that mean? Now to lay aside literally means to rid oneself of. And what the members of the church of Ephesus were to rid themselves of was the old self. When Paul refers to the old self, this phrase literally means the old man and refers to our old nature apart from God that is consumed by selfishness and rebellion against God.

So Paul here is urging the members of the church at Ephesus to rid themselves of their old nature that led their lives prior to becoming a follower of Jesus. You see, when we become followers of Jesus, we receive a new nature as a result of the Holy Spirit's indwelling presence and activity in our lives. However, we still have our old selfish and rebellious nature apart from God within us as well.

And this old nature, as Paul points out in verse 22, is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit. In other words, our old nature apart from God is consumed by selfishness and rebellion. And our old nature is doomed to destruction as a result of its deceitful desires that are dominated by selfishness and rebellion. And in the same way today, as followers of Jesus, we are to rid ourselves of our old nature that led our lives prior to becoming a follower of Jesus.

We then see Paul reveal two additional things that the members of the church of Ephesus had been instructed in when it came to how they lived their day to day lives as followers of Jesus in Ephesians 4:23:

and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

Now when Paul states "you be renewed in the spirit of your mind" this phrase is passive. In other words, this is something that happens to you. This phrase literally means let yourself be renewed. In the spirit of your mind refers to a spiritual state of mind. Paul is basically saying "you must adopt a new attitude of mind".

And it is here that we see Paul urge the members of the church at Ephesus to let the Holy Spirit renew their way of thinking. You see, it is the Holy Spirit's ongoing activity in our lives that results in us having a spiritual state of mind and way of thinking. And in the same way today, as followers of Jesus, we are to let the Holy Spirit renew our way of thinking so that we would have a spiritual state of mind and way of thinking.

Then, in verse 24, Paul urges the members of the church at Ephesus to put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. Paul here is revealing for us the reality that not only do we have to rid ourselves of our old nature that led our lives prior to becoming a follower of Jesus. In addition, we have to replace what we rid ourselves of with something.

And what we are to replace what we rid ourselves of is the new self. In other words, we are to put on the new self, which is literally the new man. And it is here that we see Paul urge the members of the church at Ephesus to put on their new nature so that they would live in light of their new and true identity. And in the same way today, as followers of Jesus, we are to put on our new nature to live in light of our new and true identity.

Paul then reveals four aspects of how our new nature reflects our new identity as a follower of Jesus. First, Paul states that our new self is in the likeness of God. Now this phrase literally means to be in God. Paul here is revealing that our new nature was created to reflect our new identity as a follower of Jesus. Paul is urging followers of Jesus to rid themselves of their old nature that identified them as being far from God in order to put on their new nature  that reflects their identity as a follower of Jesus.

Second, Paul explains that our new self has been created in righteousness. Now the word righteousness is a big fancy fifty cent theological word that refers to the quality or state of being right. Deep huh?  Paul here is revealing that our new nature was created to reflect our new identity as being in a right relationship with God. Paul is urging followers of Jesus to rid themselves of their old nature that identified them as being in opposition to God in order to put on their new nature  that reflects our identity as being right with God.

Third, Paul states that our new self is created in holiness. Now the word holiness refers to a state of proper attitude toward God that is exhibited in our actions. Paul here is revealing that our new nature was created to reflect our new identity as having a proper attitude toward God that is reflected in our actions toward God and others. Paul is urging followers of Jesus to rid themselves of their old nature that identified them as having an attitude of rebellion toward God that resulted in rebellious actions against God in order to put on their new nature that reflects their identity as having a proper attitude toward God that is reflected in their actions toward God and others.

And fourth, Paul states that our new self is created of the truth. This phrase refers to the reality that truth expresses itself in our outward lifestyle. Paul here is revealing that our new nature was created to reflect our new identity as being grounded in the ultimate truth that reveals the ultimate truth. Paul is urging followers of Jesus to rid themselves of their old nature that identified them as being doomed to destruction as a result of deceitful desires that are dominated by selfishness and rebellion in order to put on their new nature  that reflects their identity as being aligned with the ultimate truth that reveals the ultimate truth.

And it is here that we see the Apostle Paul reveal for us a timeless truth when it comes to our identity. And that timeless truth is this: Our identity of a follower of Jesus should lead us to live a new life as we lay aside our old life. Just as it was for the members of the church at Ephesus; just as it has been for followers of Jesus throughout history, our identity of a follower of Jesus leads us to live a new life as we lay aside our old life.

As followers of Jesus, our identity should lead us to no longer live our day to day lives like those who do not know Jesus and who are far from God. Instead, our identity should lead us to live our lives according to all that we have learned about Jesus. Our identity as a follower of Jesus should lead us to rid themselves of our old nature that identified us as being far from God in order to put on our new nature that reflects our identity as a follower of Jesus.

Our identity as a follower of Jesus should lead us to rid ourselves of our old nature that identified us as being in opposition to God in order to put on our new nature that reflects our identity as being right with God. Our identity as a follower of Jesus should lead us to rid ourselves of our old nature that identified us as having an attitude of rebellion toward God that resulted in rebellious actions against God in order to put on our new nature that reflects our identity as having a proper attitude toward God that is reflected in our actions toward God and others.

And our identity as a follower of Jesus should lead us to rid ourselves of our old nature that identified us as being doomed to destruction as a result of deceitful desires that are dominated by selfishness and rebellion in order to put on our new nature that reflects our identity as being aligned with the ultimate truth that reveals the ultimate truth.

So here is a question to consider: What does your lifestyle reveal about what identity you are living in? Does your lifestyle reveal that your identity is one that does not know Jesus and is far from God? Does your lifestyle reveal that your identity is one who has failed to rid yourself of your old nature as you try to live a new life as a follower of Jesus?

Or does your lifestyle reveal that your identity is one that is living a new life that is laying aside the old life. Because our identity as a follower of Jesus should lead us to live a new life as we lay aside our old life.