A L M A C I A S

PUTTING ON THE NEW MAN

In the letter to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul wrote in reference to the putting on of the new man. When we became Christians, we took on certain responsibilities. One of the responsibilities that all Christians have is that we must make certain changes in our lives. We all need to understand that this is a must. Some of us might not like changes, but whether we do or we don't, the changes must be made. When Paul wrote to the Ephesians, he was writing to Gentiles who had come into Christianity from a life that was contrary to God's will. The life from which the Gentiles came was very similar to the kind of life many live today. The lives of many Gentiles were full of lies, anger, stealing, and corrupt communication. As you can see this is very similar to the kind of lives so many are living today. As a matter of fact, some of these qualities are even found in some who call themselves Christians.

Now when Paul told the Ephesian brethren that they needed to put off the old man and to put on the new man, he was also telling us to do likewise. As we analyze Ephesians 4:24-29, we find that it is not enough to stop doing those things that are wrong in the sight of God, but that it is also necessary to begin doing that which is right in the sight of God. The first thing that Paul dealt with in this passage of Scripture was the problem of lying. Lying has always been a common problem among those who do not follow the ways of God. When people find themselves in situations that might bring them terrible consequences, they lie to protect themselves. Lying today can be seen even among people whom we have trusted with our lives. How many do we know who are in powerful political positions who have tried to deny they have done wrong things, and have even made use of lies to protect their reputations. It almost seems that we as a nation are not surprised in the least when these powerful politicians lie to us about various matters. But whether we are or are not surprised by the lies some of them tell us, lying is still wrong, especially for those of us who call ourselves Christians. We need to stay away from lying, from all forms of lying, not just lying when we talk to others or when we talk about others, but also in our writing. We are commanded to always speak the truth. People need to know that when a Christian says "yes," he means "yes"; and when he says "no," he means "no." Another problem that existed among those of the first century that also exists among those of this century is the problem of anger. Not all anger is wrong, but the problem is that many times when we become angry, we do so in a sinful way. We become angry because someone loved us enough to tell us the truth. Whatever may be the reason for our anger, Paul says that we need to do whatever we can to make things better so that our anger will go away. That is what Paul meant when he said, "Let not the sun go down upon your wrath." When we feel anger in our hearts, and we do nothing about it, it will turn into bitterness, and bitterness will keep us from seeing the Lord (Heb. 12:14). Two other things Paul told the Ephesians to leave behind were the sin of stealing and the sin of corrupt communication. Paul told the brethren then, as well as us today, that we not only have an obligation to stay away from stealing, but we also have an obligation to work with our own hands so that we might have enough to help those in need. We also have an obligation to be careful in the things that we do say and to say only that which is necessary for the edification of those who hear us. What progress have we made in our lives in "³putting on the new man"?