Putting Off and Putting On

Introduction – One of the challenges of keeping the Days of UB is to know what is & isn't leaven.

--so we know what to put/keep out.

--We have to check the ingredients and understand what they are

--More importantly, we need to know what is & isn't sin so we know what to put/keep out to be spiritually "unleavened."

SPS – Let’s examine what the Bible tells us on this subject.

--We will focus on two parallel passages in Ephesians and Colossians with quotes from The New Daily Study Bible to help us understand the ingredients of spiritually leavened matters.

Ephesians 4:17-18 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart….

--“futility” = without use or value, emptiness, futility, purposelessness, transitoriness 

NKJ Ephesians 4:22 Put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts.

NLT Ephesians 4:22 Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.

NRS Ephesians 4:22 You were taught to put away your former way of life, your old self, corrupt and deluded by its lusts….

‑‑"old man" = whole way of life prior to God's calling

    ‑‑"to put off" ‑ "The aorist tense denotes a once and for all, definite, concluding action; the stripping off is to be done at once, and for good."

    ‑‑middle voice = action done for benefit of person doing action

--We can't put something out w/o putting something else in its place

‑‑HWA ‑ taking air out of bottle by pouring water in

‑‑key to quitting smoking = substitution of acceptable replacement

  ‑‑book "Positive Addiction"

Ephesians 4:23-24 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

--“be renewed” = passive verb (recipient of the action) vs. “put on” = active verb (we must do)

NLT Ephesians 4:23-24 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God-- truly righteous and holy.

--Renewing of the mind thru the Holy Spirit is the key to putting off the old man & putting on the new man.

Ephesians 4:25 Therefore, putting away lying, "Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor," for we are members of one another.

‑‑Lying must be replaced by speaking truth.

  ‑‑Lying is a form of deception and betrayal.

NLT Ephesians 4:25 So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body.

  ‑‑"We are members of one another" ‑ ie We trust each other.

    ‑‑lying = taking advantage of innocence & trusting

    ‑‑done by those in authority for selfish gain (ex. current national political campaigns)

Paul has just been saying that when people become Christians, they must put off their old life as they would put off a coat for which they have no further use. Here, he speaks of the things which must be banished from the Christian life.

(1) There must be no more falsehood. There is more than one kind of lie in this world.

There is the lie of speech, sometimes deliberate and sometimes almost unconscious….  It is more from carelessness about truth than from intentional lying, that there is so much falsehood in the world.' Truth demands a deliberate effort.

There is also the lie of silence, and maybe it is even more common…. It may be that in some discussion we, by our silence, give approval to some course of action which we know is wrong. It may be that we withhold warning or rebuke when we know quite well we should have given it.

Paul gives the reason for telling the truth. It is because we are all members of the same body. We can live in safety only because the senses and the nerves pass true messages to the brain. If they took to passing false messages—if, for instance, they told the brain that something was cool and touchable when in fact it was hot and burning—life would very soon come to an end. A body can function healthily only when each part of it passes true messages to the brain. If we are all bound into one body, that body can function properly only when we speak the truth” (The New Daily Study Bible).

Lying originates from Satan.

NKJ John 8:44 When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

NLT John 8:44 He has always hated the truth because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.

‑‑lying (occasional) vs. liar (integral part of character ‑ "living a lie")

  ‑‑Chronic liars live in a make-believe world.

(Revelation 21:8 ‑ Unrepentant liars will be destroyed in lake of fire.)

NKJ Ephesians 4:26-27 "Be angry, and do not sin": do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil.

--Anger must be dealt with ASAP.

‑‑like a fire that will spread & destroy all in its path

--It can lead to a "root of bitterness" (Hebrews 12:15)

NLT Ephesians 4:26-27 And "don't sin by letting anger control you." Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 for anger gives a foothold to the devil.

Ephesians 4:28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.

--Stealing & cheating must be replaced by giving attitude & honesty.

‑‑income tax – arguably the most common occurrence of cheating/stealing

--not tithing faithfully = stealing from God

NKJ Malachi 3:8 "Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, 'In what way have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings.

NLT Malachi 3:8 "Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me!"But you ask, 'What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?'"You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me.

Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.

--corrupt communication = foul language

‑‑Foul language is not "cool." 

‑‑Language is a communication tool that must be used for good, not evil.

Ephesians 4:31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.

Paul ends this chapter with a list of things which must go from life.

(1) There is bitterness (pikria). The Greeks defined this word as long-standing resentment, the spirit which refuses to be reconciled. So many of us have a way of nursing our anger to keep it warm, of brooding over the insults and the injuries which we have received. As Christians, we all might well pray that God would teach us how to forget.

(2) There are outbreaks of passion (thumos) and long-lived anger (orgē). The Greeks defined thumos as the kind of anger which is like the flame which comes from straw; it quickly blazes up and just as quickly subsides. On the other hand, they described orge as anger which has become habitual. To Christians, the burst of temper and the long-lived anger are both forbidden.

(3) There is loud talking and insulting language. A certain famous preacher tells how his wife used to advise him: 'In the pulpit, keep your voice down.' Whenever, in any discussion or argument, we become aware that our voice is raised, it is time to stop….

It would save a great deal of heartbreak in this world if we simply learned to keep our voices down and if, when we had nothing good to say to a person, we did not say anything at all. The argument which has to be supported by shouting is no argument; and the dispute which has to be conducted through an exchange of insults is not an argument but a brawl ” (The New Daily Study Bible).

Qualities to "put on" to replace those to "put off"

NKJ Ephesians 4:32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.

So, Paul comes to the summing up of his advice. He tells us to be kind (chrēstos). The Greeks defined this quality as the attitude of mind which thinks as much of its neighbor's affairs as it does of its own. Kindness has learned the secret of looking outwards all the time, and not inwards. He tells us to forgive others as God forgave us. So, in one sentence, Paul lays down the law of personal relationships—that we should treat others as Jesus Christ has treated us (The New Daily Study Bible).

Parallel passage to Ephesians 4

Colossians 3:1-4 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

NLT Colossians 3:5 So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don't be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.

Colossians 3:8-10 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him….

In verse 8, Paul says that there are certain things of which the Colossians must strip themselves. The word he uses is the word for taking off clothes. There is here a picture from the life of the early Christians. When Christians were baptized, they took off their old clothes when they went down into the water, and when they emerged they put on new, pure white robes. They got rid of one kind of life and put on another. In this passage, Paul speaks of the things of which Christians must rid themselves, and in verse 12 he will continue the picture and speak of the things which Christians must put on. Let us look at these things one by one.

Christians must rid themselves of anger and temper [wrath NKJV] . The two words are orge and thumos, and the difference between them is this. Thumos is a blaze of sudden anger, which is quickly ignited and just as quickly dies. The Greeks likened it to a fire in straw, which quickly blazed and just as quickly burned itself out. Orgē is anger which has become ingrained; it is long-lasting, slow-burning anger, which refuses to be pacified and nurses its wrath to keep it warm. For Christians, the burst of temper and the long-lasting anger are both forbidden.

There is malice. The word we have translated in this way is kakia; it is a difficult word to translate, for it really means that viciousness of mind from which all the individual vices spring. It is all-pervading evil. Christians must rid themselves of slander and foul talk, and they must not lie to one another. The word for slander is blasphēmia, which the Authorized Version translates as blasphemy. Blasphēmia is insulting and slanderous speaking in general; when that insulting speech is directed against God, it becomes blasphemy. In this context, it is much more likely that what is forbidden is slanderous talk against other people. The word we have translated as foul talk is aischrologia; it could well mean obscene language. These last three forbidden things all have to do with speech” (The New Daily Study Bible).

Colossians 3:12-14 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.

NLT Colossians 3:14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.

‑‑"Therefore"

‑‑qualities to put on/in that will result in spiritual bonding & unity

‑‑"garment" = Bible symbol for conduct "clothed w/ righteousness"

--God provides the spiritual clothing; we need to “put it on” (“change clothes”).

1 John 3:1-3 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

--The hope of the resurrection ("firstfruits" pictured by next holy day) should motivate us to "purify ourselves."

‑‑Notice the emphasis on our initiative.

‑‑Present tense indicates continuous, ongoing process.

Conclusion – We must endeavor to put out sin and put in the holy righteous character of God and allow Jesus Christ to live and work in us through the power of the Holy Spirit.

I Corinthians 5:8 ‑ "Therefore, let us keep the feast, not with the old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."