CHRISTIAN TEACHING AND PRACTICE
Ephesians 4: 17; 5: 2; Colossians 3: 8-17
It is to be noted that the putting off the old man, and the putting on the new man, is not to be read as an exhortation of something to be done, as in the King James Version, but as that which is supposed to have been done, see the New Translation. The apostle takes it for granted that as saints they had put off the old man and had put on the new man, and bases his exhortations on this fact.
This is the truth set forth in Christ and hence it is proper Christian teaching. How far we have understood and accepted the teaching is another matter. In Ephesians and Colossians the thought is introduced in connection with the apostle’s exhortations as to the practice which is consistent in saints who enjoy the privileges set forth in these epistles.
This is the truth “in Jesus”; it is what we have learnt in Christ, if we have heard Him and been instructed in Him. The truth in Jesus is that of a man according to God, the pattern of this new order of man. He is, as the Head in resurrection, the beginning and source of a new generation after His own kind, the one new man.
The “old man” is that order of man which is derived from Adam, and which takes its character from him. The full character of that order of man was never wholly displayed in any one individual, but if we consider the whole race of those derived from Adam, then we get the full character of the Adam man manifested. So also the “new man” is not Christ personally, but that new order of man which is derived from Him and takes its character from Him; in other words, it is Christ in the saints. Now all the traits of Christ were never expressed in any one individual, but if we could take account of all the saints as God sees them, we should see the character of Christ perfectly expressed, every moral perfection would be seen.
In becoming man, Christ did not identify Himself with that order of man which was of Adam. He did not come in any way to raise up or continue the Adam race. He was a perfect Man but of a new order—the second Man. If He identified Himself with man as of Adam it was only on the cross, so that in bearing the judgment that rested upon him He might bring to an end for God that order of man. This He has done and God now no longer recognises that order of man. There is only one Man for God, the One whom He has raised from the dead and glorified, and this new man which is derived from Him. If we are in the mind of God we recognise one Man, Christ. We judge and renounce in ourselves, and in every one else, the man after the flesh; we only take account of ourselves before God as in Christ, and of Christ, as those who have derived a new being and life from the last Adam. The apostle says, “know we no man after the flesh”, 2 Cor 5: 16. In thus renouncing the old order of man, and in approving only Christ and that which is of Christ, we have put off the old man and have put on the new man—in our mind and judgment we have so done, as taught by Christ.
This is what is set forth in baptism, which is the outward form of profession. In being baptised unto Christ Jesus, we were baptised unto His death, Rom 6: 3. We were thus identified with Him in the likeness of His death. The figure signifies the putting off the old man. Again, the apostle says, “As many as have been baptised unto Christ, have put on Christ”, Gal 3: 27. Thus again the figure signifies the putting on the new man. How far we have understood our baptism and taken it up intelligently and practically is a serious question. For this we need to be renewed in the spirit of our minds through divine teaching. The apostle takes it for granted that these saints had obeyed the teaching delivered to them.
The new man is Christ in the saints; if we can take account of the work of God in all the saints, we have the new man. In Ephesians 2, Christ is said to have annulled the enmity which existed between Jew and Gentile by setting aside both, in His death, that He might form the two in Himself into one new man. That includes the saved from among the Jews and from among the Gentiles, so that in place of Jew and Gentile there is the one new man. In the new man “Christ is everything” and He is “in every one”—that excludes everything of the old man. It is a new creation. New creation is the bringing into being that which had no previous existence. “If any one be in Christ, there is a new creation”, 2 Cor 5: 17. God’s work is not renovation, or restoration, but new creation. It is never God’s way to restore what has broken down in the hands of man, but to set it aside and bring in something new. “Behold, I make all things new”, Rev 21: 5.
Then the new man is not only created by God, but after God or according to God. It is of the character of God morally, in love, righteousness, holiness, &c. This life of God was seen in Christ personally when here in manhood. He was as man altogether after God. We do not forget that He was more than a man, He was God manifest in flesh. In becoming man, He brought into manhood the moral characteristics of God: mercy, goodness, truth, righteousness, &c. In making man, God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness”, Gen 1: 26. We know how the first man failed to answer to this thought of God. But it was perfectly realised in Christ, and is now continued here in the new man. In Colossians 3, speaking of the new man, it says, “According to the image of him that has created him”, that is in Christ. In Colossians the leading thought is Christ in the saints. In Ephesians, the leading thought is God in the saints. In Christ we see two things—the character of God displayed in a Man and a Man exhibiting all that is proper to man for the pleasure of God. The new man taking its character from Christ, all that which came out in Christ is continued here in the place where He has been personally rejected.
It is most important that we should recognise the presence of the new man here. It is the witness of the grace, wisdom and power of God by which He has triumphed over the work of the devil in energising men to get rid of Christ from this world and thus to get rid of the testimony of God from the earth. God has so wrought that the testimony is still maintained here in the saints; in this way He has not only defeated the designs of the enemy, but has enlarged the sphere of the testimony.
This then is the teaching we have received, if we have heard Him and been instructed in Him, and it is the basis on which the apostle founds his exhortations as to the practice and conduct of the saints. But first of all, we need to be formed in the new man, that is, formed in love, righteousness, holiness, &c. This is the work of God carried on by His Spirit in our souls. Hence the importance of the exhortation, “Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God” (Eph 4: 30), &c. The outward character must be the result of an inward formative work. What we say and do is the expression of what we are. This formative work of the Spirit is gradual and progressive. No doubt it is often hindered by our allowance of that which grieves the Spirit.
As to practice we are called upon to put off all those things which are characteristic of the old order of man, such as falsehood, stealing, covetousness, bitterness, wrath, anger, malice, &c. These and such like things were those by which we were known in our old condition as natural men. On the other hand, we are exhorted to put on those things which are characteristic of the new order of man, that which is expressive of the true character of God, of the life of God, as displayed in Christ, the spring of which is divine love, such as giving, bowels of compassion, kindness, meekness, longsuffering, forbearance, forgiveness, and, above all, love. Thus we are to be imitators of God according to the love which was expressed in Christ giving Himself for us, in obedience to the will of God. This love of God and this love of Christ is the spring of all true practical Christianity. What does not flow from the love of God in our hearts could not correspond to the life of God as displayed in Christ, and this is the pattern of the new order of man. This makes Christian practice very simple, the standard of it is God as displayed in Christ. All that is contrary to this has to be judged and put off.
We have each our part in the new man, and it should be a constant exercise with us individually that we should be increasingly taught of God and formed in what is of God, so that in our measure we should express the character of God as displayed in Christ.
From Helps for the Poor of the Flock vol 19 (1914