#DailyDevotion You Can Have A New Mind & Life With The Truth Of Jesus
Eph. 4:22-23 22Strip off your old self, which follows your former ways of living and ruins you as it follows the desires that deceive you. 23Become new in the spirit of your minds, 24and put on the new self, which is created to be like God, righteous and holy in the truth.
This may sound like a command in English but it is not. It’s not even an indicative in the Greek; it’s an second aorist infinitive. (This is just there for those who know Greek) The main verbs are in the previous verse namely ‘heard’ and ‘learned’ of the truth in Christ. None of the things that look like verbs here are in the indicative or imperative sense, but either infinitives or participles and those participles are middle. (Again this for the Greek reading people) What you normal people ought to get from this is you being commanded to anything. Paul has a big “if” clause in the previous verse these verb forms a depending on, “If you heard and learned the truth that is in Christ Jesus.” So then if you really head and learned the that truth, these things will follow.
We’ll be putting off, like changing our clothes, like they are dirty, our former way of life, the old man (fallen Adam). This old way of life leads to destruction. This old way of living is full of lust, covetousness and deception. You want, want, want thinking fulfilling your wants will make you feel better and more complete just like Adam and Eve did in the Garden. They did not trust the LORD Jesus was giving them what was best for them. They did not believe knowing Him was what was best for them and fulfilling for them. We do this all the time buying things to fill the hole in our lives we have when we forget we have Christ Jesus as our life. The truth we have in Christ Jesus is he has made our hearts his home. Knowing in him we have peace with God the Father and everything he has is ours takes away that desire to have more. We can be content in Christ knowing God isn’t holding anything back from us. The old man, your former self before you knew Christ never trust, knows or believes this.
If we have heard and learned the truth in Christ Jesus, we will be putting on the new man (Jesus), clothing ourselves with him. Indeed, we have been clothed with Christ Jesus in baptism. (Rom. 5) The truth of Christ Jesus renews the spirit of our minds so we believe and live as if God the Father is at peace with us. We are renewed in the righteousness of God, restored to our original image and likeness God created us in. The new man is content having Jesus dwelling in our hearts. He is content knowing the earth and heaven, and everything in them is his through the grace that is in Christ Jesus. It doesn’t always need more, more, more because it believes it has everything it needs and more in Christ Jesus. When you feel disturbed and empty inside, when you feel off and you think you need to buy something else or have a man or woman or something else to fulfill you, remember Jesus. Remember he has made peace with you with God. Remember the truth of his bless, he give to the meek the earth. He has given you the kingdom of God freely out of grace. He has made you heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.
Heavenly Father, continually give us faith to believe the truth you have given us so we may believe and live according to the truth of Christ as new men created in your image and likeness. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.