Christians Who Put Off the Old Man (Ephesians 4:22) - Overseer Sung-Hyun Kim

Putting Off
(Ephesians 4:22)

What would you do if a person covered in filth and emitting a foul odor came into your house and tried to sit at the dining table? You would likely guide them to put off their dirty clothes and take a bath first, wouldn’t you? No one would bring perfume to spray on a filthy body to get rid of the stench.

1. According to the Deceitful Lusts
   The old self should have been discarded the moment we believed in Jesus. Previously, the old self has governed our entire identity and dragged us wherever it pleased. The old self has led us away from the truth and always made us choose the path of deceit driven by lust. At that time, whenever our lusts were stimulated, we were easily deceived. Despite repeatedly failing and experiencing disappointment, we continued to be led by lust and failed to see the reality.
   

2. Your Former Conduct, Which Grows Corrupt
   Just because we have been freed from sin and received new life through Christ, it does not mean that the corrupt state of our old self has disappeared. The first thing we must do, now that we have received new life and are serving the Lord, is to resolve to put off the practices of the old self. Without this resolution, those who begin their faith life may try to understand God through the old self’s ways, ultimately failing to hear from Christ and be taught in Him.
   

3. The Old Man
   Those who have truly understood the grace of Christ cannot help but be deeply moved by His sacrifice and resolve, “I will put off the old self.” If you now realize that you have not yet taken the first step that the Gospel requires, you should decide to put off your old man even now. Only then can you put on the new man that God gives. Let us consider today as the day we first received the Gospel and boldly abandon the old man. Let the hard work of our Lord, who has called and taught us, be successful in us.
   

Overseer Sung-Hyun Kim