The fourth principle is that we need to learn Christ as the truth is in Jesus (Eph. 4:20-21). The Bible is not a book of vain teaching. It teaches us something real. In particular, it teaches us a person, Jesus Christ, who is divine as well as human. He is the complete God and the perfect man. In Him we can see the wonderful, excellent, divine attributes, such as the divine love, light, and patience, lived out through the human virtues. We need to learn of this reality. Jesus is humble, kind, and patient. This is the truth in Jesus. To have the truth that is in Jesus is just to have God the Father as the reality living through our own humanity. Our love is like a glove, and Christ's love is like the hand. Without the hand, the glove is empty and has no reality. But when the hand with the fingers enters into and fills the glove, the glove is filled with reality.
In order to learn of this truth in Jesus, we need to adjust our own humanity. We should not remain in our Chinese or American disposition, taking it as an excuse. We should adjust our humanity to that of Jesus. Jesus lived the Father's life. In the same way, we need to live His life. Some brothers may be slow, whereas their wives may be quick. Both need to adjust themselves according to the humanity of Jesus. If we live out our old humanity, there will always be arguments. Among couples today, divorce does not come mainly from big things, but from an accumulation of small things. If we live a life according to the truth as it is in Jesus, there will be no divorce.
The fifth principle is that we must put off, in regard to our former manner of life, the old man (v. 22). We have lived in our former manner of life for many years. Today we must cease and put it off. To put off the old man is just to put off our old habits. We need to put off this old man, which is being corrupted according to the lusts of the deceit. Paul refers to deceit here as a personified thing, which is just Satan. Satan is the totality of deceit in the entire universe. Whatever he proposes is a deceit. The Lord Jesus said that Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44). He is the aggregate of deceit. This deceit is fully related to the old manner of life, which in its totality is a deceit. Hence, to put off the old man is to put off Satan.
After this, we need to be renewed in the spirit of our mind (Eph. 4:23). This means that our mind should be filled with, saturated by, and under the control and direction of the spirit. In this way, our spirit will become the spirit of our mind. It is by this spirit, which controls our mind, that we are being renewed.
Finally, we need to put on the new man (v. 24). The way to put on the new man is in the divine dispensing. We do not live according to the old habits and the old manner of life, but live according to the present, up-to-date divine dispensing. This is to put on the new man. This new man is created according to God in righteousness and holiness of the truth. Truth here also is personified. Deceit is Satan, and truth is the Triune God.