We have considered two negative things that damage the church life: ordinances and doctrine. Now we come to a third negative thing—the old man. Some Christians interpret the old man in 4:22 as the old nature. It is true that the old man includes the old nature, but it also includes a great deal more. Ephesians 4:22 indicates that the old man is all- inclusive: “That you have put off, as regards your former manner of life, the old man, which is being corrupted according to the lusts of the deceit.” Here Paul speaks of putting off, as regards our former manner of life, the old man. The former manner of life includes everything related to us: what we are, what we have, our family life, and our social life. Paul’s meaning here is that we must put off whatever we are, whatever we do, and whatever we have. We are to put off our very way of living.
The old man with all it includes is a damage to the church life. Wherever the old man is, there can be no church. This means that what we are, what we have, and what we do make the church life an impossibility.
Ordinances, doctrine, and the old man are the three main negative things that damage the church life. If we have ordinances, the church life is gone. If we are occupied with doctrine, it will not be possible to have the proper church life. In addition, if we continue to live according to the old man, the church life will be seriously damaged, even terminated. However, if we have no ordinances or doctrines and if we put off the old man with his former manner of life, we shall have a marvelous church life, a church life that will be a miniature of the New Jerusalem in the new heaven and new earth. In such a church life it is impossible to have division.
I wish to say once again that in the Lord’s recovery we are not for ordinances or for doctrine. However, we have deep respect for the Word of God. By the Lord’s mercy, we would never break His Word. But we do not take the Bible as mere doctrine. To keep the Word in a living way is one thing, but to turn the revelations in the Word into doctrine is another. We need to take the Word as nourishment for growth in life. We should not take it as a book of doctrine and ordinances. Although I prefer to kneel down when I pray, I do not make this a formality or an ordinance that others are expected to follow. Rather, when I kneel to pray, I do so in spirit.
For the church life, we must have no ordinances, we must not be occupied with doctrine, and we must not have any oldness. If we would be free from oldness, we must lay aside what we are, what we do, and the way we live. Those who are released from oldness in this way are very flexible. When Paul was on the way to Damascus, he was altogether in the old man. He had strongly opposed Stephen and consented to his death. Being strong in the old man, Paul was for the temple, the priests, and for the religion of Judaism. He strongly reacted against those who opposed these things. However, after he came to the Lord and had been dealt with by Him, he became flexible, seemingly without opinion. In 1 Corinthians 9 he said that he could be all things to all men (v. 22). He could be flexible because he had put aside his old man.
During the early years of my ministry, I had much to say to those who came to me for advice. For example, if a brother consulted me about marriage, I had many points to share with him concerning married life. But now when the saints come to me for counsel, I do not have much to say. Mainly, I encourage them to contact the Lord in prayer. My desire is to be like Paul, to be one who has given up the old man and who has become flexible in dealing with people.
If we have truly put off the old man, others will have a difficult time describing us. However, if we can be described easily, we probably have not put off the old man. We should not be proud, and we should not be humble. Actually, we should be nothing. Then we shall be useful in the church life.