In 2:15 Paul speaks of the creation of the one new man: “Having abolished in His flesh the law of the commandments in ordinances, that He might create the two in Himself into one new man, making peace.” Then in 4:13 he speaks of arriving at a full-grown man, and in 4:24, of putting on the new man. The full-grown man in verse 13 is the new man in verse 24. Hence, in Ephesians the new man is referred to three times.
Some versions make a serious error in rendering 4:24. For example, the Revised Standard Version says “put on the new nature.” What a poor translation! The Greek word here is anthropos, the same word used for man in 2:15. The New American Standard Version also makes a serious mistake by rendering this verse, “put on the new self.” Very few Christian writers have recognized that the new man in 4:24 is the church. In his Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, W. E. Vine points out that the new man in 4:24 is the church which is Christ’s Body. He clearly connects 4:24 to 2:15. No doubt the one new man in 4:24 is the new man in 2:15, for the same term is used in each case.
In 2:15 we have the creation of the new man. We may regard this creation as the birth of the new man. Just as a child is perfected through growth, so the new man created in Christ is also perfected through growth. This is the reason Paul refers to the new man in chapter four as well as in chapter two.
We may distinguish between something that is perfect. or complete organically and something that is perfect according to its function. At birth, an infant is perfect organically; that is, the infant has all the necessary organs. However, a child is not functionally perfect at birth. Organically, a mother cannot help her child, for she cannot add any organs to the child. But she can help him functionally by feeding him so that he will grow normally. Although only God the Creator can produce an organism that is perfect organically, we as parents must help our children become perfect functionally. We fulfill this responsibility by nourishing our children and cherishing them. In order to develop properly and to function normally, every child needs to be nourished and cherished. This principle also applies to the church as the new man. In 2:15 we see the creation of the new man organically, but in 4:13-16 we see the perfecting of the new man in relation to his function.
In this respect, 4:16 is an extremely important verse. Here Paul says, “Out from Whom all the Body, fitted and knit together through every joint of the supply, according to the operation in measure of each one part, causes the growth of the Body unto the building up of itself in love.” Our growth in life is to grow into the Head, Christ, but our function in the Body is to function out from Him. The phrase “each one part” refers to every member of the Body. Every member of the Body of Christ has its own measure which works for the growth of the Body. The Body causes the growth of itself through the supplying joints and working parts. The growth of the Body is the increase of Christ in the church, which results in the building up of the Body itself.
There is no verse such as 4:16 in Ephesians 2. In chapter two we have the birth of the new man, but not the function of the new man. At birth, the new man is organically perfect; however, he is not yet able to function. Just as a child needs to be perfected through nourishing and cherishing, so the organically perfect new man needs to be perfected through the growth of life in order to function in a proper way.
Our physical life portrays this. Only God can create a being that is organically perfect. However, after a child is born, God does not come in to feed him or cherish him. This is the responsibility of the parents, especially of the mother. The more the child is nourished and grows, the more he will function normally.
In the same principle, the new man created by Christ must be perfected in order to function. Through the growth spoken of in chapter four, the new man comes into function. Through the operation in the measure of each part, the Body grows unto the building up of itself in love. The creation of the new man was the responsibility of the Lord alone. We have nothing whatever to do with this. But we must fulfill our responsibility to perfect the new man through nourishing and cherishing. As the new man is perfected in this way, he grows and becomes perfect functionally.