Ephesians 4:22 and 24 speak of putting off the old man and putting on the new man. Since the new man in 2:15 is the church, to put on the new man in 4:24 must be to put on the church life. The New American Standard Version renders the Greek words translated “new man” in verse 24 as “new self.” This rendering does not match the context of Ephesians. Since the new man is the church in chapter 2, it cannot change its meaning in chapter 4 and become the new self. Such a translation is against the principle of Bible exposition. To put on the new man is to put on the church life. This is not to put on a new self but to put on the church life.
The secret to putting on the new man lies in 4:23, which speaks of being “renewed in the spirit of your mind.” To be renewed in the spirit of the mind is to let our spirit become the spirit of our mind. We need to be renewed in the spirit of our mind. Our mind with its thoughts must be controlled, directed, saturated, and occupied by our spirit. As a result, our spirit will become the spirit of our mind, and we will be renewed in the spirit of our mind. This is the way to put on the church life.
Verse 22 says, “Put off, as regards your former manner of life, the old man.” Our former manner of life includes everything related to us: what we are, what we have, our family life, and our social life. Our living and walk are related to our parents and children and to our siblings, classmates, colleagues, neighbors, and relatives. Every point and aspect of our living and walk are involved with human communities. Our living is a corporate living. The Bible says that we need to put off the old man, the former manner of life, that is, the old social life, and that we need to put on the new man, the church life.
Before we were saved, we lived a life of taking ourselves as the person. For example, a young boy in junior high school might enjoy going out with his classmates and friends and doing things with them. After he is saved, however, he should take Christ as his person and live the church life. To live the church life does not mean that he should go to the meeting on Lord’s Day morning and listen to a pastor’s sermon. Our church life should be full of Christ every day, whether in the morning or in the evening. Whenever there is the time or opportunity, the saints should come together to praise the Lord. We can pray-read together and be built up, or we can go out to preach the gospel and spread the Lord’s kingdom by saving souls. We do not rely on hired pastors or preachers. We are living members of Christ’s Body, we take Christ as our person, and we are being filled with Christ, being filled with the Holy Spirit, and being occupied by God. When we let the Lord strengthen us into the inner man, He makes His home in our hearts, and we are filled unto all the fullness of God. God “is able to do superabundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power which operates in us. To Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus unto all the generations forever and ever” (3:20-21). This is the practical living of the church; this is also the church in reality.
The reality of the church life is a living in which the believers take Christ as their person, are filled with the Holy Spirit, and are occupied by God. First Corinthians 6:17 says, “He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit.” When our spirit is mingled with the Holy Spirit, the two spirits become one. When this mingled spirit occupies our mind, it becomes the spirit of our mind. In the spirit of our mind we are being renewed in our concepts, our habits, and our views. This is the way to practically put on the new man, the church life.