The believers put on the new man by being renewed in the spirit of their mind. Ephesians 4:23 says that we are renewed in the spirit of our mind. To be renewed is for being transformed to the image of Christ (Rom. 12:2; 2 Cor. 3:18). The spirit in Ephesians 4:23 is the regenerated spirit of the believers mingled with the indwelling Spirit of God. Such a mingled spirit spreads into our mind, becoming the spirit of our mind. It is in such a spirit that we are renewed for our transformation. In this way our natural mind is conquered, subdued, and subjected to the spirit. This implies a process of metabolic transformation. As this process takes place, the mingled spirit spreads into our mind, takes over our mind, and becomes the spirit of our mind. By the spirit of our mind we are renewed to fulfill in experience what was accomplished in baptism—the putting off of the old man and the putting on of the new man. The putting off of the old man and the putting on the new man are accomplished facts. However, we need to experience and realize these facts by being renewed in the spirit of our mind.
The way to put on the new man is to allow our mingled spirit—the Spirit mingled with our spirit—to become the spirit of our mind. Our mind controls and directs our entire being. For the spirit to become the spirit of our mind means that the spirit guides, controls, directs, and possesses our mind. When the spirit guides our mind, it regulates our whole being. Thus, our entire being is under the control of the spirit. In the spirit of our mind we are renewed, and through such a spirit we put on the new man experientially.
We need to see that the new man has been created and that it has been placed in our spirit through regeneration. Hence, our spirit needs to be the part that directs our being. In other words, our spirit, which is mingled with the Spirit of God, must become the spirit of our mind. If our spirit is the spirit of our mind, then our living will be one that is according to the spirit, and whatever we do will be according to the spirit. The spirit of our mind will then become a renewed spirit. Through the renewing of the spirit, we put on the new man.
How much we experientially put on the new man depends upon how much we are led by our spirit. Therefore, as far as experience is concerned, the putting on of the new man does not happen once for all. This is a perpetual matter throughout our life. It is a continual and gradual process that takes place throughout our entire Christian life. At the time of our regeneration, the new man, created with Christ as the divine element, was placed in our spirit. Now we daily need to put on this new man by letting the spirit control our being and renew our mind. Every time a part of our being is renewed, we put on more of the new man. Therefore, the more we are renewed through the spirit that controls our mind, the more we put on the new man. Ultimately, this process of putting on the new man will be completed.
Ephesians 4:24 says, “Put on the new man, which was created according to God in righteousness and holiness of the reality.” The old man was created according to the image of God outwardly but without God’s life and nature (Gen. 1:26-27), whereas the new man was created according to God Himself inwardly, having God’s life and nature (Col. 3:10). Because the new man is created according to God in Christ and with Christ, it bears the image of God. Ultimately, the new man bears the image of God in righteousness and holiness of the reality.
Righteousness is being right with God and with man according to God’s righteous way, whereas holiness is being separated unto God from anything common and being saturated with God’s holy nature. Righteousness refers to the outward acts, whereas holiness refers to the inward nature. Outwardly everything related to the new man is righteous, and inwardly everything related to the new man is holy. Furthermore, righteousness signifies God’s acts, while holiness signifies God’s being. Everything God does is righteous, and all that God is, is holy. The new man was created according to God in these two aspects.
The righteousness and holiness of the new man are of “the reality.” In Ephesians 4:24 the article the before the word reality is emphatic. As “the deceit” in verse 22 is related to the old man and is the personification of Satan, so “the reality” in verse 24 is related to the new man and is the personification of God. Deceit is the devil, and reality is God. This reality was exhibited in the life of Jesus, as spoken of in verse 21. In the life of Jesus, the righteousness and holiness of the reality were always being manifested. In the righteousness and holiness of this reality, which is God realized and expressed, the new man was created.
Dean Alford said that the reality in 4:24 refers to the essence of God, because God is reality. This is in contrast to the lusts of the deceit in verse 22. Deceit is the essence of Satan, the deceiving one, but reality is the essence of God, who is the reality. Therefore, lusts are of Satan, the deceit, but righteousness and holiness are of God, the reality. Marvin R. Vincent points out that in this portion of the Scriptures, deceit and reality are both personified. The new man was created according to the two aspects of God’s essence, that is, according to God in righteousness and holiness of the reality.
Colossians 3:10 says, “The new man, which is being renewed unto full knowledge according to the image of Him who created him.” The image refers to Christ, the beloved Son of God as God’s expression (1:15; Heb. 1:3a). “Him who created him,” that is, the One who created the new man in Christ (Eph. 2:15) is Christ the Creator. Christ, as the image of God in Colossians 3:10, is the righteousness and holiness of the reality in Ephesians 4:24. Christ is the image of God and the embodiment of God (Col. 1:15; 2:9). When He was on earth, He was righteous and holy, and He was full of love and light. He was the image of God manifested among man. Today the church, as the new man, has the image of God, which means that the new man possesses the righteousness and holiness of God as well as His love and light.
Ephesians 4:24 says that the new man was created according to God, and Colossians 3:10 reveals that the new man is being renewed unto full knowledge according to the image of God. The new man is actually the same as God because the new man was created according to God. However, in our experience the new man needs to be renewed unto full knowledge according to the image, the expression, of Him who created him. The creation of the new man according to God has been accomplished, but in our experience the new man is being renewed little by little unto full knowledge. Thus, in our experience the new man is becoming the expression of God.
The more we are renewed in the spirit of our mind, the more the new man with the divine essence will spread from our spirit to our soul. This spreading within us is according to Christ, who is the image of God, the expression of God. The more the renewing takes place in our soul, the more we will have the image of Christ, and the more we will be able to express God.