Ephesians 4:19-24 – 19They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. 20But that is not the way you learned Christ!—21assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
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In this short section of the Book of Ephesians, Paul delineates for us a very important key to the Christian life and the struggle against sin. In describing how a certain people live in hard-hearted and fleshly rebellion against God, Paul reminds the believers that we did not come to know Jesus through such rebellion. Instead, we were taught by those who shared the gospel with us to take part in a three step process in the struggle against sin. We, if we want to become more like Christ, must put off sin, have our minds renewed, and put on Christlikeness.
The first step in struggling against sin is to put off the old self (verse 22). This is what many commonly call “repentance,” but is actually only a portion of what genuine repentance truly involves. This is the area of life where you recognize that a particular behavior is wrong and dishonoring to God, and you work in the power of the Holy Spirit to remove such an area from your life. For example, a man who has become involved in Internet pornography might perform this step by trying to stop visiting illicit web sites. This is a first step in the struggle against sin, but it is most certainly not the end.
The second step is the renewing of your mind (verse 23). Once you have stopped a particular activity, you have to work to have a brand new mind toward that activity. If the man in our example has stopped watching Internet porn, but he still loves it in his mind, it will not be long until his safeguards fail and he finds himself right back where he was before. In order to have continual victory over his sin, the man in our example must continually turn to God’s word and God’s Holy Spirit to gain a renewed mind, a mind changed by God. Repentance from sin is not only about stopping a particular bad action, repentance also involves a change of mind, a renewed mind, which changes how we feel about the particular sin.
Paul than adds the third important step for us in verse 24. Besides putting off the old self and renewing your mind, in order to live out Christianity, you must also put on godliness or Christlikeness. To return to our example once more, our man must not only stop visiting illicit web sites and seek a renewed mind toward his sin, he must also find something to replace his old habitual use of his time. He takes off the sin by stopping his action. He renews his mind by looking to God’s word and learning to feel about his sin in the same way that God feels about it. He then completes the repentance process by replacing his sin with something holy, something honoring to Christ. He puts off the old self, renews his mind, and puts on Christ. He might replace his habitual sinful activity with time spent with his family or with other believers who can encourage him toward Christlikeness. He might completely change his life schedule, going to bed earlier and getting up earlier in the morning for time in God’s word. He might replace his time on the Internet with time spent in a thousand other ways that honor Christ. And he must replace his deviant view of human sexuality as depicted in pornography with a biblically informed and God-honoring view of the topic.
We do not repent of sin simply by “cutting it out.” Instead, we repent and change when we stop the activity, have our minds renewed by God, and replace the sinful activity with something that honors Christ instead. This is the process of sanctification, and all believers should continually be working through this process for as long as they are here on this earth.
Today, ask God what in your life needs to change. Ask him to reveal to you one area of sinful action or thought that he would like you to repent of. Then, work through the process. Put an immediate halt to the activity. Look into God’s word with much prayer to have God work with you on beginning the process of renewing your mind on the topic. Ask God for a brand new way of thinking and feeling toward your sinful habit. Perhaps you will want to share your struggle with another trustworthy and mature believer for help, advice, and accountability. And, seek out an appropriate biblical opposite to your sinful activity, a replacement if you will. Find something that you can put on in place of the sin you take off, and you will find the repentance process much easier, much more God-honoring, and much more permanent.
Dear Lord, I see in this passage a clear process for how to go about repenting of sin. I pray that you will reveal to me one area of my life that is dishonoring to you. Show me one place where you want me to change. Help me then to have the strength and courage to either stop what is wrong or start doing what is right. Help me to find scripture on the topic that will lead me to a renewed mind that is changed by your word and your Holy Spirit. Then, I pray that you will help me to find the appropriate replacement, the appropriate thing to put on in place of my sin. I know that repentance in my life honors you. I pray that you will empower me to work through the process of repentance for the sake of your name and your glory. I acknowledge here and now that you command me to repent, and thus it is my job to do so. I also acknowledge that I need your power and your Holy Spirit to repent. Sanctify me in your word, as I work along with you. All the work will only be accomplished by your power, and thus all the glory is yours for all the change you make in my life. Yet, it is my responsibility to work, and I do not shirk that duty. Help me to put off evil and put on Christ, and do so for your name’s sake.
Pastor Travis Peterson 