As Paul the apostle directed
the Colossian church members to set their affection on eternal things
rather than earthly things, he gave them specific characteristics
which they were to “put off”, and he referred to them as
the “old man”. The “old man” represented the
“old life” or “the old way of living”, and those ways were to
be put away. In chapter three and verse ten in his letter to the
Colossians, Paul wrote about putting on “the new man”
where we read:
And
have put on the new man,
which is renewed in knowledge
after
the image of him that created him:
The verse begins,
“And
have put on the new man,”
As
Paul began this verse, he employed the word “And”
which
is a continuing conjunction that is in keeping with a flow of
thought. As the Colossians were to “put
off the old man with his deeds”,
they were to “put
on”
or “sink
into (clothing) or clothe one's self” with “the
new man”
which means “the recently born, young and youthful” person. As
Paul wrote to the Corinthians in Second Corinthians chapter five and
verse seventeen:
Therefore
if any man be
in
Christ, he
is a
new creature: old things are passed away;
behold,
all things are become new.
The
Colossians were to “put
off”
the old way of living and “put
on”
the new way of living.
The
verse goes on to say,
“which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created
him:” Paul
went on to explain more about “the
new man” as
he wrote, “which
is renewed”
or “caused
to grow up, made new, given new strength and vigor, and changed
into a new kind of life as opposed to the former corrupt state”.
They were to be “renewed”
“in knowledge”
which is “precise
and correct knowledge” which is“after
the image of him”
or “figure, likeness, moral likeness of renewed men to God, the
image of the Son of God, into which true Christians are transformed
and not only to the heavenly body, but also to the most holy and
blessed state of mind, which Christ possesses” “that
created him” which
refers to God who “formed, shaped and completely changed or
transformed” him. When the Colossians gave their hearts and lives
to Jesus Christ by believing in His death on the cross for their
sins, they were to change their ways from their natural state to a
renewed manner of living was after the likeness of God.
While
we meditate on these words of Paul, we should think about being
“renewed
in knowledge after the image of him that created”
us. The more we know Him, the more we are going to be like Him, and
we should be growing in a likeness of God more and more every day.
Our “old
man”
or “old way of living” should be fading, and our “new
man”
or “new way of living” should be our predominant lifestyle. This
is possible by being “renewed
in the knowledge after him”,
and as we spend time in His word and fellowship with Him in prayer,
we will become more aware of ways about us that represent our former
earthly life and discover eternal ways which may be lived today. May
the Lord help us to know the difference.
Next
time Paul shares about
having
no difference socially, ethnically and nationally when we are in
Christ, so
read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ;
www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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