“PUT ON THE NEW SELF!”

Ephesians 4:17-24                                                                 (ESV)

“17 Now this I say and testify in the LORD, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles (unbelievers) do, in the futility of their minds.

18 They are DARKENED IN THEIR UNDERSTANDING, alienated from the life of GOD because of the IGNORANCE THAT IS IN THEM, due to THEIR HARDNESS OF HEART.

19 They have become callous and have GIVEN THEMSELVES UP TO SENSUALITY, GREEDY to practice EVERY KIND of IMPURITY.

20 But that is not the way you learned CHRIST!-

21 assuming that you have heard about HIM and were taught in HIM, as the truth is in JESUS,

22 to PUT OFF YOUR OLD SELF, WHICH BELONGS TO YOUR FORMER MANNER OF LIFE and is corrupt through DECEITFUL DESIRES,

23 and to be RENEWED in the spirit of your minds,

24 and to “PUT ON THE NEW SELF”, CREATED after the LIKENESS of GOD in true RIGHTEOUSNESS and HOLINESS.”

Observing so many people who cannot SEE TRUTH, my heart is troubled by their Spiritual Blindness.  This passage of Scripture was read to me recently and it caught my eye because I had been always been taught that I was a Gentile because I was not of Jewish descent?  When I looked the word “Gentile” up though, I found that the term really means non-Jewish, or people who are not of the FAITH OF ABRAHAM.  Genesis 12:1-4 basically states that ABRAM didn’t know where he was going, but he TRUSTED GOD (had FAITH) to lead him to get where GOD wanted him to be.   

Having FAITH IN GOD is something that most people admit to having, at least they agree that there is a god!  But to TRULY SEE that GOD exists and that HE rewards those who seek HIM (Hebrews 11:6),the scales must be removed from your EYES (Acts 9:18) so they can SEE TRUTH!  Unless those scales are removed, their UNDERSTANDING is DARKENED by the IGNORANCE THAT IS IN THEM, due to THEIR HARDNESS OF HEART.  FAITH IN GOD is a GIFT (Ephesians 2:8-9) so that NO ONE should boast!  A GIFT!!!

IF we are Believers, our CREATOR has given us the privilege SEEING HIS GLORY when others minds are DARKENED.  But many of us continue adorning ourselves in the clothing of the OLD SELF, what we did and how we acted when we were NOT CHOSEN, expecting GOD to bless us because we are HIS?  JESUS says in Matthew 7:15-20 that our FRUITS, not our words, are what will be known for.  Are my FRUITS displaying CHRIST to a DARKENED WORLD?  Is my LIGHT shining so others can SEE?  

PUT OFF YOUR OLD SELF, WHICH BELONGS TO YOUR FORMER MANNER OF LIFE and is corrupt through DECEITFUL DESIRES!  Be RENEWED in the spirit of your minds!  Then “PUT ON THE NEW SELF”, CREATED after the LIKENESS of GOD in true RIGHTEOUSNESS and HOLINESS.  Putting on THE NEW SELF on top of our OLD SELF may fool the people of “this world”, but OUR CREATOR SEES our hearts and HE KNOWS, as a matter of fact, HE CAUSES us to “PUT ON THE NEW SELF”!  (Romans 2:4).  Don’t go around displaying your OLD SELF when CHRIST paid such a tremendous price for us to “PUT ON THE NEW SELF”!!!