This week’s devotions are based on Week 2 of Building Together: “Some Things Have to Go!” (WATCH HERE)
Ephesians 4:20 You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. 21 Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Yesterday we talked about tearing out the old way of thinking. Today Paul takes us one step further. Our thinking matters because what we believe about ourselves eventually shapes how we live. That is why Paul tells the Ephesians to “put off your old self” and “put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
That language can sound like changing clothes. Take off the old. Put on the new. Paul is describing a change that God has already begun in us through Christ. The Christian life is not simply about becoming a slightly improved version of the person we were before. In Christ, we have been given a completely new identity.
That is good news because we often carry the old self around with us. We remember our failures. We replay our mistakes. We allow our past to define us. Sometimes we even convince ourselves that a particular sin, attitude, or weakness is simply “who I am.” We may say, “That’s just the way I am,” as though change is impossible.
But Paul says otherwise.
The old self belongs to the old way of life. It is being corrupted by deceitful desires. It promises satisfaction but leaves us wanting more. It tells us that we will be happier if we get our own way, but it often leaves us more empty. It tells us that holding onto anger will protect us, that refusing to forgive will make things right, or that giving in to our desires will finally satisfy us. Yet those desires deceive us.
In Christ, we have something completely different.
Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” Notice who makes us new. Christ does. Our new identity is not something we create for ourselves. It is a gift of God’s grace.
That changes the way we approach repentance. We do not confess our sins because we are trying to convince God to love us. We confess them because God already loves us in Christ. Jesus has carried our sins to the cross, paid for them completely, and risen from the grave. Because of Him, we can let go of the old instead of continuing to defend it.
Think about renovating a house. Sometimes you discover something behind the walls that needs to go. You might find rotten wood, damaged wiring, or plumbing that needs to be replaced. You could cover it up and hope nobody notices. But eventually the problem will show itself again.
God’s Word does not simply cover our sin. It exposes it so that Christ can deal with it. He brings our sin into the light, forgives us, and continues His work of renewal in us.
So today, say goodbye to the old self. Not because you have to earn a new identity, but because Christ has already given you one. You belong to Him. You are forgiven. You are His new creation.
You don’t have to keep wearing clothes that no longer belong to you.
Reflect: What part of your past or old way of living do you sometimes allow to define who you are? How does knowing that you are a new creation in Christ change the way you approach your sins and failures?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for making me a new creation through Your death and resurrection. Forgive me for the times I continue to hold onto the old self and allow my past, my failures, or my sinful desires to define me. Help me put off what no longer belongs and put on the new life You have given me. Renew my heart and mind through Your Word, and help me live each day as someone who belongs to You. Amen.