Ephesians 4:22
22 That ye [humas] put off [apotithemi] concerning [kata] the
former [proteros] conversation [anastrophe] the old [palaios] man, [anthropos] which [ho] is corrupt [phtheiro] according [kata] to the
deceitful [apate] lusts; [epithumia] KJV-Interlinear
22
that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self,
which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, NASB
Here we have the old man
being referred to, and in the next couple of verses, we will see the reference
to the new man.
You are to get rid of the
old and put on the new, Rom. 6:6, Col. 3:9.
But these men, are not
male people per se, they are attributes of your essence that need to be changed
out or switched over.
Paul personifies the sin
nature calling it the old man, which describes the sinful and corrupt nature of
man (mankind). This is the love of sin,
the preoccupation with the sinful side of life, the pursuit or commitment to
ones opinions, beliefs, ideas, habits, manner of life, lifestyle, day to day
activities and so forth, as they are lived when outside of the will of God.
To put off, ‘apotithemi,’
refers to a complete change as one might remove all of ones clothes and then
put on other totally new clothing with nothing left over or to chance.
Conversation, ‘anastrophe,’
refers to ones complete way of life as mentioned above. What you do day in and day out, how you
think, what convinces you that you are right or exempt from the mandates that
God prescribes, or that you have a better way, or some acceptable way that God will
recognize in you.
These ideas are false,
thus the previous verse which we studied yesterday. You cannot define your own path to
righteousness. You cannot design your
own path to God or methods that you believe are acceptable to Him.
Good intentions,
sincerity, emotional responses or reactions, none of these are legitimate
methods for functioning in the spiritual life.
Corruption, ‘phtheiro,’
defines the sin nature as a method of corruption. Sin is a corrupting, disintegrating, rotting
path through life. Sin is everything
that is separate and apart from Gods mandated spiritual life. You do not have to be a criminal or a social
reject to be sinful. The sinful life is
full of righteous thinking people, or people that believe that they are
righteous.
Every unbeliever is
sinful by default. Their entire life is
lived in the carnal world and is ruled by their sin nature.
Every believer that does
not live their life within the fellowship sphere, is sinful by default. They do nothing more than imitate the
unbeliever as far as their pattern of life goes, regardless of their do-gooder
beliefs.
You habits and life's patterns
do not determine your spirituality, but are the results of your daily life's choices.
Your spirituality is
determined by your obedience to the mandates of God. Namely, confession of sin on an ongoing
basis, in order to get into and keep within the fellowship sphere. The fellowship sphere is the one and only
place where your spiritual life functions properly.
When you sin, you are
immediately out of fellowship, and therefore carnal and under the control of
your sin nature. When you confess your
sins, you are placed immediately in fellowship and operate under the control of
the Holy Spirit. Confession is for
believers only and does not apply to unbelievers.
In either case, you
cannot feel the difference, you cannot detect the difference, you cannot
measure the difference. There is nothing
in this physical world that allows you to perceive or sense your spiritual
status.
Again, from the previous
verse, do not be deceived by good intentions or good feelings or preconceived
ideas. Doctrine comes to you by means of
Gods defined method or learning and growth, not by means of your acceptance of
ideas that seem convenient or popular at the moment.
Corruption indicates the
continuing process of deterioration. Sin
is a state of deterioration. And unless
placed in check by some spiritual means, that corruption will destroy you.
The body is born with the
sin nature, and that is why over time it degenerates with age, and then you eventually
die. The body wears out if it does not
break sooner for some reason.
The soul likewise wears
down, but unlike the body, God will preserve the soul with doctrine. The sin
nature cannot infect the soul, but it can certainly influence the soul by means
of your daily decisions.
Your daily infatuation
with religion, philosophy, crime, sin, attitude, lusts and so forth is one of
deception. All of the world is a
deceptive means tricking you with enticements, in an attempt at getting you away
from truth.
The world creates delusion,
confusion, compromise, ideas of what is acceptable, and so forth so that you will
not look to the inner decay that is taking place within your soul.
Everything non-doctrinal
is deception. Everything doctrinal is
truth.
Therefore, you are to
remove that corrupting influence and control from your life, and remove it
completely as God has defined its removal.
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