Put Off the Old Man

“You did not so learn Christ!—assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus. Put off the old man which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful lusts.” Verses 20-22.

In the Scriptures there are many terms we need to pay close attention to in order to keep things clear, because the Word of God uses spiritual words and terms that the Holy Spirit teaches us. These have quite a different effect on us than human words, though the Spirit also makes use of human expressions.

The Scriptures speak about the body of sin and the body of flesh, the deeds of the body and the works of the flesh, the old man and the new man (or, as it is also called, the man of God). If we cannot keep these terms separate, our understanding of many things will be very clouded. A person’s attitude of mind determines whether his work should be termed a deed of the body, a work of the flesh, or the work of God. If someone has a bad attitude of mind, then his works are evil—that is, he does the works of the flesh with his body of flesh. These works are carried out by the old man.

At the new birth, a putting off of the body of flesh will take place by the circumcision of Christ. This body of flesh is buried with Him in baptism. (Colossians 2:11-12.) The body of flesh that is put off must in no way be confused with the body of sin, which cannot be put off as long as we are present in this body. (Romans 6:6.)

The deeds of the body are not carried out by my new mind, which serves God’s law and God’s will. It is sin (original sin) that dwells in me; it takes me captive to the law of sin in my members and forces me to do the thing I hate. Now when I hate it and God hates it, we are in agreement on the matter. Thus I put to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit, and shall live. (Romans 8:13.) There is no condemnation for these deeds of the body when, according to the law of my mind, I judge them by the Spirit and thus conquer them.

The putting off of the old man takes place when with my mind I always heed God’s law, and when by the Spirit I put to death the deeds of the body.