Living Consistent With A New Identity: Walk By The Spirit

Discipleship Training Ministries, Inc.
1789 Iglehart Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104-5215 : Info: Phone (651) 283-0568 : www.dtminc.org

Notes for the Ekklesia Meeting
Sundays @ 10:00 a.m. Today’s Date: August 27, 2006

Living Consistent With A New Identity: Walk By The Spirit
by Dan Trygg

"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law…. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit." Galatians 5:16-18,22-25


We have been discussing the idea that God has made available to us an entirely different way of living life. We are no longer to continue living as we did before we knew Jesus. When we yielded to Him as our Savior and Master, God gave us an incredible gift. He gave us life from above. We were born from above, by the power of the Holy Spirit (Jn. 3:3-8; Tit. 3:5,6). At that point, the righteousness of Christ was applied to us, and we became offspring of God, born of His nature, born of His very sperm (Rom. 4:3-5; I Jn. 3:1,2,9). This has introduced a new dynamic into our being. The old, fleshly nature still remains until Christ returns, but our identity and citizenship has changed. At the core of our being, we have become new people, new creatures. We were sinners by nature and by choice, and we were under the dominion of the kingdom of darkness (Col.1:13; Eph. 5:8). Now, we are citizens of the kingdom of God, holy ones or "saints", part of God’s very family, children of light whose destiny and inheritance is with God (Col. 1:12; Eph. 2:19).

This present world system is corrupted with sin, deception and rebellion toward God. We formerly lived according to its influence, according to the ways we have been taught since childhood (cf. I Pet. 1:18). It was pretty much all we knew, so we learned to live pursuing those things and experiences we were encouraged to believe would be gratifying and fulfilling. Paul puts it this way, "And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience- 3 among whom we all once lived in the lusts of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind" (Eph. 2:1-3). Notice the two areas which tend to govern or determine our behavior, "the desires of the flesh and of the mind".

The "desires of the flesh" indicate that we tend to live for sensual comfort and pleasure. Comfort and pleasure, while parts of God’s original plan and provision for humankind, have been taken out of the proper context of relationship with Him to become ends in themselves. Pleasure and comfort were meant to enhance our relationship with God. These blessings were to draw our attention to our Creator, Who gave them to us and made us able to enjoy them, and give Him thanks, honor and praise. Instead, we ignore or suppress our awareness of God, and give ourselves to pursuing sensual pleasure and comfort without any regard for Him (Rom. 1:18-25). This is the way we used to live, the way those who do not know God tend to navigate through life (Tit. 3:3; I Pet.4:3). Their perceptions of God and life have been darkened, so they tend to avoid dealing with their inner pain or emptiness, and seek sensual pleasure and stimulation as a distraction or medication (Eph. 4:17-19).

When we first come to Christ, our minds are similarly darkened, but the light has dawned (Prov. 4:18), and we can at least to begin to renew our thinking (Eph. 4:23; Rom. 12:2). Unfortunately, the "desires of the mind" are still very strong in us. Actually, the word translated "mind" is plural. It may be better translated as "indulging in the desires of the flesh and of the thoughts". We tend to live out what we think works, …what we think is beneficial for us, …what we think is going to be fun or entertaining, …what we think will keep us from the uncomfortable state of boredom. This is all based upon our understanding, which has largely been the by-product of growing up in our culture, conditioned by our family and our life experiences. When we live by the desires of our thoughts, we pull from our understanding of what is good, profitable and pleasurable to do. If our understanding is truly "darkened", however, then we are not going to perceive the whole picture accurately. People tend to choose to do what they think will benefit them the most, short term or long term.

Both of these sources which used to govern our behavior are affected by sin, and are unreliable. Note that both of these sources that commonly inform and drive human behavior have been divorced from any relationship with God. To live the old way is to live independently. We act as if we have the answers on our own, or that we are self-sufficient. We do what we want, what we think is best.

Repeatedly, the scripture admonishes us to no longer allow ourselves to be led by fleshly desires (Rom. 6:12; 13:14; II Tim. 2:22; Tit. 2:12; I Pet. 1:14; 2:11; 4:1-3). In fact, God warns that through fleshly desires many believers will be led astray, or get stuck in their spiritual development (Mk. 4:19; I Tim. 6:9; II Tim. 3:6; 4:3; II Pet. 2:18; 3:3; Jude 1:16,18). This is serious business for Christians! Peter states it quite strongly, "Beloved, I urge you as aliens and exiles to abstain from fleshly desires that wage war against the soul" (I Pet. 2:11). Following fleshly desires will not only distract us, and render us ineffective, they will kill us. We need to stop playing with the enemy!

Similarly, our natural thoughts are not as God’s thoughts, nor are our ways like His (Isa. 55:8,9). Our hearts are deceitful, corrupted by sin (Jer. 17:9). The evil within us affects our judgment, even leading to making foolish and insane decisions (Ecc. 9:3). If we want to walk with God, we cannot rely upon our own understanding (Prov. 3:5,6). There is a definite difference between setting our mind on the things of God, or on things from a human perspective, a fleshly mind, or even a mind set on earthly things (Matt. 16:23; Rom. 8:5-7; Phil. 3:19). The mind set on the flesh is opposed to the things of God, and leads to death. It is also possible to be deceived by so-called spiritual experiences, if we get all inflated with self-importance by a fleshly mind (Col. 2:18). Similarly, there will be believers whose minds are corrupted, who are argumentative and become obsessed with godliness as a means of getting wealth (I Tim. 6:5). Their focus is on earthly things, not things of the kingdom. We are to have nothing to do with such people.

We are to love God with all of our minds (Matt. 22:37), which means that we don’t stop using our minds, but they need to be oriented in the right direction, and get their input and instruction from the living God, both His revealed word and from the Holy Spirit. Whereas we are encouraged to renew the mind, …reprogramming our general understanding of life, God and His will from the revealed truth of the scriptures…, we still are not to rely only upon our human judgment. The Bible says that there is another source of information to guide us through life, the leading of the Holy Spirit. Paul sets the notion of being led by the Spirit in direct opposition to the desires of the flesh (Gal. 5:16,17). Similarly, a mind set on the Spirit is diametrically opposed to a mind set on the flesh, or on earthly things (Rom. 8:2-14; cf. Phil. 3:13-21; Col. 3:2).

Jesus specifically mentioned that He was sending the Spirit to be a Counselor like Him (Jn. 14:16). The word translated as "counselor" in that verse means "one-called-alongside-to-help". The word implies several things.

First, it implies that we will need help. We can’t handle things, or figure things out, on our own.

Secondly, God has assigned someone to assist us with what we cannot do on our own.

Thirdly, we must ask for his help.

Finally, Jesus gives us another important piece of information about this "helper" in the next verse, "He …will be in you". He dwells inside the believer! In Jn. 7:38,39 Jesus described how the Spirit would flow "out from your belly". The word "belly" meant the entire body cavity. Figuratively, it referred to the seat of thought, emotion and choice, especially deep and more intimate feelings. The Helper speaks to us from the deep places of our being. Instead of living for comfort and pleasure, or simply out from our understanding, we can receive guidance from Him.

Who is this Helper? The "Spirit of truth" (Jn. 14:17). Note also that Jesus says that the "world" (i.e., those who do not know God) does not have this resource of information and guidance. This would help explain why Paul says that a natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God. To an unbeliever the perspective brought by the Spirit seems foolish, and he cannot understand the teaching or guidance of the Spirit (I Cor. 2:14). It is as foreign as trying to explain what you see to a person who has been blind from birth. Someone led by the Spirit is being guided by a source of information and direction that others are not aware of. No wonder they can’t figure out why a Spirit-led person thinks or acts as he or she does! It is a mystery to them, because they don’t receive the same revelations or directions that the Spirit-led person is able to receive (I Cor. 2:15,16).

The Spirit has come to reveal to us the things that God has made available to us (Jn. 16:14; I Cor. 2:12). He leads us in truth, and communicates what He receives for us from the Father (Jn. 16:13). He also communicates to the Father on our behalf, in ways that are acceptable to Him (Rom. 8:26). He reveals mysteries, things hidden from the knowledge or understanding of other people, as well as empowers us to do things that are not possible by our own strength (I Cor. 12:4-11; 14:24,25; cf. Acts 13:9-11). He empowers us to witness, even giving us what to say at the moment of opportunity (Jn. 15:26,27; Acts 1:8; Matt. 10:19,20). He gives words of specific direction to guide us to accomplish God’s purposes (e.g., Acts 8:29; 10:19,20; 13:2). Such specific, personal words of direction or counsel from God (Gk. – rhēma) are called the "sword of the Spirit", given and used to fight spiritual battles (Eph. 6:17). More than just information, however, the Spirit fills our emptiness, and gives us life that we do not have in ourselves (Jn. 6:63; 7:38,39; II Cor. 3:5,6).

Being led by the Spirit is presented as a normative experience for Christians. It is something that is available to every child of God (Acts 2:38,39; Rom. 8:9-17; Gal. 4:4-7; 5:16-25). The early Christians expected it. If believers were not experiencing the Holy Spirit, they sought God about it (Acts 8:14-17). Being able to hear from and respond to the Spirit is the key to victory over sin and self. If we are not hearing from, and being led by the Spirit, we are not benefiting from our inheritance in Christ. It is essential that we pray to know the reality of God in our lives (Eph. 1:15-20), and that we dedicate ourselves to receiving the opening of this relationship in our experience.

Living Consistent With a New Idenity: Putting On the New Person

Discipleship Training Ministries, Inc.
1789 Iglehart Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104-5215 : Info: Phone (651) 283-0568 : www.dtminc.org

Notes for the Ekklesia Meeting
Sundays @ 10:00 a.m. Today’s Date: August 20, 2006

Living Consistent With A New Identity: Putting On The New Person
by Dan Trygg

"…in reference to your former manner of life, to put off the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, 23 and to renew yourselves in the spirit of your mind, 24 and to put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. 25 Therefore, putting away falsehood, speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another." Ephesians 4:22-25

We have been studying Paul’s teaching regarding implementing the life of Christ in our experience. We have seen that the basis of this is that we were put into Jesus, and joined with Him in His death, burial and resurrection (Rom. 6:3-6; II Cor. 5:14; Gal. 2:20; Col. 2:9-15). This is not just metaphorical language, it is a metaphysical reality. It actually happened. The scripture always talks about it in a past tense. We don’t have to die with Christ as some future event or experience; we did die with Him.

Because He took us into Himself in this way, we are to consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Sin no more has a legal claim upon us, neither does the Law or the flesh, or any curse, covenant or generational tie. We have been set free from all of these by virtue of our death in and with Christ. This must be a settled truth in our thoughts, if we are to experience our freedom. Even though these old voices from our past may call out to us, we are no longer bound to obey them. We are legally free to serve our new Master, Christ, that we might bear fruit for God (Rom. 7:4-6). If we do not understand this, however, and count on it as true, we will never fully benefit from Jesus’ work in our experience in this life. It is like winning a door prize for being the one millionth customer in the grocery store you frequent. They take down your name, address and telephone number, and inform you that you have won a year’s worth of groceries. They give you a credit card, which you can use to claim your groceries every time you shop. All you have to do is present the credit card and your I.D. each time you shop. If you do not understand what they are saying, or if you don’t really believe it, you will never count on the legitimacy of that card. You will continue to shop as you always have, paying for your groceries out of your own pocket, and the gift card will do you no good in your practical experience. So, the first step is to count on what Jesus did as true, and choose to "cash in" what He has made available to us.

The way we "cash in" on what Jesus did is to put off the old identity and its old ways, develop a new perspective on who you are and how to live, and put on a new identity and the new practices that go along with it. This may sound simplistic, but it is what Paul tells us in the verses above, is it not? Of course, it isn’t just a simple one-time decision that we never have to face again. The "put off" and "put on" are in-the-moment choices, …decisions we can make for "now", as we face a given situation. By contrast, the "renew your mind" piece is an ongoing verbal form. We need to keep gaining new ideas, more information, a wider perspective and a broader selection of options we could choose from, as far as how to approach situations in life. If we only know what we know, we are doomed to keep doing what we have known to do up until now. We can’t change if we don’t recognize or understand what we could do differently. There are two verses in Proverbs that tell us what the "beginning of wisdom" is. The first is 9:10, "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom", i.e., when we truly recognize we are accountable to a holy God, we begin to realize that we can’t go through life in selfishness, or it will not turn out well for us in the end. We begin to look for ways to change. The other passage is 4:7, "the beginning of wisdom is: acquire wisdom; and with all your inquiring, get understanding." The Hebrew word for "wisdom" means more than just information. It is about knowing what to do. God exhorts us to renew our minds, to find other options, to discover how to do life differently.

This brings us to our study for today, "put on the new self". What does that mean? The Greek verb is enduō. It is carried over into the English in the King James translation of Lk. 24:49, "And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high." The word actually means to "put on" or "clothe yourself". It occurs 27 times in the NT. 15 times it is used literally, i.e., for getting dressed in actual clothing. Four times it is used in word pictures of putting on figurative clothing or armor, e.g., the armor of light (Rom. 13:12), the armor of God (Eph. 6:11), the breastplate of righteousness (Eph. 6:14; cf. Isa. 59:17; Job. 29:14), or the breastplate of faith and love, and the helmet of the hope of salvation (I Thess. 5:8). The remaining eight occurrences are figurative or metaphorical. They use the commonly understood image of getting dressed to help us understand a spiritual truth. Let’s examine these passages.
"…this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality" (I Cor. 15:53). These two occurrences speak of how our mortal bodies will be changed when Christ returns. They will put on the imperishable, immortal nature of Christ, the "Last Adam" (vss. 21-23,45). Paul is following the same flow of thought as in the passages about the "new person". Our hope of future transformation is based upon being joined to Jesus, who incorporated us into Himself as the "Last Adam". As in Adam all die, so also all who are "in Christ" shall be made alive. Just as He was raised and glorified, so shall we be, because we will bear His image.


"For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ" (Gal. 3:27). The word picture is that when we were joined to Jesus, we put Him on like a suit of clothes. In the context, Paul says we are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus (women, too). Why? Because you are clothed with Christ. This is the basis of equality in the church. There is no distinction racially, economically, or even on the basis of gender, because we all are one in Christ. We wear Christ. In the Spirit, we should see Him when we look at one another. Thus we are all full heirs, and share the same rights, privileges and status in the Kingdom of God.


"And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high" (Lk. 24:49). It is unfortunate that this is translated passively. It obscures an important aspect of what Jesus said. The Greek word is a middle voice, which means that the subject is doing the action, but he or she is intensely involved in the action, or is limited or affected by the action in some way. Every instance of enduō in the NT is in the middle voice, because to get dressed is an action that requires your involvement and affects you. It is no different here. Listen to the difference in the translation, "…stay in the city until you clothe yourselves with power from on high". That implies that they had to do something. Clearly, they understood it that way, for they immediately cloistered themselves to seek God until the Spirit came upon them (Acts 2:12-14). For our discussion, it is important to see that Jesus told the disciples to "put on" the power of the Holy Spirit. Thus, it is possible for us to do the same.


"The night is far gone; the day has come near. So then let us put off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires" (Rom 13:12-14). This passage provides a good bridge for talking about the passages in Colossians and Ephesians at the same time (Col. 3:5-14; Eph. 4:22-24).

The verb, enduō, actually occurs twice, but the first occurrence is more along the lines of a normal metaphorical use, "put on the armor of light". Note, too, that the "put off" vs. the "put on" contrast is stated in vs. 12. The words here are exactly the same root words as in Eph. 4:22,24 and Col. 3:8,10,12. The word translated as "put off" literally means "put at a distance" (cf. Eph. 4:22; Col. 3:8). Here, we are admonished to put away the "works" or "deeds" of darkness. This is a little more concrete, tangible and practical than "put off the old person" (Eph. 4:22) would seem to be. Paul takes the same approach in Colossians, "Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. …8 But now you must put them all at a distance: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have taken off the old self with its practices" (Col. 3:5,8,9). (The verb in verse 9 is actually derived from the same "dress/undress" word, here meaning to "strip off and remove" the old person and its evil practices. This is even more picturesque than simply "put the old person at a distance" and strongly reinforces the word picture of undressing and dressing. It is like stripping off some dirty clothes, stepping out of them, and putting them in a pile at a distance from you, so you can put on some fresh, clean clothes. Note that Paul also employed a different word picture, "put to death", to add to the imagery of how to address the old ways and practices – Col. 3:5) In a similar way, when speaking in Colossians of "putting on", Paul exhorts them to put on the attitudes and practices that would be consistent with their new identity, since they already have put on the new person (3:10,12f.). This is different than Ephesians, where the apostle seems to encourage the believers to "put on the new person" in the moment, for the moment, at the moment we become aware that we have experientially drifted from walking in the new life. Back in Romans 13, Paul simply tells us to "put on the Lord Jesus Christ" (vs. 14).

What does all this mean? (1.) We already have a new identity. We are new creatures, with new, righteous natures. But, (2.) we also have the dynamics of our old nature still with us. (3.) To live consistent with the new life of Christ in us, we must consciously put aside the old identity, mindset and behaviors. Then, (4.) we are to consciously put on our new identity, mindset and worldview. The essence of this is that we welcome Christ to live in and through us (Gal 2:20). We choose to put on the Holy Spirit. We orient our hearts and minds to be led by Him, and seek to do His will. This word picture of changing clothes is helpful, because we can relate to it simply. If we find ourselves in the old "garments", we simply choose to reject that once again, put that way of thinking and operating away from ourselves, and clothe ourselves with Christ by asking Him to lead and guide us (Rom. 8:14), and by choosing to behave in ways that we know express His heart.

Living Consistent With a New Idenity: Radical Transformation

Discipleship Training Ministries, Inc.
1789 Iglehart Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104-5215 : Info: Phone (651) 283-0568 : www.dtminc.org

Notes for the Ekklesia Meeting
Sundays @ 10:00 a.m. Today’s Date: August 13, 2006

Living Consistent With A New Identity: Radical Transformation
by Dan Trygg

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:2

The word in Romans 12:2 that is translated as "be transformed" is the Greek word, metamorpheō. It means "to change the essential form or nature of what you are", or "to become something entirely different from what you are". In the NT, it is used four times. Twice it is used to describe the transformation that came over Jesus when He was transfigured on the mountain before His three disciples. In fact, it is a form of metamorpheō that is translated as "He was transfigured". The description of Matthew was "and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light" (17:2; cf. Mk. 9:2). Whatever happened, there was no natural explanation for it. His essential nature was changed before them. Suddenly He became luminescent, and even His garments were illuminated.

Another place the word is used is II Cor. 3:18. There, Paul is making a comparison between the dynamics of the old covenant, which was law-based, exterior to the inner heart of people, and the new covenant, which is internal in nature, empowered by the Spirit within. Moses was the giver of the old covenant law, and the greatest example of its glory. He was privileged to meet with the manifestation of God’s presence, and saw a bit of His "afterglow" (Ex. 33:18-23). Being in the presence of God’s glory radically affected the appearance of his face. When he returned from meeting with God, the surface of his face radiated the glory of God. In his case, however, this was only an outside-in, skin deep effect, much like the dynamics involved in being in the sun too long. Most of us have experienced that. We might not even be aware of it, but others can see our skin beginning to turn red. In a similar fashion, Moses did not know that his face glowed (Ex. 34:29). Others told him about it. Furthermore, just as the sunburn begins to fade, the appearance of the glow on Moses’ face would diminish with time. He did not want people to see the fading away of this glory, so he would cover his face with a veil. When he met with God, he would remove the veil and get "recharged", so to speak. He would then speak to the people, and they would see the glory radiating from his skin. After delivering the message from God, Moses would again cover his face, so that people would not see the fading glory (vss. 34,35). It is clear that Moses himself was not "transformed", it was only the appearance of his skin that was temporarily changed.

Paul used Moses’ experience to draw a distinction between the old covenant and the new. The old covenant did nothing to change or transform the heart. It was external. It was a list of attitudes, behaviors and duties to be performed or avoided in order to be pleasing and acceptable to God. The law was an accurate portrayal of what God’s holy nature and morality required of those who would be in communion with Him. The problem was the weakness of our human flesh (Rom. 8:3). The law didn’t deal with the sinfulness of our inner hearts. In actuality, what the law could only do was show us how bad off we were (Rom. 7:7). In a sense, the law set us up to fail, simply because it asked us to do what we could not maintain. The sin nature, that which rebels against restriction and which selfishly wants to do what is evil, is actually aroused by the law. The law not only shows us where we fail, but also is used by the sin nature to deceive us and cause us to choose sin, which leads to spiritual death (Rom. 7:8-13). This is so much the nature of the reaction of sin to the law that Paul says, "apart from the law, sin is dead" (Rom/ 8:8), and "the power of sin is the law" (I Cor. 15:56). Of course, the law was never intended to solve our sin problem. No one can be justified by works of the law, because no one can keep it perfectly (Gal. 2:16; Jas. 2:10). By exposing sin, and making us aware of both our accountability to God, and that our sin brings us under His wrath (Rom. 3:19,20; 4:15), the law is a tutor that brings us to the end of our self efforts, the strivings of the flesh, and prepares us for the good news of the righteousness God gives us freely by faith in Christ (Gal. 3:21-29).

Christ provides a righteousness which is credited to us when we trust in Him. God knew we could not ever be righteous enough on our own to satisfy the demands of His holy nature. Jesus came to be a corporate head for humanity, a representative who could take our place, and even take us into Himself (Rom. 5:12-19; II Cor. 5:14). As He died, not only were our sins paid for, and the just requirement of the law fulfilled, but also our old sinful selves were put to death with Him. His righteousness is counted to those who trust in Him. Furthermore, as Paul tells us, if we were united with Him in His death, we shall also be united with Him in His resurrection (Rom. 6:5). The power of the resurrection is the basis for the new creative power of the Holy Spirit which makes us new creatures when we come to Christ (II Cor. 5:17; Jn. 3:3-5). In spite of what we may see and feel, the apostle John tells us, "now we are children (offspring) of God" (I John 3:2). That new inner nature is not able to sin, being born from God’s own seed, and having been created in holiness and righteousness of the truth (I Jn. 3:9; Eph. 4:24). To use Jesus’ word picture, it is a "good tree" that can only bear good fruit (Matt. 7:17,18). So then, if we receive this gift of righteousness, and are born from above, we are to live by the dynamics of that new life. We are no longer to live by the old way, trying to keep the law by our own efforts. If we try that, we will get the same pitiful results as before. It is like we make Christ to be of no practical benefit to us (Gal. 5:2-4).

Instead of living by the dynamics of the old covenant (the law), we are to live by the power and leading of the Spirit inside of us (Gal. 5:5,16,18,25; II Cor. 3:5,6; Rom. 8:6,14). In the OT, that was the difference between the old covenant, and the new covenant that God was going to establish for His people. He was going to give them new hearts and put a new Spirit within them, His Spirit. This would make obedience possible (Ezk. 11:19,20). The Spirit would cause them to walk in His ways (Ezk. 36:26,27). Jesus instituted this new covenant (Lk. 22:20), and we have the promised Holy Spirit, so that we could thus be transformed. This change comes from the inside out. Instead of restraining the old sinful nature, our focus can now be on following the new desire to do God’s will, which the Spirit causes to rise up within us (Phil. 2:12,13). Giving ourselves to follow our heart’s desires is liberty (II Cor. 3:17). The more we get to experientially know God, …the more we understand His love and His delightfulness…, the more we find ourselves transformed or transfigured (metamorpheō) into becoming increasingly like Him. This comes from the Spirit within us (II Cor. 3:18). Unlike Moses’ temporary glory, which was only skin-deep and soon faded away, this transformation is from our inner being, and increases in intensity as we continue to grow.

The final passage in the NT that contains the word, metamorpheō, is Rom. 12:2. There the form is an imperative, a command. Literally, it would be translated "transform (yourselves) by the renewing of your mind". Like the II Corinthians passage, this change comes about as we understand more of who God is, and what He has done in our lives. As we become comfortable in our relationship with God, …established in His love, discerning the promptings of His Spirit, and growing in His grace…, and we begin to grasp how to put off the old way of living and walk with Him according to the inside-out working of His life, then we can begin to "test-out-by-trial-to-discover the will of God" in our lives. Our lives will radically change as we live out the inner working of His Spirit within us. Everyone will see the difference, and will recognize that God is at work within us. The key to this outward change is the growing understanding that we are not who we once were. God has put an entirely different nature within us that we must come to understand. There is an entirely different way to live than what we have known up to now. The command to "to change the essential form or nature of what you are", or "to become something entirely different from what you are" is only possible because God has put a new life and a new nature within you. The "transform (yourselves)" of this passage is based upon this premise, ...otherwise it would be an impossible command. We are different than we used to be. We just need to learn to tap into that new life, and express it in our behavior.

The word "metamorphosis" is a direct derivative of the Greek word, metamorpheō. The clearest example of this radical transformation in the world of nature is the change that takes place in the life of a caterpillar as it becomes a butterfly. It is hard to imagine that the graceful creature flying around from flower to flower could ever have been a worm-like caterpillar. The transformation is so incredible! It had multiple sets of legs as a caterpillar; as a butterfly it has only six. Its mode of transportation changed from crawling through undulating its wormlike body, to flapping wings on its back. As a caterpillar, it was an eating machine, chewing up many leaves with its mandibles; as a butterfly, it no longer chews anything, but nourishes itself from nectar sucked through its long, coiled tongue. The change in its form, and its manner of living is so dramatic and complete that it is almost incomprehensible that it could be the same creature. This transformation happens mostly within the cocoon, away from human eyes. Even this stage, however, is not without effort. Time lapse photography reveals that the bug inside the shell of that receptacle moves, wiggles and struggles, as its body is reworked and the new form takes shape. When it emerges, it must fight and struggle against the confining, constrictive hole it manages to open in the cocoon. This process requires great effort, but is necessary, so that the fluids contained within its wings could be wrung out as it emerges. Finally, it must stretch out those new wings and flap them, so that they open up properly and dry. When its transformation is complete, it must learn to use these new appendages to fly away and start its new life. This natural metamorphosis is meant as an illustration of what we must go through in our transformation. The inner working is there, but we must work hard to work out the salvation that God’s Spirit is working in us (Phil. 2:12,13).

Living Consistent With a New Idenity: Renewing the Mind

Discipleship Training Ministries, Inc.
1789 Iglehart Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104-5215 : Info: Phone (651) 283-0568 : www.dtminc.org

Notes for the Ekklesia Meeting
Sundays @ 10:00 a.m. Today’s Date: August 6, 2006

Living Consistent With A New Identity: Renewing The Mind
by Dan Trygg

"…but to be renewed in the spirit of your minds" Ephesians 4:23

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:2

As we survey the NT, it is not surprising to find that the apostle Paul repeatedly referred to certain key concepts which he felt were necessary to communicate to the various groups of believers with whom he corresponded. Among these repeated themes is his teaching about our union with Christ in His death and resurrection, and how that is to be practically applied in our lives. By comparing and cross-checking his writings, it becomes evident that there are four steps Paul refers to that will help us to implement Jesus into our experience. We have been in the process of examining these during the past several weeks. So far, we have covered:

1.) Choose to consider yourself to be dead to sin (i.e., without any need to fulfill its demands) and alive toward God (i.e., open, available and ready to do His will). This is the practical result, the realization, of our union with Him in death & resurrection.

2.) Choose to "put off" or "put distant" the old self, and the behaviors characteristic of your former life. Do not keep on making yourself available to express the old patterns of life, or to fulfill the desires of sin. In other words, as often as you are conscious of a tendency to do things in the old sinful manner, put that aside and consciously implement a new way of living life.

Of course, you cannot choose a different course of action unless you are aware of other possibilities, which leads to the next principle, our topic for today:

3.) Be renewed in your mind.

In Ephesians 4:23, the NASB translates the beginning phrase of the verse as "and that you be renewed...". In the Greek, however, the phrase begins with the word "but", i.e., "but to be renewed in the spirit of your mind". Our first observation about this verse is that Paul intended to set at contrast what he is about to say here from the "former manner of life" spoken of in the previous verse. Verse 22 admonishes us to "put away from ourselves the former manner of life". In contrast to that old, negative way of living, the apostle now begins to tell us in positive terms how to live life differently.

The verb form here is a continual, ongoing-action infinitive. Thus, renewing the mind is a process, not a simple decision. The understanding we currently have did not develop overnight; neither will our ability to gain a new understanding. Learning to walk with God by the power of the Spirit is an ongoing developing process.
Most versions translate the infinitive passively, "to be renewed". The form could also be understood as being in the middle voice, "to renew (for yourselves) in the spirit of the mind/perception of y'all", or even, "to renew (yourselves) in the spirit of your minds". The middle voice would indicate that we must be intensely involved in this process. Renewing the mind will take our active effort, and will affect us, change us and limit us.
The word translated as "mind" (nous) is the same as that used in verse 17 to describe the lifestyle of the Gentiles. They walk about "in the futility of their mind". By using the exact same word (there negatively, ...and now as the focal point of change), we cannot escape the emphatic contrast he is setting up. The old mind was futile, empty and vain. It needs to be reprogrammed.

It is amazing how much of the New Testament teaching is directed to the thinking process, the habitual thought patterns, discernment, deception, world view and self-concept, etc. The Greek word, nous, means more than just the organ of the intellect, however. It is also the faculty of perception, attitude, imagination, and discernment. From the beginning, our encounter with the truth of God demands a change in world view. The word for "repentance" is metanoia, another word from the same root. Metanoia literally means to "change your mind, change your perception of reality". Coming to faith is accepting a paradigm shift, seeing reality in a way that includes the gospel truth of God, and choosing to live life according to that new perception.

From that introduction to a new, drastic shift in the way we see reality, we are to continue in the process of clarifying our understanding and perception of it. There are three aspects to this:


(a.) "...be renewed in the spirit of your minds" -- Eph. 4:23. This would seem to address the attitude or orientation of the mind (e.g., I Cor. 4:21). This also is a conscious decision, which means we must evaluate whether we have an attitude that is spiritually in tune with God, or not. If not, we must learn to readjust our focus to see things from the God-perspective. This will change our attitude.

The word "spirit" also could literally mean "wind or breath". If you substitute this idea into the phrase, how does the word picture change for you? "Be renewed in the breath of your mind." Doesn't that sound like "take a breath of fresh air", mentally? Be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated in your minds, …which have previously been stale, stuffy, and lifeless in their former thought patterns.

It is interesting that Paul uses a little different word here than in the other passages about renewing the mind. There (e.g., Rom. 12:2; Col. 3:10; Tit. 3:5) the apostle uses a word meaning "to renew, make-different-again". Here, the word choice means to renew in the sense of "to-make-young-again". This fits the image of "to re-fresh" very well. Our attitude can easily become jaded with sarcasm, cynicism, fear, bitterness, etc. due to the painful experiences we may have had to deal with, or as a result of our exposure to the "spirit of the age" in advertising, movies, television and other media. We need to recover the innocence and freshness of a youthful spirit in the attitude of our perspective of reality. Otherwise, we will continue to live in the old, empty perceptions of life, and will have difficulty putting on the new person.


(b.) "Set your mind on spiritual things" -- Col. 3:1-3; cf. Rom. 8:5-9. It is interesting to note that Paul uses a different verb to express this thought. The Greek word, phroneo, describes more the thinking process than nous does, i.e., the thoughts themselves, more than one's total perception or understanding. It describes what you have in your mind, or what you give your conscious attention to. To set your mind on spiritual things means to think spiritual thoughts. Choose to incorporate the reality of the work of Jesus into your daily life. Think about spiritual concepts and how they relate to you. Exercise an awareness of God's presence in your life, and expand your horizons to include "the things above". Think about the spiritual warfare going on around you and others, …and the fact that God wants to use you to affect that conflict. This brings a new perspective by which all of life can be reinterpreted.

Renew your perception or world view -- Rom. 12:2; Heb. 5:14. This component deals with not
only the content of our belief-system itself (theology), but also how we see and interpret the world around us. In practical terms, it presents renewal of the mind (nous) in the context of learning to discern God's purposes and desires for your life, and, at times, for others as well.

It is important to see that, according to Rom. 12:2, the change in one's world view (including one’s self-concept) is to lead toward the discovery-by-experimentation of God's desire for us as individuals and as a group. Paul wrote, "transform (for yourselves) by the renewal of your perception toward-the-end-that to-test-by-experimentation-to-discover-and-approve the will of God…" It is clear that the change in world view will motivate or enable us to go on the search for better ideas. We only know what we know, and if we don’t discover different ways to operate, we will not be able to change. Where will we find wisdom? We are to search for it (Prov. 2). Wisdom has to do with practical skills and guidance. Wherever we find it, we are to gather it up as hidden treasure. We should not fear to look beyond the walls of the church community. Many have discovered wise counsel, even though they may not know God. Truth is truth, wherever it is found. What is important is that we learn to separate the wheat from the chaff. Discernment is a mark of maturity. We are to "test all things, and hold fast to what is good" (I Thess. 5:21)

The words of Paul, "that you may prove (test-out-by-trial-to-discover) what the will of God is, that which is good, acceptable and perfect", indicate an active, learning-by-doing and trying-different-options to find what works for you. God gives us permission to experiment. In fact, experimentation is the only way to learn some things, including discovering God's will for your life. The end result of the process will be a mature, discerning person, one who has trained their faculties of discernment by study, exercise and experimentation to be able to discern good from evil, right from wrong (Heb. 5:14).

You can see that the process of renewing the mind is a very large, comprehensive endeavor. It will require not only education and informational learning, but also introspection and active experimentation. Because we are on the inside looking out, there is a lot about our attitudes, thoughts and abilities that we simply cannot see clearly (blind spots). That is why these verses are set into the context of community. We need the interaction and feedback of others to help us in this process. God’s plan was that we help one another discover and implement truth in our lives.