Sunday, May 16, 2021

Novus Homo | The New Man

"and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness" —Ephesians 4:24 





How long have we been a Christian? It's been years, even from birth I was a Christian.
It is not enough just to be a Christian or boast just because we are labeled a Christian if it is not accompanied by real life changes.

As long as we are alive, we will always struggle not with other people but with ourselves. There are many people who can beat others but it is difficult to win our own selves. The challenge that we will face is the challenge between the old man and the new man. What must we do to win?


Putting off the old man

"Therefore I say and affirm this to you in the Lord: Do not live anymore as those who do not know God with their thoughts in vain." (Verse 17). The way of life that God wants from our lives is to leave the old way of life that we did before knowing Christ. "That is, that you, in connection with your former life, must put off the old man, who met his destruction by his perverted passions," (Verse 22). We are encouraged not only to wear new clothes but also to live in new ways. Because we are called not only to believe in Jesus, but also to follow Jesus. And our decision to follow Jesus has the consequences of leaving life with the old, futile ways. Yet many Christians still have old human traits. The evidence is like the biblical description which are fornication, uncleanness, lust, idolatry, witchcraft, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, self-interest, abuse, spirit of division, envy, drunkenness, debauchery and so on. 


Putting on the new man

"... and put on the new man, who was created according to the will of God in true righteousness and holiness" (Verse 24). If we want to win against the old humans, we inevitably have to familiarize ourselves with God's ways of getting things done. We must have the courage to say "NO" to the old ways of life and always say "YES" to God's will.

It is not easy to make it happens, but remember we are only required to "put on" - means that The One who provides this new life is God. It means God will also enable us to live that new life as long as we surrender to Him who owns that life. And God will provide victory for everyone who believes and who relies on God in their daily lives. As new humans, we should no longer put on our old human nature; instead we put on the character of Christ and live according to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

To grow into a new human being, the step we must take is to get rid of the old man's way of life and turn to Christ-like way and be led by the Holy Spirit. It is clear that sin is a major stumbling block to our fellowship with God. Therefore, never keep past sins that continue to haunt us and hinder our spiritual growth. Confess so that the blood of Christ may work to wash away our sins. Take a lot of time to study the Word and have a fellowship with God so that we get to know His person more deeply and can imitate his life. It also means that we want to be led by the Holy Spirit and no longer indulge in our own desires. GOD BLESS US!



Reflection on Ephesians 4:17-24 by Frt. Sandre Loreng
(Listen to the Podcast here)

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