The glorious truth given to the apostle to make known with such fervour is no mere

negation. It does not find its full expression in "putting off" merely, but is only fully

expressed when "put off" is succeeded by "put on". But, just as the old man which has

become corrupt implies the creation of Adam at the beginning, so the new man which is

to be put on necessitates a new creation. There are two ways whereby this new creation

could be attained. Either by an instantaneous act, without previous preparation, or by a

process beginning here and now in this present life and reaching its consummation in that

instantaneous change "in the twinkling of an eye" when this mortal shall put on

This latter method appears to be the one that describes the work of God. Having said

so much, it is necessary to draw attention to just exactly what phase of the new creative

work belongs to this present life, and what belongs to the life to come. It will be found

upon examination that the Lord begins the work here in connection with the mind,

reserving until the day of redemption and resurrection His work in connection with the

body. The body of the saintliest believer is just as mortal as it was before his conversion.

Paul had to acknowledge that while the inward man was renewed day by day, the

outward man was perishing. This perishing and mortal body is indeed allowed to feel the

earnest of the risen life, and many times the earthen vessel is "cast down but not

destroyed", thereby bearing about in the body the "dying of the Lord Jesus" that the life

also of Jesus might be made manifest in "our mortal flesh". That is a precious truth, but

the flesh is "mortal flesh" just the same. Therefore, seeing these two phases of the new

creation and their appointed times, we observe the order in Eph. 4: where the first step

is indicated by the words, "And to be renewed in the spirit of your mind" (Eph. 4: 23).

The new creation begins within. Its present sphere is the mind. The body is not changed

until the resurrection. The due observance of this sequence is an important factor in the

interpretation of the epistle to the Philippians.

Ananeoo ("to be renewed") does not occur elsewhere in the N.T. Two words are

employed to express the idea of newness--kainos and neos. Kainos looks backward, it

excludes the old and the past. Neos looks forward, and suggests youth. The two words

come together in Col. 3: 10:--

In other words, we have put on the new, young, rejuvenate man, fresh, vigorous,

prime, with all the glorious future stretching out in its limitless possibilities by the grace

of God, and have been renewed with a life that standing beside the empty tomb looks

back at a past, dead, buried, excluded, finished. Neos turns our faces toward Christ, the

last Adam, kainos looks back to the first Adam. The one says "life has begun", the other

"that life has finished". Thus we have the reverse and the obverse of this blessed truth.