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Practical Truth in Ephesians (6)
"And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness
and true holiness (holiness and truth)" (Eph. 4:24).
.
The next section is described in the structure given by Charles Welch as "the New
Man", as follows:
Doctrinal
D
2:11-19 The New Man
Once alienated from the commonwealth
Practical
D
4:20-32
The New Man
Once alienated from the life of God (see vs. 18)
The new man is a new creation. Let us remind ourselves of the four occurrences of the
Greek word ktizo, create:
2:10
Created in Christ Jesus unto good works.
2:15
To make (create) in Himself of twain one new man
3:9
God, Who created all things by Jesus Christ.
4:24
And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and
true holiness (holiness in truth).
The fact that the new man is a new creation is thus mentioned in both doctrinal and
practical sections.
Paul, when writing to the Corinthians, said:
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation); old things are passed away; behold,
all things are become new" (2 Cor. 5:17).
When we read of what God has created, we are not reading about a gradual transition
from one state to another. The old is passed away. All things become new. It is not
evolution. It is creation.
Before proceeding further, let us take a bird's eye view of chapter 2 of Ephesians.
Ephesians chapter 2
Spiritual death
a 1-3
Once. Walk. Word and flesh
b 4
But God. Mercy. Love
Spiritual Life
c 5-10
Made alive together
Raised together
Made to sit together
Gentiles
Distant (in the flesh)
a 11, 12
Once. Gentile. In flesh.
In world