Sunday Rewind - Ephesians 4:22-24
The Wardrobe of the Soul: A Daily Choice Between Two Natures
Every morning, we stand before our closets and make a simple decision: what will I wear today? We consider the weather, our plans, and how we want to present ourselves to the world. This mundane ritual, repeated countless times throughout our lives, mirrors a far more profound spiritual reality that shapes our entire existence.
The apostle Paul, writing to the church in Ephesus, presents us with a remarkably straightforward picture of the Christian life. In Ephesians 4:22-24, he uses the imagery of changing clothes to illustrate one of the most fundamental aspects of following Christ: "That you put off concerning your former conduct the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lust and be renewed in the spirit of your mind. And that you put on the new man which was created according to God in true righteousness and holiness."
The Blueprint of Two Lives
Just as no aircraft manufacturer would dream of building a plane without detailed blueprints, our lives are constructed according to patterns. The F-16 fighter jet, one of aviation's most successful designs, exists because engineers followed precise specifications. Every rivet, every wire, every component serves a specific purpose according to the original design.
Similarly, God gave Moses explicit instructions for building the tabernacle in Exodus 25:8-9: "And let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them according to all that I show you. That is the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishing, just so you shall make it." The pattern mattered because God intended to dwell there, to meet with His people in that sacred space.
We too are built according to a blueprint. The question is: which one are we following?
The Decaying Blueprint
The old nature operates according to a blueprint of "deceitful lust." This phrase deserves our careful attention. Lust never presents itself honestly. It doesn't advertise its true destination. When Eve looked at the forbidden fruit, it appeared "good for food, pleasant to the eyes, and desirable to make one wise." The serpent didn't say, "Eat this and bring death and corruption into the world."
Consider the nature of decay. A banana begins green and fresh, transitions to yellow ripeness, then gradually develops brown spots. Eventually, it shrivels into complete decomposition, attracting flies to what was once appealing fruit. This is the trajectory of the old nature—always moving toward greater corruption, never improving, never reaching a plateau.
Charles Spurgeon captured this reality powerfully: "The old nature is not dormant, it is not neutral. It is actively decomposing, like a corpse in the grave that daily advances towards greater decay, so the unregenerated nature moves always, always towards deeper corruption. There is no plateau in sin, there is only descent."
The deceitfulness lies in sin's promises. The drunkard's first glass whispers of joy. The adulterer's first glance speaks of love. The miser's hoarded coin promises security. All lies. All deceptions. Lust is a serpent speaking with honey on its tongue while venom drips from its fangs.
If lust truly satisfied, why would anyone continue pursuing it? The very fact that people chase after more reveals the emptiness of what they've already obtained. The world follows this blueprint without recognizing the descent, mistaking downward motion for forward progress.
The Blueprint of True Life
In stark contrast stands the new nature, "created according to God in true righteousness and holiness." Notice the deliberate opposition: deceitful versus true, lust versus righteousness and holiness.
Holiness means uncommon, extraordinary, unlike anything else. Around God's throne, angels cry "Holy, holy, holy" continuously—proclaiming that there is none like Him. And here's the stunning truth: you were created to be uncommon too. You are extraordinary. There is nothing like you in this world.
God's blueprint for your life leads to abundance, not decay. "I have come that they may have life and that more abundantly," Jesus declared in John 10:10. This is the life of right standing with God, walking in His ways, reflecting His character to a world desperately in need of seeing something different.
The Daily Decision
The verb tense Paul uses for "be renewed" is present passive imperative—meaning this is a continuous action made possible by something that happened before. Christ's finished work on the cross gives us the freedom to choose. Before knowing Christ, we weren't truly free. We thought we were making our own decisions, but we were merely blown by winds of doctrine, driven by flesh and deception.
True freedom is the ability to choose. Every morning presents the same opportunity: What will I wear today? Will I put on the old nature that grows corrupt, or will I put on the new nature created according to God's design?
This isn't a one-time decision. It's present and continual. Tomorrow morning, you'll face the same choice. The day after that, again. This is the rhythm of the Christian life—daily putting off and putting on.
Closing the Door on the Day
Many of us need to change our spiritual wardrobe not just in the morning, but again at night. We pick up so much soil from the world throughout the day. Our thoughts, our attitudes, our very person can become stained by the old nature we still carry around.
Romans 12:1-2 calls us to present our bodies as living sacrifices and to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. The Word of God is living and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, able to divide between soul and spirit and discern the thoughts and intents of the heart. Scripture cuts through deceitful lust to reveal what is true, righteous, and holy.
When we pour ourselves out for Christ, like the woman who broke the alabaster jar of expensive ointment, we don't walk away empty. We walk away carrying His fragrance. The oil that blessed Him splashes upon us, and we become extraordinary reflections of His uncommon nature.
What will you wear today? The choice is yours, and it's a choice worth making well.
Every morning, we stand before our closets and make a simple decision: what will I wear today? We consider the weather, our plans, and how we want to present ourselves to the world. This mundane ritual, repeated countless times throughout our lives, mirrors a far more profound spiritual reality that shapes our entire existence.
The apostle Paul, writing to the church in Ephesus, presents us with a remarkably straightforward picture of the Christian life. In Ephesians 4:22-24, he uses the imagery of changing clothes to illustrate one of the most fundamental aspects of following Christ: "That you put off concerning your former conduct the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lust and be renewed in the spirit of your mind. And that you put on the new man which was created according to God in true righteousness and holiness."
The Blueprint of Two Lives
Just as no aircraft manufacturer would dream of building a plane without detailed blueprints, our lives are constructed according to patterns. The F-16 fighter jet, one of aviation's most successful designs, exists because engineers followed precise specifications. Every rivet, every wire, every component serves a specific purpose according to the original design.
Similarly, God gave Moses explicit instructions for building the tabernacle in Exodus 25:8-9: "And let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them according to all that I show you. That is the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishing, just so you shall make it." The pattern mattered because God intended to dwell there, to meet with His people in that sacred space.
We too are built according to a blueprint. The question is: which one are we following?
The Decaying Blueprint
The old nature operates according to a blueprint of "deceitful lust." This phrase deserves our careful attention. Lust never presents itself honestly. It doesn't advertise its true destination. When Eve looked at the forbidden fruit, it appeared "good for food, pleasant to the eyes, and desirable to make one wise." The serpent didn't say, "Eat this and bring death and corruption into the world."
Consider the nature of decay. A banana begins green and fresh, transitions to yellow ripeness, then gradually develops brown spots. Eventually, it shrivels into complete decomposition, attracting flies to what was once appealing fruit. This is the trajectory of the old nature—always moving toward greater corruption, never improving, never reaching a plateau.
Charles Spurgeon captured this reality powerfully: "The old nature is not dormant, it is not neutral. It is actively decomposing, like a corpse in the grave that daily advances towards greater decay, so the unregenerated nature moves always, always towards deeper corruption. There is no plateau in sin, there is only descent."
The deceitfulness lies in sin's promises. The drunkard's first glass whispers of joy. The adulterer's first glance speaks of love. The miser's hoarded coin promises security. All lies. All deceptions. Lust is a serpent speaking with honey on its tongue while venom drips from its fangs.
If lust truly satisfied, why would anyone continue pursuing it? The very fact that people chase after more reveals the emptiness of what they've already obtained. The world follows this blueprint without recognizing the descent, mistaking downward motion for forward progress.
The Blueprint of True Life
In stark contrast stands the new nature, "created according to God in true righteousness and holiness." Notice the deliberate opposition: deceitful versus true, lust versus righteousness and holiness.
Holiness means uncommon, extraordinary, unlike anything else. Around God's throne, angels cry "Holy, holy, holy" continuously—proclaiming that there is none like Him. And here's the stunning truth: you were created to be uncommon too. You are extraordinary. There is nothing like you in this world.
God's blueprint for your life leads to abundance, not decay. "I have come that they may have life and that more abundantly," Jesus declared in John 10:10. This is the life of right standing with God, walking in His ways, reflecting His character to a world desperately in need of seeing something different.
The Daily Decision
The verb tense Paul uses for "be renewed" is present passive imperative—meaning this is a continuous action made possible by something that happened before. Christ's finished work on the cross gives us the freedom to choose. Before knowing Christ, we weren't truly free. We thought we were making our own decisions, but we were merely blown by winds of doctrine, driven by flesh and deception.
True freedom is the ability to choose. Every morning presents the same opportunity: What will I wear today? Will I put on the old nature that grows corrupt, or will I put on the new nature created according to God's design?
This isn't a one-time decision. It's present and continual. Tomorrow morning, you'll face the same choice. The day after that, again. This is the rhythm of the Christian life—daily putting off and putting on.
Closing the Door on the Day
Many of us need to change our spiritual wardrobe not just in the morning, but again at night. We pick up so much soil from the world throughout the day. Our thoughts, our attitudes, our very person can become stained by the old nature we still carry around.
Romans 12:1-2 calls us to present our bodies as living sacrifices and to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. The Word of God is living and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, able to divide between soul and spirit and discern the thoughts and intents of the heart. Scripture cuts through deceitful lust to reveal what is true, righteous, and holy.
When we pour ourselves out for Christ, like the woman who broke the alabaster jar of expensive ointment, we don't walk away empty. We walk away carrying His fragrance. The oil that blessed Him splashes upon us, and we become extraordinary reflections of His uncommon nature.
What will you wear today? The choice is yours, and it's a choice worth making well.
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