Change your Clothes: Putting Off and Putting On


Ephesians 4:22-24: "To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness."

Paul reminds us that following Christ is not about adding a few good habits to our old life. It is about leaving something behind.

The “old self” belongs to who we were before—our former way of living, shaped by desires that often deceive us. These desires may not always look sinful on the surface, but they slowly corrupt our thinking, our choices, and even our faith. The danger is not always rebellion; sometimes it is comfort, compromise, or familiarity.

Yet Paul does not only tell us to put off the old self. He calls us to be renewed in the spirit of our minds. Change begins within. Until our thinking is reshaped by God’s truth, our actions will remain the same. Renewal is not instant; it is a daily process of allowing God to correct, realign, and soften our hearts.

To put on the new self is not merely to behave differently; it is a change of perspective. It is learning to see God, ourselves, others, and life itself through a renewed mind. The new self is not created by effort but by God. It reflects His likeness and is marked by true righteousness and holiness—not outward performance, but an inward alignment with His will.

This passage challenges us to ask whether we are still viewing life through old lenses while claiming a new identity. The Christian life is not standing still; it is a continuous turning—away from old patterns of thinking and toward the perspective God is forming within us.

Reflection:
What old perspective is God asking you to put off?
Where does your thinking need renewal today?
How might a new perspective in Christ change the way you live?.

Prayer:
Lord, renew the way I think. Help me to put off old ways of seeing and to live from the new perspective You have given me in Christ. Amen.

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