In Christ: Know It, Live It - 59 (How Change Begins and Continues - 2)

"...Put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires..." Ephesians 4:22

When we become Christians, what is the deal with the old life? The deal is... PUT IT OFF. "Put off" in v.22 above is an aorist..."PUT IT OFF ONCE FOR ALL..." The proper tense for the habits of our life before Christ is PAST! Now, this is NOT the full story, but it IS the indispensable BEGINNING point. If we were taught the biblical gospel of Christ we were taught that we were rebels, dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1-2) and alienated from God's life. This condition demanded REPENTANCE towards God and away from sin (Acts 20:21). There is NO teaching of the true gospel that states or intimates that we can continue in our sins and rebellion while seeking to trust Christ. TRUST (faith) cannot exist apart from TURNING (repentance). We are saved FROM sin TO a new life...in CHRIST.

However, if for one moment we think that in ourselves we can TURN from our sin by sheer willpower, we are gravely and miserably mistaken. We MUST repent, we are COMMANDED to repent (Acts 17:30), but this repentance unto life is a GIFT from God (Acts 11:18). God, through the preaching of the gospel and the work of the Spirit grants a deep conviction of sin...MY sin...MY sin that DAMNS...and along with it a passion to confess my sin and turn from my sin...now and and to the end of my life. Along with this desire to turn from our sin God grants a new heart that is BENT towards God and righteousness.

The new life starts with a decisive separation from the old life. Again, this desire to put away the old life and the decision to put away the old life are GIFTS from God, evidenced by our CHOICE to repent and obey.

If we are truly born again, we ARE NOT who we were, by God's divine work and our divinely-enabled choice.