20 But ye have not so learned Christ; 21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Paul quickly creates a contrast to the futility and lust of the unsaved Gentiles with “but” at the start of verse twenty. What is the element that warrants the contrast? Christ. Through Paul's ministry and the indwelling Spirit, Christ Himself has spoken to and taught the Ephesians the truth, which is nothing short of remarkable, and should serve as a sobering reminder of not only the precious treasure we have in God’s preserved word, but also the authority that it rightly has over our lives.
The teaching of Christ regarding a believer's walk is given here as three actions: 1) put off, 2) renew, 3) put on. This makes an excellent outline of the process of sanctification that believers engage in routinely. First, we separate from the sin itself by putting off the old nature. Second, we renew (refresh) our minds (see II Corinthians 4:16). Then we put on the new man. Said another way, we stop, we repent, and we correct. It is significant that the new man is created after God, hence we are new creatures (II Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 6:15), the very sons of God (I John 3: l).
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