The Old Man and the New Man
The Old Man and the New Man
The 19th Sunday after Trinity – 10/11/2026
Ephesians 4:22-28
Rev. Christopher W. Brademeyer
That portion from God’s Holy Word for consideration this morning is our Epistle lesson from St. Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians in the fourth chapter with special emphasis on verses twenty-two through twenty-four which read as follows:
“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.”
Thus far the Scriptures.
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
There is a difference between changing your behavior and becoming a new person. A person can change his habits without changing his heart. A man can quit one bad habit and take up another. He can learn to control his temper because it is socially advantageous. He can become more honest because dishonesty has consequences. He can work harder because he wants more money. Outwardly, he may look like a changed man, but outward improvement is not the same thing as Christian sanctification.
St. Paul speaks about something much more significant in our Epistle lesson. He says that Christians are to live differently than the pagans, even differently from what they were before they were brought to faith. He says, “Put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and…be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and…put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” Notice where this begins. It does not begin with, “Try harder.” It begins with Christ. The Christian has learned Christ. He has heard the truth that is in Jesus. He has been baptized into Christ. He has received forgiveness. He has been given a new identity and a new life.
This is why Paul can speak about putting off the old self and putting on the new. The
old self is what we are by nature: turned inward upon ourselves, curved toward our own desires, suspicious of God, eager to justify ourselves, and ready to excuse our sins while noticing the sins of others.
The old self wants to live according to its own desires. That old self is not merely something we used to be. It is something that continues to cling to us. Even after baptism, even after faith, the old Adam remains. The Christian life is therefore a daily struggle between the old Adam who wants to rule us and the new man who lives from Christ and His gifts. This is why we Christians continue to confess our sins. Every Sunday we return to the same place: “I, a poor miserable sinner, confess unto You all my sins and iniquities.” We do not say this because Christianity is about endlessly feeling bad about ourselves. We say it because we recognize the truth about the old man. He must die. And so God puts him to death through repentance and the accusation of the Law. But the Christian does not remain lying in this spiritual grave.
God raises him to new life. That is what Paul means when he speaks about the “new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” This new man is not something we manufacture through better behavior. He is created by God. The Christian life, then, is not fundamentally about making ourselves into better people. It is about living as the people God has already declared us to be for the sake of Christ.
In order to make sense of this, Paul gives some very practical examples. First: “Having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor.” The old man lies. Sometimes the lies are obvious. Sometimes they are dressed up more respectably. We exaggerate. We conceal. We shade the truth. We tell someone what we think they want to hear. We repeat something we know is not quite true because it makes our story better. The new man speaks the truth. Why? Paul says, “for we are members one of another.” The Christian does not live as an isolated individual. We belong to one another in Christ. Therefore, the truth matters. Our words are gifts that can either serve our neighbor or harm him.
As a second example Paul says, “Be angry and do not sin.” Anger is not always sinful. There is such a thing as righteous anger. But our anger very quickly becomes sinful because our anger is so often about ourselves. Someone insults us, and we become angry. Someone disagrees with us, and we become angry. Someone fails to give us what we think we deserve, and we become angry. Someone points out our sin, and we become angry. Additionally, Paul gives us a warning: “Do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.” Anger that is allowed to remain becomes fertile ground for the devil. We nurse it. We replay the offense. We imagine what we should have said. We build a case against the other person. We begin to see him not as someone for whom Christ died, but as an enemy who must be defeated.
The new man does something different. He forgives. Why? Because he has been forgiven. The Christian does not have to keep score because Christ has not kept score against him. The debt of sin has been paid by the blood of Jesus. This does not mean that sin does not matter or that there are no consequences for it in this life. It means that we are free to deal with sin without vengeance because judgment belongs to God.
Third, Paul says, “Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands.” Notice again the pattern. Something is put off. Something is put on. The thief stops stealing and begins working honestly. And there is a purpose: “so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.” This is profoundly Christian. The old man asks, “What can I get?” The new man asks, “What can I give?” The old man sees possessions as belonging to himself. The new man sees his possessions as gifts entrusted to him by God for the good of his neighbor. This even changes the way we think about work. Honest work is not merely a means of making a living. It is one of the ways God gives us opportunity to serve our neighbor. The farmer grows crops that feed people. The rancher raises cattle that feed people. The mechanic keeps vehicles running. The teacher educates children. The nurse cares for the sick. The business owner provides goods and services. The homemaker cares for her household. The retiree prays, encourages, serves, and gives.
None of these things are insignificant in God's eyes. The Christian works not merely for himself but as a neighbor.
And this brings us back to the heart of Paul's teaching. Christianity is not simply about avoiding certain behaviors. It is about belonging to Christ. The old man lies; the new man speaks truth. The old man clings to anger; the new man forgives. The old man takes; the new man gives. The old man is curved inward upon himself; the new man looks outward toward his neighbor.
But none of this begins with our efforts. It begins with Jesus. The One who tells us to put off the old man first put on our flesh. The Son of God became man. He entered our fallen world. He took upon Himself our sins. He suffered the punishment that our old Adam deserved. He was crucified. He died. And He rose again. In Baptism, you were joined to His death and resurrection. Your old life was buried with Him, and you were raised with Him to live a new life.
This is why Paul can say elsewhere that you have “put on Christ.”[1] You have learned that your salvation is not found in yourself. It is found in Him. You have learned that your sins are not something you need to hide from God. They are something Christ has already carried to the cross.
You have learned that righteousness is not something you achieve by becoming good enough. It is something Christ gives to sinners. And because you have received this gift, you now live differently. Not in order to become God's child. You live differently because, in Christ, God has made you His child.
So put off the old self. Put away falsehood. Put away sinful anger. Put away greed and selfishness. And put on the new self. Speak the truth. Forgive. Work honestly. Give generously. Serve your neighbor.
And when you fail, and you will, do not despair. Return to Christ. Return to His Word. Return to the font. Return to the absolution. Return to the altar. There you will find the same Christ whom you have learned: the Christ who died for sinners, who rose from the dead, who forgives your sins, and who creates you anew.
The old Adam may still cling to you, but he does not have the final word. Christ does. And Christ says to you: You are forgiven. You belong to Me. You have been made new. Therefore, put off the old. Put on the new. And live as the person God has already declared you to be in Christ.
In the holy Name of + Jesus. Amen.
The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
[1] Romans 6:4
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