Ephesians 4:24

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and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

Ephesians 4:24 (NKJV)

and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Ephesians 4:24 (NIV)

And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Ephesians 4:24 (KJV)

Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God — truly righteous and holy.

Ephesians 4:24 (NLT)

and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Ephesians 4:24 (ESV)

and put on the new self [the regenerated and renewed nature], created in God's image, [godlike] in the righteousness and holiness of the truth [living in a way that expresses to God your gratitude for your salvation].

Ephesians 4:24 (AMP)

Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMP), Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org

New Covenant Meaning

The New Man Was Created, Not Built

Paul says the new man was created according to God — the same language used in Genesis 1 for the creation of humanity in God's image. The new man is not the old man improved. It is a new creation. Colossians 3:10 adds that this new man is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of the One who created him. The new creation in Christ restores what was lost in the fall and creates something that did not exist before: a person whose fundamental identity is righteousness and holiness in God's image.

Put On What You Already Are

The command to put on the new man does not mean you are not yet the new man. It means you are to live in alignment with what you already are. Colossians 3:9-10 parallels this passage: you have already taken off the old self and put on the new self. The indicative (what is true of you) grounds the imperative (how to live). Paul is not telling you to become something different. He is telling you to walk in what you already are by position. You are a new creation. Put on that reality and live from it.

The contrast in Ephesians 4:22-24 is between the old man (corrupt according to deceitful lusts) and the new man (created in true righteousness and holiness). The old man is corrupt by nature. The new man is righteous and holy by nature. The verb "put on" (enduomai) is the same used for putting on armor (Ephesians 6:11) or putting on Christ (Romans 13:14). You are putting on an identity that has been prepared and given to you, not manufacturing one from scratch.

Application for Your Life

You Are the New Man

Ephesians 4:24 describes who you are in Christ: created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. This is your new nature, not your aspiration. When you sin, you are acting contrary to who you now are, not expressing who you fundamentally are. The New Covenant believer does not work toward righteousness as a future goal. They live from righteousness as a present reality. The practical difference is enormous: striving flows from a deficit, living from righteousness flows from fullness.

Renew Your Mind to Who You Are

Ephesians 4:23 (the verse before) says to be renewed in the spirit of your mind. The mind often runs on the operating system of the old man even after the new man has been born. The process of putting on the new man is a process of aligning your thinking with your identity. When you know you are righteous and holy in Christ, you approach temptation differently. You approach God differently. You approach other people differently. The renewal of the mind makes the new man's reality accessible in daily experience.

Prayer Based on This Verse

Father, I thank You that I have been made a new creation in Christ — created according to Your image, in true righteousness and holiness. That is who I am, not who I am trying to become. I put on the new man today. I align my thinking with my true identity. I am not the old man with sinful lusts and corruption. I am the new man: righteous and holy because of what Christ has done. Let that reality be expressed in how I live, speak, and relate to others today. In Jesus' name. Amen.