Colossians 3:10

and have put on the new man, that is being renewed unto knowledge after the image of him that created him:

'HAVE PUT ON' -

Points to Note:

1. Christianity is much more than just "getting rid" of evil habits and attitudes. Christianity has. very positive side. The old self is to be discarded, not because God is against "fun", but because God has. better life,. better character for us to develop into.

2. The phrase "put on" suggests. freewill choice. God will not force these changes upon us. The Holy Spirit will not overwhelm us. This is work that we cannot contract out. We must: (a) See the disgrace of the old life--we must recognize and accept that the things mentioned in Colossians 3:8-9 are marks of selfishness, immaturity, lack of character--i.e. people who act like that are real jerks! (b) We must love the qualities mentioned in Colossians 3:12ff. We must want to become. new man and we must be sold on the new life.

'NEW' -3501. neos neh'-os; including the comparative neoteros neh-o'-ter-os;. primary word; "new", i.e. (of persons) youthful, or (of things) fresh; figuratively, regenerate: -new, young.

Point to Note:

The word "new" is significant. The new self is. breath of fresh air, the new self is liberated, full of life. The old self was in bondage. The old self was self-destructing (Ephesians 4:22). The old self was dirty, corrupted, and. life filled with. lot of garbage!

'THAT IS BEING RENEWED' -341. anakainoo an-ak-ahee-no'-o; from 303 and. derivative of 2537; to renovate: -renew.

Points to Note:

1. 'is being renewed..in process of continuous renewal'. (Vincent p. 503) (2 Corinthians 4:16) It is the same thing as being "transformed" (Romans 12:1). This process demands our cooperation, for it begins with. renewing of the way that we think.

2. Note the contrast: The old self is progressively getting worse (Ephesians 4:22). The person in sin is continually getting more preoccupied with self and more enslaved to evil habits and attitudes. (2 Timothy 3:13) But the Christian who embraces the new life, who really tries, is always getting better. What an encouraging thought, 'I am getting stronger everyday!'

'UNTO THE KNOWLEDGE' -'to. true knowledge' (NASV). 1922. epignosis ep-ig'-no-sis; from 1921; recognition, i.e. (by implication) full discernment, acknowledgement: -(ac-)knowledge(-ing, -ment).

-A full, complete and accurate knowledge.

'AFTER THE IMAGE OF HIM THAT CREATED HIM' -'which is being remoulded into full knowledge so as to become like Him who created it' (Wey); 'which is in the process of being made new in the likeness of its Creator' (Wms); 'so that the image of the God who created it is its pattern' (Knox).

Points to Note:

1. One very powerful statement! Compare with Ephesians 4:24. The "new man", the Christian life, is the life that God intended that man would live all along. In Jesus Christ, imperfect men and women are given the opportunity to reach the potential for good which is found in the expression 'image of God'. We can become what God wanted us to become (Genesis 1:26). We can make of ourselves what God knows we are capable of!

2. Christianity is the ultimate human potential and self-help movement. Nothing else can even come close: (a) Christ takes all of us to. state of absolute purity-when converted. (b) The Bible completely tears down the old life. God wants everything wrong, habits and attitudes to be discarded. (c) And God starts from square one, at ground level, with the most basic issues of morality and integrity. (d) Nothing is overlooked, nothing has been left out of this process (2 Peter 1:3). God gets down to the very root causes of sin.

3. The role model for the Christian, is God Himself. Now-beat that! The standard or yardstick of this renewal process, the image that we are to strive for, is the very moral nature of God Himself (Matthew 5:48; 1 Peter 1:14; Ephesians 5:1).

POSITIVE PRACTICAL ASPECTS OF THIS IMAGE: