We now come to the New Testament, where we find a gradual unfolding of God’s ways as to the new man”; indeed, we may say a new kind of man altogether from the first man. I would just draw attention to some of the salient points which are found there in the three great epistles, which, taken together, would give us the completeness of God’s thoughts, and His purposes in the new creation in Christ. I refer to Romans, Colossians, and Ephesians.
The first of these epistles unfolds in detail, the moral closing up of the history of the first man, as fallen, under every advantage, and after every trial from God whether without law, as being proved lawless; or under law, as a law breaker, and this, subsequent to the possession of privileges and advantages, which were before the special dealings of God took place in a separate people. The end of the trial and time of testing was, when Christ came and was refused. “All (now) had sinned,” in looking back, and “come short of the glory of God”— the measure now, and standard by which all would be judged. Man had been set up in perfection as a creature, and had fallen; could he now meet the burning rays of God’s glory? On this, as on all other grounds, all was now over, with the old man forever. God must now either end that man, whose will was set up against Him, by judgment in righteousness: or reveal Himself in sovereign grace through righteousness, in virtue of the work of Christ. I do not here, of course, enter upon this work of the cross, and the death, and resurrection of Christ; only looking at it, as the means, whereby God would close morally for faith the history of man in righteousness, and begin His new creation in His Son — as head of a new race.
The section of the epistle in which God first shows how the race was all under judgment, and guilty before Him, ends in verse 19 of chapter 3. We then find, immediately following, in Romans 3:2020Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:20), &c., how the righteousness of God is now manifested for the sinner, in God’s raising up His Son from death and setting Him on high; and not against him, as standing in his own responsibility. And this, too, “by faith in Jesus Christ,” personally; and “by faith in his blood,” as the means by which the righteousness of God was vindicated against sin. He thus stands in perfect justification from all his guilt.
But his state as a sinner in the first Adam is not thus ended. When we pass that section which deals in all details with his guilt, and which ends at Romans 5:1111And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. (Romans 5:11), we are introduced to the manner, in which our whole state is dealt with, and closed in the death of Christ. We read in Romans 6, “Our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.” There is nothing in the Romans about the “new man” in any wise. But there is the crucifixion of “our old man” fully set forth, in order that the body, or totality, of sin might be set aside. The nearest approach to anything positive on this head is found in the expression of Romans 7. “I delight in the law of God after the inner man,” but it goes no further. While fully closing up the questions of our guilt and state, it goes no further, but while showing Christ risen, the believer is not said to be risen with Him. For this, we must have the next step, in the Epistle to the Colossians.
There is in Romans a new will shown as either struggling against the old — the flesh, in Romans 7; or else, when the soul is set free, walking in “newness of spirit,” and “newness of life.” Romans gives us therefore, the crucifixion of “our old man” with Christ.
Now Colossians stands between Romans and Ephesians in doctrine. In the former, man is seen as alive in sins; the heart is going out after all its lusts unhinderedly. What then, must be done? He must be brought down into death — the death of Christ — to have his history closed: “Knowing this, that our old man is co-crucified with him.”
In Ephesians, we have man “dead in trespasses and sins,” and consequently another kind of dealing must come in. Unlike the Romans, where he must be brought down into death, because alive in sins, life must come in positively to quicken a dead soul in that condition, and to raise him up out of it; and all must be a new creation in Christ Jesus, who is in heavenly places.
Colossians, therefore, as we might suppose, would take in both sides-dead in sins, and alive in them. This it does, looking back on our Romans condition, and looking forward to our Ephesians condition in Christ Jesus. Therefore we read, “In the which (sins, &c.) ye walked when ye lived in them” (Col. 3:77In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. (Colossians 3:7)). And we also read, “And you, being dead in your sins,” &c. (Col. 2:1313And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; (Colossians 2:13)). The saint therefore, is looked upon as “dead with Christ” from the elements of the world, as well as dead to sin, and dead to the law; and also risen with Christ, and though not sitting in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, he is seeking those things “above, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God.” He is, therefore, down here on earth.
This being so, he has not reached his new place with God in Colossians, though he is suited to the place as in life, and as risen with Christ. He has a new status, but not a new place. We would not therefore find, here in the epistle, the “new man” spoken of as in Ephesians. Indeed it is remarkable, that when it is apparently spoken of in Ephesians 3, it falls far short of the full thoughts of Ephesians 4:2424And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. (Ephesians 4:24); different words being used in the Greek original; and the word man (ἄνθρωπος) being omitted altogether (Eph. 3:99And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: (Ephesians 3:9)).
We have, therefore, a different word for “new,” used in Colossians, as compared with Ephesians. In the former it is νέος; in the latter καινός: the latter signifying what I may term familiarly by the graphic expression ‘brand new!’ a kind of man never seen or heard of before; while the former would be entirely new, but does not imply a new kind or genus, as the latter would.
We find, however, that the knitting up of both scriptures, Ephesians 4 and Colossians 3 is done by the Spirit of God in remarkable wisdom, by the use of these two words, being found in the construction of the verbs, “renewed “ in Ephesians 4:2323And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; (Ephesians 4:23), and Colossians 3:1010And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: (Colossians 3:10); that in Ephesians being compounded with the “new” of Colossians; and that in Colossians with the new of Ephesians. Wondrously wise are the scriptures of our God!
We may also here notice what is still the more striking and instructive, namely, that the word “putting off” is quite different in each epistle; in fact, there is no affinity at all between the words in Greek. In Colossians we have a word which signifies “passing out from under,” or, “being divested of” something; as a garment. In Ephesians we have not this, but its being absolutely “laid aside,” or “laid down.” I might take off my garment in one action; and I may also, by another action, lay it aside when I have taken it off. We shall presently understand the reason why it should be thus in each epistle, coupled with what we have seen already.
There is an illustration of the use of these two words in the LXX of Lev. 16:2323And Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall put off the linen garments, which he put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there: (Leviticus 16:23), where Aaron, having finished the work of the great day of atonement, clothed in the white linen garments, first “cuts off” those garments, and then leaves them in the tabernacle of the congregation. I would also refer the English reader to Acts 7:5858And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul. (Acts 7:58), here the verb of Ephesians 4:2424And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. (Ephesians 4:24) and translated “putting off” — which should be, more correctly, “laying aside” — is used by Stephen’s murderers, who “laid down” their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul; and also to Hebrews 12:11Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, (Hebrews 12:1), where the same word is translated “lay aside,” as to “every weight,” &c.
In fact, while Colossians gives us the subjective side of the “new man” (what is practical life in which the saint lives here while walking on earth), Ephesians gives us the objective side of the “new man,” as showing us what he is on high. Colossians being rather Christ in us.
In Romans, therefore, we find “our old man crucified”: in Colossians the “old man parted with,” and the subjective side of the “new man.” While in Ephesians we have the old man wholly “laid aside,” where we are seen as all that we are in Christ — the objective presentation of the full ‘brand-new’ man: an absolutely new creation in Christ.
We may read vv 21-23, thus: “If so be ye have heard him, and in him have been instructed, as is truth in Jesus (namely) your having laid aside, according to the former conversation, the old man, which is corrupt according to the lusts of deceit. But be made new [that is, absolutely new] in the spirit of your mind. And your having been invested with the new man [that is, the brand-new thing] which is after God, [or, according to God] having been created in righteousness [not innocence] and holiness of the truth.”
This “holiness of the truth,” stands in contrast with the “lusts of deceit” of verse 22. The deceit of the serpent having produced the lusts of the heart at the beginning; and righteousness being the basis of God’s new creation, he is formed — created — in it, and in holiness (absolute separation from evil) of the truth, which has begotten him.
As to the passage in Colossians corresponding and filling up on the practical side, we may read: “Your having been invested with the new” (νέος) he does not write “man” (ἂνθρωπος-this word only being used of the full absolute thing in Ephesians 4 — “which is continuously being made new toward perfect knowledge, according to the image of the Creator of him.”
Now remark again, that in Colossians we have “Christ” as the example of all for the new (man). Your life is hid with him in God (vs. 3). The characters of Christ as the elect of God, presented as forming and practiced (vss. 12 and 13). The word of Christ is to dwell in him richly (vs. 16). In fact, as verse 11 states, “Christ is all, and in all.” While in Ephesians it is “God,” and the nature of God is presented as the standard of all. The “new man” there is created after God (vs. 24). He is to be an imitator of God (Eph. 5:11Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; (Ephesians 5:1)). To walk in love (which Christ showed fully) and walk as children of light —God’s two essential characteristics, what He is (Eph. 5:22And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savor. (Ephesians 5:2) and 8).
Again, we have more: we have in Colossians the “image of him that created him.” In Ephesians we have rather “likeness” to God Himself pressed (κατάθεόν).
Here, therefore, we come back to these words as at the first, “likeness” and “image”; the new man of Ephesians being morally like God — seen in his true place as in Christ in heaven and as objectively presented to us there in Him. Therefore, when we come into the practical life — the subjective side, in Colossians 3 we have “image,” because there he walks on earth at the present, but is morally to represent God, who was fully represented in Christ Himself, and who is “all.”
Then again, as to the exhortation of each epistle connected with the “new man.” We find in Colossians 3:99Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; (Colossians 3:9), “Lie not one to another.” There it is the practical life. But in Ephesians 4:2525Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another. (Ephesians 4:25) we have, “Wherefore having laid aside lying, speak truth” to each other. Here, with the old man who has been laid aside, goes the thing itself-lying. Not merely is the exhortation, as in Colossians, to refuse the practice of it; but the thing is looked upon as gone here, and the exhortation takes the positive side, exhorting to speak the truth, &c., as in the other parts of the context in the epistle. There alone, too, have we the conflict of the saint in its true and only measure. Satan is again on the scene in a special way, to oppose this man of a new creation, as at the first he did in the old. On this I do not enter here.