QT 04/04/2025 Fri. Ephesians 4:17–24. New Clothes, Once and for All? 一劳永逸的新衣？

QT 04/04/2025 Fri. Ephesians 4:17–24. New Clothes, Once and for All?
READ http://www.esvbible.org/eph4:17–24

Wearing clothes for many days without changing is not a good idea. That's why we go shopping for new clothes at various stages of life, and wash them regularly. Special occasions or vocations required special attention to clothing materials and designs. However, the most important change of clothes is to replace the "old self" of the past, be renewed, and put on the "new man"—Jesus Christ Himself.

Ephesians 4:17–22 The New Life
[17] Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. [18] They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. [19] They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. [20] But that is not the way you learned Christ!—[21] assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, [22] to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, (ESV)

The worse thing that could happen for the spiritual side of humankind is to remain in the old self and live out this old life without ever changing. Some of us might even wear the old self into a new marriage, into a new relationship with Jesus Christ, or into a new and vibrant fellowship group environment.

A few of us might attempt to change job, change church, change friends and change residence. The results do not differ very much, because the old self still tagged along to the new place. The end results are regret and feelings of the pain of not getting rid of the old self.

Nevertheless, there is hope for the old self because if we come to Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit can renew the old self into the new. The Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ comes into our heart upon our express and intentional invitation. Would you do that today? When that invitation happens, something mysterious and incomprehensible start to happen—God starts the new renovation work and we start to change, we start to become alive, we start to live out the new self more and more each day.

Even though this spiritual process is mysterious and not totally comprehensible to us, there are some clear actions that we can do. For illustration: (1) put down that cigarette in our hand, if we are holding any, to get rid of the smoking habit, (2) stay 10 steps away from decadent areas if we don't want to get dragged into our previous ghettoes that we had wanted to leave, (3) befriend those whose spiritual lifestyles you aspire to. You will be like your company.

This renewal is nothing too complicated nor difficult to understand, and is available freely to all who come to God. Be renewed by loading God's Word every day into our minds, with new insights that come from your diligent study of His Word. Put on the new self, which is Christ Himself, once and for all. Would you do that today?

QT 04/04/2025 星期五. 以弗所书4:17–24  一劳永逸的新衣？
阅读 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=eph4%3A17-24&version=CNVS

我曾经穿同一件衣服六天不换。这样不好。这就是为什么我们要在人生的不同阶段去买新衣服，并定期清洗。特殊场合或职业需要特别注意和设计服装的材料和款式。然而，最重要的换衣是取代过去的 “旧我”，更新自己，穿上 “新人”--耶稣基督自己。

以弗所书 4：17-22  所以我说，且在主里确实的说，你们行事，不要再像外邦人存虚妄的心行事。18 他们心地昏昧，与神所赐的生命隔绝了，都因自己无知，心里刚硬。19 良心既然丧尽，就放纵私欲，贪行种种的污秽。20 你们学了基督，却不是这样。21 如果你们听过他的道，领了他的教，学了他的真理，22 就要脱去你们从前行为上的旧人。这旧人是因私欲的迷惑，渐渐变坏的。

对于人类灵性的一面来说，最糟糕的事情莫过于停留在旧我之中，过着旧的生活而从不改变。我们中的一些人甚至可能带着 "旧我" 进入新的婚姻、与耶稣基督建立新的关系，或者进入一个新的、充满活力的团契环境。

我们中的一些人可能会尝试换工作、换教会、换朋友和换住所。结果不会有太大的不同，因为 "旧我" 仍然会跟随着来到新的地方。最终的结果是遗憾，是没有摆脱 "旧我" 的痛苦。

不过，旧我还是有希望的，因为只要我们信主基督耶稣，圣灵就能把旧我更新为新我。圣灵和耶稣基督会在我们明确和有意的邀请下进入我们的内心。你今天会这样做吗？当这种邀请发生时，一些神秘而难以完全理解的事情就开始发生了--神开始了新的改造工作，我们开始改变，我们开始变得有活力，我们开始每天越来越多地活出新的自我。

尽管这个过程是神秘的，我们也无法完全理解，但我们可以采取一些明确的行动。例如：(1) 放下手中的香烟（如果我们还叼着的话），改掉吸烟的习惯；(2) 离颓废的地方十步之遥，如果我们不想被拖进以前想离开的贫民窟的话；(3) 与那些你向往的属灵生活方式的人交朋友。你会像你的同伴们一样。

我认为，这种更新并不复杂，也不难理解，所有来到上帝面前的人都可以免费获得。每天将上帝的话语装入我们的头脑，勤奋学习上帝的话语，从中获得新的领悟，从而获得更新。穿上新我，也就是基督本身，一劳永逸。可以吗？