The Old Man Put Off, The New Man Put On 2
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II. The putting on of the NEW man, in handling which, we shall, as in the case of the old man, first describe his character, and then show how he is to be put on. "And that you put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness."
We see from this exhortation that as there is a putting off, so there is a putting on; and as there is an old man, so there is a new. And see how different is their character as described by the Holy Spirit. The old man, is "corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;" the new man "is after God created in righteousness and true holiness." What a contrast, what an antithesis between them. Are heaven and hell further from each other, light or darkness, Christ or Belial?
A. But why is he called "the new man?" You will observe that both are called men, and doubtless for this reason, that they have, both of them, the parts, members and qualities of a man. But every part and quality of the two men are totally different, or, if they have similar members, they use them for different purposes. The old man has eyes, but eyes full of adultery. The old man has ears, but ears to drink in every lie and every foolish word which can feed his lusts. He has lips which he calls his own, but the poison of asps is under them. He has a tongue, but with it he uses deceit. He has hands, but these hands are always on the stretch to grasp what is evil. And he has feet, but these feet are swift to shed blood. Every member and every faculty of the old man is for sin, to serve and indulge it.
Now, the new man has the same faculties of a man as the old man has. He has eyes, and by these eyes he sees Jesus; he has ears, and with those ears he hears the gospel of salvation and drinks in the precious sound; he has lips, and with these lips he blesses God; he has a tongue, and with his tongue he praises the name of the Lord, speaks of the glory of his kingdom, and talks of his power; or if a minister, instructs, comforts, admonishes, or warns the church of God; he has hands which are open to bestow liberally on the poor and needy; and he has feet which are swift to walk, yes, to run at times, in the way of God's commandments when he has enlarged his heart.
Thus the old man employs every member in the service of sin, and the new man employs every member in the service of God. Now, as when we are under the influence of the old man, we do, or at least we are tempted to do, what he may suggest, so when we are under the influence of the new man, then we gladly do what he inclines us to do according to the will and word of God.
B. But we have in our text a blessed description of what the new man is. Of course you know it is the spirit which is born of the Spirit, the new man of grace, that is meant by the term, and that he is called new as being of a newer birth than the old man, and as coming also from him who said– "Behold, I make all things new." The possession of this new nature is the chief evidence of our saving interest in Christ; for "if any man has not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his," and "if any man be in Christ he is a new creature."
1. But he is young as well as new; for as the old man is always old, so the new man is always young. He has, therefore, all the vigor of youth, the feelings of youth, the tenderness, the susceptibility, the impressibility of youth, and all that is lovely in youth. As the old man is a picture of depraved old age, so the new man has every feature that we admire in the young; everything that is tender and teachable, impressible and affectionate, warm, active, and vigorous. All we admire in youth is seen in the new man; all we loathe in depraved old age we see in the old man. And, indeed, he must be a beautiful man, not only from his youth and freshness, tenderness and vigor, his strong arm, his manly bearing, his modest, yet firm look; but he is supernaturally beautiful as being God's own creation, for you will observe that he is not born, but created. God himself created him by the power of his Spirit in the day of regeneration.
2. There is, therefore, another reason why he is so beautiful. He is created after the image of God. We find the apostle speaking in almost similar language (Col. 3:10)– "And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him who created him." When God first created man, he created him in his own image, after his own likeness. That image was lost by sin; but that it might not be wholly lost, lost forever, God creates in his people a new man, after his own image and his own likeness. So that man is restored and placed upon a higher pinnacle than that from which he fell; for he is put into possession of a new man which is created by the power of God, after the very image and likeness of God, in righteousness and true holiness.
Let us examine this point a little more closely, and notice a few features of this divinely impressed image. Is God a Spirit? The new man is spiritual, so as in this respect to be like the image of God. Is God holy? So is the new man, for he is "created in righteousness and true holiness." Is God heavenly, as dwelling in the highest heavens? So the new man is heavenly, as having heavenly feelings, heavenly desires, and heavenly aspirations. Is God in name and nature, love? So the new man dwells in love, and thus dwells in God, and God in him. (1 John 4:16.) Is God merciful? So those in whom the new man dwells are bidden to be merciful as their Father also is merciful. He is therefore said in our text to be "created after God," which as explained by the almost similar passage (Col. 3:10), means after the image of God.
Thus, when God looks down from heaven his dwelling place into the breasts of his people, he sees there with one glance both what he hates and what he loves. He sees the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and he loathes and despises his image. He sees also in the same breast a copy of himself, his own image, his own likeness, in the new man that he has created by his grace. And his all-seeing eye can discern between the old and the new, which we often cannot. The old man is so deceitful, often creates such a hubbub, there is so much dust attending his movements, and he is so noisy, that the calm, still, quiet face of the new man seems almost lost out of sight. It is like a family in which there is a quarrelsome, loud-tongue, contentious master, and a quiet, peaceable, amiable, submissive mistress. The master rants and raves, tears and swears, and would turn, if he could, the very house out of the windows. None can please him. His patient wife, obedient children, attentive servants, try their best, but try in vain. Do what they will, they cannot satisfy him. He is a plague to the whole family. The wife goes about the house calm, peaceful, submissive, trying to alleviate her husband's temper, but generally unsuccessfully; every now and then she drops a tear, gets away to her room and weeps, but still bears all with uncomplaining patience.
Such is a picture of the old man; such of the new. The old man we see and feel to be tearing about, raving and ranting, making a hubbub in us, creating nothing but confusion. The new man we see and feel to be quiet, humble, submissive, and retiring, now and then venting a sigh and a cry; now and then putting up a secret groan or inward prayer; now and then looking out for the Lord's appearing, and getting away as far as he can from this noisy depraved old man. Now need you wonder what a house you have in your bosom, when you have two such different inhabitants in it? I may almost compare it to a lodging-house where there is a noisy lodger and a quiet one. Need you wonder then that your house sometimes is such a scene of confusion that you can scarcely hear the quiet accents of the mild lodger, or even believe that he is in his room when the house resounds with the rant and roar, noise and strife of the unruly lodger?
But this is your happiness, that you detest the confusion, hate the hubbub; are not like a drunkard in a tap-room– the more the noise, the merrier the company. You want quiet; solitude suits you, the companionship of your own thoughts, and the pouring out of your heart before the Lord, the dropping in of his presence and the blessed visitation of his smile. So you see with all the confusion, the hubbub, and noise, which often makes you feel like poor Job, full of confusion, yet that there is some good thing in you which God has wrought by his Spirit and grace. This, then, is the new man, which has been created by the breath of God in your soul, and that "in righteousness," which means here uprightness, "and true holiness," not mock, not legal, not fleshly, nor self-imposed, but such holiness as is wrought by the power of the blessed Spirit.
C. Now this new man is to be "put on" in a somewhat similar way as we put off the old. I showed you that the old man was put off mainly in two ways.
1. As we put off a dirty garment.
2. As we put off from his seat the former master of the house.
Now carry this analogy into putting on the new man. We put him on as our clean and lovely dress, or when we wear him– to use a Scripture figure, "as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels." We read of "the beauties of holiness;" and the promise given to the Lord, was, that "his people should be willing in the day of his power, in the beauties of holiness." What a beautiful description is given in the Canticles of the Church; when, "like Jerusalem the holy city," in the prophet (Isaiah. 52:1;) she has "put on her beautiful garments;" and how, as if struck with surprise, the beloved says to her– "O my beloved, you are as beautiful as the lovely town of Tirzah. Yes, as beautiful as Jerusalem! You are as majestic as an army with banners!" In Ezekiel 16, we have a description of the church as washed, clothed and decked with ornaments; and then the Lord explains why she was so beautiful– "Your beauty was perfect through my loveliness which I had put upon you, says the Lord God."
1. The new man, then, is put on when we put on the GRACES that belong to him. I observed, that the new man is called so, as having the members of a man. These members are the various graces which he is enabled to exercise; and the new man may be said to be put on when these graces act under a divine influence and power. When, for instance, we are enabled by the grace of God to believe in his dear Son, to receive the truth in the love of it, to feel the power of his word upon our heart– this is putting on the new man, for it is putting on a very essential member of the new man, which is faith.
Again, when in the exercise of a good hope through grace, we can look up and look out, and thus expect and wait for better days, if not now in the enjoyment of them, we may be said to put on the new man, for hope is a very conspicuous and active member of him. So when we can feel a little going forth of love and affection towards the Lord, to his word, to his people, his ways, and all that is connected with him; this may be also said to be putting on of the new man; for love is one of his most distinguishing features and most marked characteristics.
So with patience, humility, repentance, and godly sorrow for sin, spirituality of mind, a spirit of prayer and of supplication, resignation to the will of God, liberality to God's people, earnest desires to walk in godly fear, to live to the praise and glory of God, to do the things that are pleasing in his sight, and live under his approving smile– to be blessed with all this is to put on the new man.
2. But I observed, that we put on the new man when we put him into his right place– when he is made the head and master of the house, and rules the soul with his sweet and prevailing influence. It is just the contrary to what we saw was the power and influence of the old man. And O how softening, humbling, and spiritualizing is the influence of the new man. Do you not feel yourself at times subject to two very distinct kinds of influence? Does not something at various times come over your soul which carries with it a certain efficacious power– what I call an 'influence' for lack of a better word? You know, painfully know, what it is to be influenced by pride, covetousness, worldly mindedness, fretfulness, peevishness, and many other evils. You know the influence of a bad temper, of a hasty disposition, of a quarrelsome spirit, of a contentious mind, of covetousness, or any other evil that seems to press itself upon you as a power that exercises dominion over you.
Now see if you cannot find also in your bosom some other kind of influence. Does nothing ever break in upon your soul like a sunbeam to communicate light to your understanding, life to your soul, feeling to your heart, love to your affections? In reading the word, in hearing the gospel, in conversation with the dear family of God, upon your knees in secret prayer, or as you are engaged it may be through the day, does not a sweet, soft, secret influence steal at times gently over your breast, like the wind over a bank of violets, which seems as if to influence your mind to what is heavenly, holy, spiritual, and divine? In the night season, or at various times during the day, does there not come a secret, indescribable power, which softens, melts, and humbles your heart, raising up prayer and supplication, making you confess your sins, drawing up a thousand longing desires after the Lord and making you, for the time at least, spiritually and heavenly minded? This is the new man put on. You take the new man thus, as it were, into your arms, as a mother takes her babe, and bring him near to your breast, and you put him on as yours, as you thus put on his graces, his influences, his operations, and what he as created after the image of God in righteousness and true holiness.
D. Now, as you thus put on the new man, he spreads his influence also over your life, walk, conduct, and conversation; for these secret influences will manifest themselves openly, and the tree being made inwardly good, will bring forth outwardly good fruit. True religion will be always manifested by a man's life and conduct. In your families, in your business, in your daily conversation, it will be manifested under what influence you are. If you put off the old man, you put off with him peevishness, rebellion, evil temper, pride, covetousness, worldly-mindedness, harshness, fretfulness, obstinacy, and self-righteousness. If you put on the new man, you put on affections of mercy towards God's people, kindness and compassion to those who are in difficulty and sorrow, tenderness of conscience, godly fear, strictness of life, circumspection of walk, and uprightness of conduct; and thus you make manifest who you are and whom you serve.
But the more you know of these two men, the more you will hate the one and the more you will love the other; at least, I am very sure that the more you know of the new man, the more you will love him. Do you not sometimes feel as if you never would part with him, for he is so like Christ? Is not Christ the image of God? And if the new man is created after the image of God, it is Christ in you the hope of glory. The new man, therefore, as being created after the image of God, is a copy of the Lord Jesus Christ himself. He, therefore, speaks for Jesus, testifies for Jesus, and is, so to speak, a representation of the mind and image of Jesus. O what a mercy would it be for us, as we go about and go into the world, to be ever putting on the new man, and no more leave the house without him than we should without our coat. How he would guard your conduct; keep you from lightness and frivolity, and make you watchful over every word and almost every look. You would not, then, drop into every idle conversation, in the bus, in the railway, in the shop, in the street; it would not be to every one "hail, fellow, well met." There would be a sobriety, a consistency, a godliness, a separation of spirit– a something to mark you as distinct from the profane and the professing.
Many people, I well know, would think this a very gloomy religion, and rebel against being tied up as it were to such restraints. But it is because they know not the sweetness and blessedness of putting on the new man. In copy-books, boys write sometimes, "Virtue is its own reward." I will give you a copy to write upon your heart; "Godliness is its own reward;" or I will set you a copy out of David's book and in his best hand, "In keeping of them there is great reward." As to bondage and constraint, and all that idle talk, you would find it just the contrary; and that, in proportion as you were enabled to put off the old man, you would enjoy more liberty of soul, more access to God, more sweetness in religion, more blessedness in the Bible, more access to the throne of grace, and clearer and brighter prospects of heaven. And you would find also no bondage in this.
I will tell you where the bondage is– Sin. The bondage is in sin, and the law which is the strength of sin. There is no bondage in the gospel. It is pure liberty. "Stand fast in the liberty with which Christ has made you free." There is no bondage in the new man. He is all liberty; he is free as Christ is, as holy as God is. There is no wrath, no enmity, no bondage, no guilt, no shame, no fear in the new man. He walks at liberty, and therefore for men to say, "we must not look at the precepts; we shall get into bondage;" or for a minister to say– "I am not going to be legal this morning; I shall not take the precepts and give you a lecture out of them, to bring your soul into bondage;"– why the man does not know what he is talking about. He has never felt the beauty and preciousness of these kind admonitions and gracious cautions, the blessedness of keeping God's word, of walking in God's ways, and knowing his will and doing it.
It is sin that brings the bondage. There is no bondage in obedience, no bondage in walking in the ways of the Lord, no bondage in serving God and doing his will. The glorious gospel of the grace of God is free in its doctrines, free in its promises, free in its precepts; and this is its marked characteristic, that it makes free as well as is free. For this is the promise. "If you continue in my word, then are you my disciples indeed; and you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free."
But when men want to be made free from the precept, and not in the precept; when they want to be indulged with liberty to walk in forbidden ways, and hug the doctrines of the gospel while they despise and trample upon the precepts of the gospel; let them know that their hearts are not right before God, and that as they sow so will they reap; for he who sows to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption, and he who sows to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
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