February 23, 2012 | Leave a comment I invite you to join me for 40 days of preparation for Easter. One metaphor used in the New Testament to denote repenting of sin is that of “putting on” and “putting off.” For example if after a careful examination of my own life I realize that I am not being obedient to Christ then I need to “put off” disobedience and “put on” obedience. The apostle Paul wrote a letter to the church at Ephesus in which he describes what the Christian life and the Christian church should look like. In chapter 4 the apostle turns his attention from the church as a whole to the individual members which make up the church. The chapter begins with Paul imploring all of us who are members of the Christian church to walk worthy of our calling. Then in verse 14 Paul begins to tell us what Christian maturity looks like and why it is so important. 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. 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, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. 25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. 26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil. 28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. 29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:14–32 (ESV) In this passage Paul teaches us that the goal of the Christian life is to become a mature Christian or as Paul states it “to grow up” “into Christ.” The danger is that we will attempt to be Christian while continuing to “walk as the Gentiles (or unbelievers) do.” According to Paul this is not the proper way to practice Christianity which he had originally taught the Ephesians. Instead Paul had taught the Ephesians to “put off” their old selves and to “put on” their new selves and not to give Satan a foothold in their lives. Christians who live this Christian lifestyle will not grieve the Holy Spirit. As we prepare ourselves for Easter over the next 40 days we will consider both the traits we need to “put off” which lead us to harbor sin in our life and those traits we need to “put on” that will lead us to yield our wills to God’s Spirit. Our goal for each of these 40 days is to better prepare ourselves to be holy for the highest of all Christian holidays.