Ephesians 4:11-32
When it comes to the matter of determining who needs to change, believers are quick to point the finger at unbelievers. Having experienced the new birth in our own lives, we readily see the need for the unsaved to become “a new creature” in Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). Additionally, when we happen to notice professing Christians not walking with the Lord and serving Him as faithfully and obediently as they should, we seem to have no difficulty discerning their need for change. But how often do we look within ourselves and realize that we need to change? That’s right! Every child of God constantly needs to be changing and growing in the Lord.
A careful look at our text reveals that, first, we need to change because God commands us to change. Notice verses 22-24. God’s Word declares that we are to “put off’ the old man, to “put on” the new man and to “be renewed in the spirit of [our] mind.” If the Lord commands us to do something, we definitely should do it! Yet we also need to change because, even as believers, we still possess a propensity to sin (vv.14, 17). Even the apostle Paul battled against the flesh throughout his life (Rom. 7:17-18), and if this man of God struggled to walk uprightly, we certainly will struggle as well. Finally, we need to be continually changing because we are in a daily battle with the world, the flesh and the Devil. In the midst of their attacks, we should strive to become better soldiers for Jesus Christ. Our inward man should be renewed each day (2 Cor. 4:16), ever changing into the image of our Savior (Col. 3:10). We know what the Word of God says regarding our need for constant change. So are we changing?