Religion & Spirituality
What does it mean to ‘put on the new self’? It’s often supposed to be a matter of behaviour first; do this, say that, don’t do this, don’t say that. But Paul makes it clear here that it starts not with our actions first, but with our minds (v.23). Tom Wright says that, ‘genuine Christianity opens the mind so that it can grasp truth at deeper and deeper levels’; new life springs from a renewed and transformed mind and heart. And so then these instructions that Paul follows on with become not just a list of do’s and don’ts that we may succeed or fail at, but rather they are the result of a renewed mind motivated and transformed by the kindness of Jesus.