4:22
We are saved by grace, and sanctified by grace, but God actively involves us in the process. In being saved He leads us to repentance and faith. In sanctification it is the Holy Spirit who works within us, but He does so by involving us, and part of this is putting off the old self. We all have many ways of thinking, habits, ways of acting that are part of the old nature, the way we used to live. We need to get rid of these ways. So Paul tells us to put off the old self. Later he will be more explicit in what this means in practical terms. And it is good riddance to our old self, for it is being corrupted by deceitful desires. Sin works by creating desires in us, these can be overtly sinful desires such as lust, or a desire for self-preservation as the dominant motivator in our lives. These desires are deceitful, and we need to understand this. The lustful desires promise pleasure, but are ultimately disappointing and destructive. The motivator of self-preservation also proves to be false, bringing no real security at all. It is only God who brings true pleasure, and it is only in Him that we find true security and peace.
4:23
These desires operate through the mind, they affect our ways of thinking. But they are deceitful, they are not based on truth. The answer to this is not to switch off our minds, but to be renewed in our minds (Rom 12:2). We need to learn to think differently. We need a mind that says no to the wrong desires of the flesh, and we need a mind that knows that following and obeying Christ is the only truly secure path. Our old mind will tell us that a certain way is dangerous, makes us vulnerable, but a renewed mind will tells us that God is actively looking after us. God’s path may involve suffering and cost, but it will be suffering and cost that is according to His purposes and is achieving His goals, both for us and for others.
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