And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. (Ephesians 4:23-24)

In order to put on the new man, you have to change clothes. Mark Hankins

In Ephesians 4:23-24, Paul was not talking about natural clothes, but he was talking about putting on something supernaturally. The new man is in you, but the outward man needs to make some wardrobe adjustments.

To change your clothes means to change your lifestyle, change the way you think, change your direction, change who you are hanging out with, change what you are watching on television, and change the kind of books you are reading.

How are you going to do that?  “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.” (Romans 13:14) When you expose yourself to situations that can cause you to fall, you need to watch your flesh. Although you are saved, you still occupy a body. You will get a new body when you get to Heaven, but right now you still have to deal with your flesh.

Confession: I am renewed in the spirit of my mind. I put on the new man, which after God is created in righteous-ness and true holiness. (Ephesians 4:23-24)

Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that hence forth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is free from sin. (Romans 6:6-7)

Wouldn’t you like to go ahead and lose your mind for a little while?Mark Hankins

Paul said in Romans 6, “I know this for a fact. I was crucified with Christ. Christ took me to the cross with Him.”  Some theologians believe that Paul had lost his mind because he was not even in Jerusalem when Jesus was crucified. But Paul said, “Christ lives in me now. I did not survive the cross, and there is nothing left of me. It’s all gone. I am a brand-new man. I was crucified with Christ.”

Paul was presenting the law of substitution to the theologians and to us. The law of substitution has to do with the two Adams. The first Adam got us into this mess, so God made another Adam. Jesus is the last Adam. To get rid of the old Adam, there had to be a resurrection.

The death and resurrection of Christ is a group picture. You have to find yourself in it, or the picture does not look so great. Once you find yourself, you can say, “Oh, there I am!”  This is not sense knowledge; the Holy Spirit reveals it to you.

Confession: Because Christ lives, I live! I am seated with Him and blessed with Him. I cannot be defeated! I cannot be depressed. Christ lives in me!

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish, foolishness; but unto us which are saved, it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18)

Learn the language of redemption! “Christ hath [past tense] redeemed us!” Mark Hankins

When Jesus went to the cross, He was made to be sin for us. He took our condition, and a surgical procedure was performed. God cut Himself open and put you in Christ. Three days later the process was complete, and the redemption story is still being told around the world.

Paul speaks of the preaching of the cross or the language of the cross in 1 Corinthians 1:18.  The Greek word for “preaching” is the word logos. Logos means  “the written word.”

Your redemption and your identification have a certain language. You must learn this language of identification. Get your tenses and verbs right because when Christ was crucified, you were crucified with Him. You died with Him. You are seated with Him. Start speaking that language. It is the key to God’s economy.

Confession: Christ has redeemed me. I was crucified with Him. I died with Him. I am now seated with Him!

And you hath he quickened… (Ephesians 2:1)

If you are the little toe on the body of Christ, you are still seated with Christ far above every principality and every power.

Mark Hankins

Most churches will talk to you about Jesus. He died; He was buried; He arose from the dead; He is triumphant. He is raised; He is seated, and all power in heaven and earth is given to Him. Many churches will tell you all about Jesus, but they will make you think Jesus is way up there, and you are just a little worm down here struggling to get along.

Paul lifts Christ to the highest pinnacle in the universe and then says, “And you hath he quickened.” (Ephesians 2:1)  He lifts up Christ and you with Him. Then Paul says, “Christ is the head; we are His body.” We are His body, and He is the head.  Everything is underneath His feet! If you are the little toe on the body of Christ, you are still seated with Christ far above every principality and every power.

Confession: Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved)And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.  (Ephesians 2:5-6)

Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him a this own righth and in the heavenly places… (Ephesians 1:20)

Everything God did in Christ, He did for you, and it is credited to your account as if you did it. Mark Hankins

What really happened 2,000 years ago in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ?  What was God working out when He raised Christ from the dead? What was wrought in Christ? “Which he wrought,” means what He worked, what happened, or what God did in Christ when He raised Him from the dead.  Here’s what He wrought: He “hath put all things under his feet.” (Ephesians 1:22)

In the original Greek, there are no chapter divisions in Paul’s letters. The King James Version translators made chapter divisions for ease in writing and reading the Bible. There is no stopping place in Paul’s letters. Actually, he says, “Which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all. And you…” (Ephesians 1:23; 2:1) You need to underline “and you.”  What God wrought in Christ was for you.

Are you finding yourself in Christ?  What God did in Christ, He did for you!

Confession: Everything God did in Christ, He did for me, and it is credited to my account as if I did it!