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Encounter: Journal for Pentecostal Ministry, Summer 2014, Vol. 11 God’s Image in Man Put Against Christ, the Primal Image: Paul’s Foundation for the Believers’ Renewal in Colossians 3:10 and Ephesians 4:23-24 Third Lecture December 5, 2013 Dr. Joseph Dimitrov Assemblies of God Theological Seminary 2013-2014 J. Philip Hogan Professor of World Missions Dr. Joseph Dimitrov served as the seventh J. Philip Hogan Professor of World Missions (2013-‐2014). This annual appointment brings to the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary (AGTS) the finest missionaries and global leaders who exemplify the “Knowledge on Fire” motif of AGTS. Introduction In the ‘experience of the risen Jesus in majesty’ and the ‘experience of the presence and power of the Spirit among them corporately and individually,’ the disciples of Jesus ‘considered themselves transferred and set within a new world, the age of life, new birth and new creation.’3 Paul’s epistles to the Ephesians and Colossians provide additional valuable doctrinal statements concerning this spiritual transformation. The high degree of resemblance between these two books,4 which cannot be coincidental, has led many theologians into numerous discussions. However, this discussion remains outside the limits of this lecture. The New Testament books provide sufficient proof that “from the beginning, early Christians spoke of Christ’s death and resurrection in relation to their experience of the presence and power of the Spirit, an experience they interpreted in relation to expectations found in Scripture and tradition.”1 To this spiritual experience, marked by major events like the Day of Pentecost or Jesus’ breathing on the disciples soon after His resurrection (John 20:22), the New Testament writers added other definitions that described the overall change that occurred in their life. Due to the relationship between the Holy Spirit and their experience, they were called a “new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17), went through a “new birth” (1 Pet. 1:3) and were supposed to be “born from above” (John 3:3, 7). Additionally, “Paul speaks of Christians as walking in ‘newness of life’ (Rom. 6:4), receiving ‘life’ from the Spirit (Rom. 8:11), and being justified and sanctified in the Spirit (1 Cor. 6:11).”2 These Scriptures testify that, Without involving ourselves in the complex hypotheses for the influence of Ephesians on Colossians or vice versa, our considerations will be based on one important similarity found in Colossians 3:9-10 and Ephesians 4:23-24, namely the “putting off of the old man” and the “putting on of the new one”. This gives us a glimpse into the renewal process that takes place in the life of the Christian, resulting in the acquisition of a new identity. Of great significance for this research is the fact that the Christian living described in this similarity is essentially linked with the renewal of the image of God in man with conformity to Jesus Christ, 1 whom Emil Brunner calls “the Primal Image.”5 great collectively unredeemed Man—and his ‘resurrection’ into another. 7 The two scriptures, however, do not lead us into this common direction by simply reduplicating the same phraseology even though at first glance they might look quite similar. On the contrary, they present different aspects of this new identity that people receive when they accept the lordship of Christ into their life. Following this second line of thought, our research will be based on the fact that the old man was objectively put to death when Christ died on the cross and, as a result, it has no more lordship over the ones who are in Christ. Thus, Christ’s death and resurrection transfer the believer into a new order of life, called “the new man.”8 An important remark that would give a clarification to two basic terms in our biblical texts must be done before the elaboration of the subject. Approaching the terms “old man” and “new man,” in an individual sense, would bring us to the consideration of the period before and after one’s conversion. Consequently, the whole matter of the believer’s fighting against the power of sin would be defined by terms like “crucifying” and “putting off” of the old man. If, however, the phrases, “the old man” and “the new man,” were regarded as corporate expressions that signify the old and new order of existence, then this would imply that they should be interpreted in the light of the gospel presented by the AdamChrist parallel. They are both universal personalities as A. Oepke remarks, “The first and the second Adam are progenitors initiating two races of men. Each implies a whole world, an order of life or death. Each includes his adherents in and under himself.”6 In line with this view, C.F.D. Moule comments that these two terms This lecture will also have another boundary of investigation. Since the research on our two Scriptures will involve terms like knowledge, holiness, righteousness, and baptism, my intention is not to list their different aspects and set a complete theological explanation of their meanings. This study is rather an attempt to present their general meaning applied and integrated in the ethical side of the Christian life as it is found in the text. The major areas in which this pattern of analysis will occur are: (1) the context of the believers’ renewal as presented by the two passages, (2) the appeal for renewal, and (3) the qualitative effects of the renewal. The Context of the Believer’s Renewal The identity of a person is best revealed not when its characteristics are listed on one’s identity papers and documents, but when that person is involved in relationships with other people. It is in dealing with people that one’s character, with its negative or positive traits, is completely manifested. Evidently, this general principle is fully applicable when the Christian identity falls under the scrutiny of the Scripture. derive their force not simply from some individual change of character, but from a corporate recreation of humanity; and what enables the individual to become transformed from selfishness to a growing effectiveness as a useful member of a group is precisely his ‘death’ in regard to one type of humanity—the 2 Colossians: Removal of Carnal Qualities and Results for the Christian Community Life (Col. 3:9-10) prohibition against lying, which, in its present middle imperative form, rather implies “stop lying.” It is probably worth mentioning that the sin of falsehood is singled out for special mention because in it more frequently than in anything else we manifest ill-will toward our fellowmen. At any rate the fact that the sin of lying is given separate treatment makes the condemnation of it more emphatic.10 In Colossians, the context in which Paul describes the renewal process in the life of the Christian is one’s regular contact with fellow-believers. These contacts, expressed in v. 9 by the phrase “to one another” (εἰς ἀλλήλους), certainly imply that relationships within the body of Christ should be characterized by full honesty. Obviously, this should also be the case when talking to people outside the Christian community. This is clearly stated by the imperative “do not lie” (µὴ ψεύδεσθε), which together with the imperatives stated before in this chapter “put to death” and “put away” (νεκρϖσατη and apoqedqe) forms a whole series of imperatives that give a practical realization to the exhortations, “seek the things above” (v. 1) and “set your mind on the things above” (v. 2). But as Peter O’Brien says, Stop lying and speaking only truth with the others belongs to the putting off of “the old man,” which, in reality, is the putting aside of all the carnal or fleshly qualities.11 The believer’s relationship with others is the test of the “renewal process.” This is also visible in the verses that follow the “renewal text.” Only the ones who have put on the “new man” could develop and exhibit characteristics like “compassionate heart, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, bearing with one another and forgiving” (vv.12, 13). They all pertain to the “new man” and, F. F. Bruce rightly remarks, that “those qualities, as one considers them, are seen to be those which were preeminently displayed in the life of Jesus; no wonder, then, that when Paul in another place wishes to commend the whole body of Christian graces, he sums them up by saying, “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 13:14).”12 Being heavenly minded does not mean living in the clouds! The believer who obeys the apostolic injunction to aim at the things above will be involved in an ongoing spiritual warfare here below as he or she puts to death sinful propensities and pursuits and allows the new nature to find outward expression in a godly life. Because they are new persons in Christ they are to live like new persons.9 If these Christian virtues are found to be present in the believers community, they will surely “eliminate, or at least reduce, frictions.”13 In the preceding to the “renewal text” verses (vv. 5-8), the author urged the Christians as they put off the old man to put away vices like anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language. They are “detrimental to personal relationships, and ... could easily develop in the life of the Christian community.”14 Now, having a new, It is obvious that making the analyses of the Christian renewal in verses 9 and 10 brings us to the clarification of the link between the mortification of the sins that deal with impurity and covetousness (vv. 5-7) and putting aside of the sins that deal with bad attitude and speech (v. 8). Such analysis also shows us the grammatical connection between the renewal itself and the strong 3 regenerate nature and being heavenly minded, the believers should know how to behave with one another, helped by the positive Christian aspects of character listed above. This is where the renewal is mainly manifested. It is “in the fellowship of the redeemed,” as described by Sinclair B. Ferguson, “there must be a consistent refusal to yield to elements in our own hearts which will engender disruption and strife within the fellowship.”15 The sense of urgency implied in the act of clothing oneself with these positive virtues is expressed by the aorist imperative ἐνδυsάsqe, which undoubtedly signifies “a decisive initial act which introduces a settled attitude.”16 Such should be the attitude of those “chosen, holy and beloved” (v. 12) people who belong to God’s New Covenant in which racial, religious, cultural, and social differences do not turn into barriers for fellowship, but merge in Christ.17 “perfection”: “until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood (av,ndra te,leion), to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (4:13). In their maturity the members of the body of Christ are no longer children, “tossed to and from and carried about by every wind of doctrine” (4:14)…. This growth toward maturity is accelerated by “truthing it (… living the truth) in love” (4:15)…. The consequence of putting on the new man is putting off the “old man,” (4:22-24).18 The “renewal text” in Ephesians is placed within a section that “defines a community by marking it off from other groups.”19 The readers of the epistle were surrounded by paganism and the majority of them were brought up in it before their conversion to Christ. Describing the essence of the pagan way of life, which very much resembles the description made in Romans 1:18-32, the author urges the recipients of the letter to remember the way they learned Christ (v. 20). The writer very skillfully points out that “between them and their former Gentile lifestyle stands the teaching which can be summed up in Christ, the instruction in the tradition through which the risen Christ shapes the character and lives of believers.”20 Paul links their Christian conduct as being parts of the body of Christ with the apostolic tradition that once was delivered to them. It is mainly in that link that he would introduce the Christian renewal and new identity. The idea of the importance of the Christian tradition included directly in the Ephesians’ renewal text is something that adds a new aspect to the Colossians’ parallel in which Christian behavior is presented in the light of being heavenly minded (Col. 3:1, 2). Ephesians: Learning Christ Means Appropriation of Christ (Ephesians 4:23-24) One should note that the previous conclusion concerning the Christian’s renewal in Colossians could be made with the same force as far as the Ephesians’ context is concerned. The whole epistle is full of descriptions concerning relationships between believers in the context of the body image having Christ as its head. McDowell, treating the subject of the new man in Christ presented in Ephesians, neatly summarizes the preceding context: In abolishing “the dividing wall of hostility” between Jew and Gentile Christ created “in himself one new man in place of the two” (2:15). Both are reconciled in one body (that is the church) through the cross (2:16). The destiny of the New Man in Christ, as a member of the body of Christ, is maturity, adulthood, 4 apostles.”24 The conclusion we could make after comparing the two contexts is that in Ephesians, a letter that “does not live from polemics”25 and is different from Colossians, Paul explains the Christian renewal as being the essence and contents of the apostolic instruction. They have received a body of teaching in which they not only learned about Christ, but they also appropriated Christ. This is where the transforming power of God became active in their lives and “whatever had been their degree of advance in learning, they had definitely not learned Christ as an advocate of sin and selfishness, of lewdness and licentiousness. No longer were their minds futile, no longer was their understanding dark.”26 Therefore, they should be able to understand the renewal process that began in them from the moment of their contact with Christ. Having said this, we should keep in mind that in Colossians Paul also used the concept of Christian tradition, but mainly for a different purpose. Colossians 2:6-7 says: “Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him strengthened in the faith as you were taught.” Paul introduced the basis for his warning against the adoption of false philosophies through the use of two important verbs: paralambanō, which for Siede represents the receiving of mental and spiritual benefits, and in that case refers to “the actual acceptance to . . . Christ Jesus,”21 and διδασκω, which Wegenast does not necessarily take to mean, “to hear the message in a concrete situation,” but “to receive and keep the teaching handed down.”22 This is reminiscent of the teaching methods employed by the rabbis. On the other side, the teaching and learning tradition in Ephesians is directed toward the contrast between the old and the new man. Markus Barth defines it in the following way: The Renewal’s ‘Put Off-Put On’ Form of Appeal It is very common in the Pauline epistles to meet the contrast between the old manner of life with all of its negative aspects and the way of life lived according to the standards of Christlikeness. Very often the phrase, “no longer ... but now” stands as a reminder to the readers of the great change that has occurred in their lives and an appeal for practical implementation of different Christian virtues. In our case, the “‘put off ... put on’ form of appeal ... has an obvious, pointed application to Christian conduct which exemplifies the new life imparted by the living Christ to His people.”27 The basis of this teaching is the recent revelation of God through the Spirit (Eph. 1:9-14; 3:1-12), the unification of Jews and Gentiles through the resurrection and the death of Jesus Christ (1:19-22; 2:1112), and the foundation and growth of the church. That, which was delivered to the Ephesians, is according to 1:13-14 ‘the word of truth, the gospel of salvation;’ this tradition has been received by faith, and it is ‘sealed by the Spirit.’23 The two examples of Paul’s instruction to the two communities in the time of their foundation clearly show that “even for Gentile congregations proof from Scripture was an indispensable weapon against the attacks ... and it had thus to be given by the 5 Colossians: Baptized Into the New Covenant In Christ’s Death (Col. 3:9-10) would be especially apt if circumcision were one feature of the syncretism which was being incubated in the church of Colossae.”31 One of the key questions for proper understanding of the phrase “you have taken off the old self … and have put on the new self” is finding out if there is any link between it and some historical material, and second, to clarify its grammatical relationship within the context. Circumcision is known in the Old Testament not only as a covenantal sign, but it also has some sacrificial associations. In Leviticus 19:23, the fruit of any kind of fruit tree should be regarded as a foreskin and is not allowed to be eaten for the first three years. As for the fourth year, that fruit should be offered to God as an offering of praise. The circumcision of the newborn boy to Moses and Zipporah in Exodus 4:24 confirms its redemptive aspect. Centuries later, the prophet Jeremiah would tell the people with whom he is in conflict, “Circumcise yourself for me and take away the foreskins of your heart” (Jer. 4:4). Thus, circumcision is introduced as reaching the inward man and helping him improve his relationship with God or, simply put, to attain a certain kind of favor before him.32 Later, the rabbinical exegesis also implies certain sacrificial aspects to circumcision since as a “Jewish rite it involved the shedding of blood.”33 Jews during the New Testament era knew and understood such a figurative and spiritualized meaning of circumcision. Consequently, Paul would have simply continued the line of thought of Jeremiah, but to such an extent that he would go over the limits of Judaism. Expanding on this, Meyer says that for Paul It should be first noted that there is a great probability that by this phrase Paul urges his readers to remember “what they were declared to be in their baptism.”28 In fact, we could see in this phrase the practical side of the Christian transformation already discussed by Paul in chapter 2:11-12, which is a passage of a particular interest because of its reference first to circumcision and then to baptism. The apostle describes the Colossian believers as circumcised in Christ “by putting off the body of flesh” (2:11). Having in mind the polemical background of the letter, we could view the term “circumcision” in that verse as implying Jewish elements in the Colossian heresy. Even though no complete agreement has been achieved about the nature of this heresy, since the teaching is not explicitly stated in the letter but only its rebuttal, the understanding, which most of the scholars come to, is that the heresy was a kind of a mixture between Jewish and Hellenistic teachings.29 We do not find any proof in the epistle that circumcision was imposed upon the believers as necessity or as a means of attaining some kind of perfection. T. K. Abbot even concludes that “there is nothing in the Epistle even remotely resembling the energetic protest against such teaching which we have in the Epistle to the Galatians.”30 It looks like Paul is using the Jewish rite of circumcision as a technical term in the light of the deceitful philosophy of the Colossians’ false teachers. Bruce remarks: “Paul’s choice of language here the only true Jew is the one who is a Jew in secret, and the only true circumcision is that of the heart (peritomh. kardiaς), Rom. 2:28f. This circumcision of the heart is, of course, the work of the Spirit, not of man, v. 29. This means that the circumcision of the heart is for Paul identical with redemption by Christ, and in Col. 2:11f he can even call baptism the peritomh. Cristou. 6 Inasmuch as einai en Cristw| means peritomh. kardiaς, he can go on to say that both akrobustia and peritomh are done away. … If to be en Cristw| means that one is neither Jew nor Greek, this implies that the physical sign of the covenant is quite unimportant.34 Colossians 2:11, 12 is aptly summarized by Hendriksen: You, believers, have no need of external circumcision. You have received a far better circumcision, that of heart and life. That circumcision is yours by virtue of your union with Christ. When he was buried, you—that is, your former, wicked selves—were buried with him. When he was raised you—as new creatures—were raised with him. In the experience of baptism you received the sign and seal of this marvelous Spirit-wrought transformation.39 Consequently, the spiritual meaning of the circumcision finds its full realization in what Christ has accomplished. The true circumcision is presented as eschatological fulfillment and then linked directly with baptism, which is not found elsewhere in the New Testament.35 The circumcision of Christ, taken in subjective genitive, would mean that it belongs to Christ, is effected by him, and “is brought about by union with Him in contrast to the circumcision of Moses and of the patriarchs.”36 In a very similar description to the one in Romans 6:6, the “putting off of the body of flesh” is then related to the Christian baptism and appeals to the believer to count the evil desires of the past as dead. Having baptism as its spiritual counterpart, the true meaning of circumcision would imply that “Christians do not need to submit to circumcision because baptism has replaced it.”37 The objective genitive on the other side would imply a circumcision undergone by Christ and, as such, is understood to refer to Christ’s death. This is strongly supported by 2:15 in the use of the participle apekdusamenoς, referring to the dying on the cross. It is the death of Christ that “has effected the inward cleansing which the prophets associated with the new covenant and of this Christian baptism is the visible sign.”38 Since the believer fully shares not only in Christ’s death and burial, but also in His resurrection demonstrated and implied in the act of baptism, it is then possible for him to live ethically in a new way. The whole meaning of the interpretation of The believers come into this new life provided for them objectively by faith and baptismal experience. This new life, however, is correctly defined as a life of “tension between the indicative and the imperative.”40 As a new creation, the believer has gone through this circumcision of the heart by “putting off the body of flesh” (2:11). However, the imperative requires what has been done in principle to be also manifested in practice. In the light of the last conclusion, the renewal text in Colossians 3:10 is, therefore, referring to what has already been accomplished in Christ in principle. The passage continues the same image of “putting off’ and “putting on” using the aorist participles ἀπεκδυσάµενοι and ἐνδυσάµενοι, which have become an object of different interpretations. They have been interpreted as imperatives and, as such, continuing Paul’s appeal in the beginning of v. 9, “Don’t lie.” The other view considers them as true participles and by this interpreting the putting off of the old nature and putting on of the new one as past events.41 Scholars who see the imperative in the two participles interpret the phrase as a 7 command to the readers to give up the old nature and to put on the new man instead. Their support comes from the imperative use of the participle in the Hellenistic and the rabbinical literature. The New Testament also has such examples like Romans 13:12, Ephesians 6:11, 14, and 1 Thessalonians 5:8.42 The “putting on” in the parallel passage of Ephesians 4:24 is imperative. In the same way, the following Christian virtues in v. 12 are introduced with the command to be put on. All of this eliminates any grammatical difficulty in accepting the two aorist participles as standing in agreement with imperatives. In the light of this interpretation, the “renewal text” would mean that the Colossians have to begin to work out the ethical implications of being baptized into the new covenant in Christ’s death. Taking into account that according to Colossians 2:11-22, the baptism of the Colossians was not just a removal of a small insignificant bodily tissue, as it was in the Jewish circumcision, but putting off of the whole “body of flesh”, which is “the renunciation of the sinful nature in its entirety,”44 and the Galatians’ teaching that the putting on of Christ is seen in the same act of baptism (Gal. 3:27), we can conclude that the act of renewal is done in principle. The baptism, as Paul describes it, is “the entrance of the order of life represented by Christ and at the same time ... the incorporation into his body.”45 Therefore, The old man ... has once been crucified with Christ (Rom. 6:6), and the laying aside of the old man in baptism signifies above all participation in that unique event. At the same time it is not restricted to that, but this putting off in baptism also signifies an actual departure from this old mode of existence, a departure that goes on after baptism in the continuing “mortification of the members that are upon the earth” (Col. 3:5; cf. Gal. 5:24). And the same applies to putting on the new man. It can be linked with baptism (cf. Col. 3:10) because in baptism believers are raised together with Christ in the unique redemptivehistorical sense of the word (Col. 2:12).46 For scholars who reject the imperative sense in the aorist participles, the putting off of the old man and the putting on of the new man have already happened in baptism. What Paul is doing here through this participial expression equals to an appeal for an act of faithfulness to their baptismal confession. In fact, the apostle reminds the Colossians of their “decisive, life-changing entry into God’s Kingdom (1:3) when they shared in Christ’s stripping off from himself the alien tyranny of demonic powers (2:11, 25). This event was their baptism (2:12, 13, 20) which inaugurated in union with Christ the Lord their Christian standing (3:1, 3).”43 Thus, the participles become a reason and motive for the command, “Don’t lie” (3:9). Then the exhortation in v.12 to put on the Christian virtues as “God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved,” is based on the point that the putting on of the new man is already a fact and this gives a good reason for the introduction of the imperative in that verse by οὖν (“therefore”). Verse 11 also fits much better in this type of interpretation. It is always useful that Christians are reminded that their standards must come from Christ. They do have a new life and should never be as the ones who do not have the power of God within them. 8 Ephesians: Faithfulness to Baptismal Confessionas Obligation (Eph. 4:23-24) appropriated so that its distinctive ethical qualities will become evident.”49 This appropriation of the new identity is clearly described by the “putting off’ and “putting on” language in vv. 22-24. This process is expressed by the three infinitives “to put away (ἀποθέσθαι—v. 22), “to renew” (ἀνανεοῦσθαι—v. 23), and “to put on” (ἐνδύσασθαι—v. 24), which like other infinitives in the New Testament (Rom. 12:15; Phil. 3:16) carry an imperative sense and introduce obligations instead of just describing a fact. J. Behm rightly remarks that the change occurring in the believers’ lives takes place not through them but on them and this “means that they are constantly set in the miraculous and mysterious magnetic field of this renewal which is effected in them. It is an inner ‘being renewed’ or ‘letting themselves to be renewed’ which takes place in the center of personal life.”50 Being instructed in the apostolic tradition and having a personal knowledge of Christ, the Ephesians are exhorted by the apostle to walk in the newness of life. Talking about God’s blueprint for making Christians, Wilber Dayton makes an interesting observation: To become a Christian involved a negative human act, a positive divine act, and a positive human act. The old man, with his corrupt practices, is put off. God makes new the spirit of the mind and grants life. The new man, thus created after the pattern of the righteous and holy God, takes the place of the old.47 The old person, guided by evil desires, which are born because of illusion concerning life, is in the process of constantly moving toward final ruin. When man becomes enslaved to the evil desires then his total being yields under their control. The decisions of his will and even the best positive impulses in him are controlled by them. The believer must leave the old person and live in a manner of life that suits the new identity ascribed to him at baptism. It is only when man turns to God and surrenders to Him his desires that his life takes another direction and identity. This new life, however, “does not exist on or derive from the natural plane; it is hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3). Those who enter upon it need the apostolic exhortation to hold fast to their new life and to put on the new man . . . .”48 The believer must allow himself to be renewed in his inner being, and specially his mind. This, in turn, will lead to a right way of thinking bringing the right behavior and “the new identity, already achieved for believers, has to be Making a comparison with the renewal text of Colossians where the believers had already cut the link with their past life and their baptismal experience demonstrated the putting off of the old man, we now see in Ephesians a people of God already made new who are exhorted to become in practice what they are already in principle. They have to be resolute to refuse the invasion of the old way of life. The tension “between the indicative and the imperative, between the “already” and “not yet,” is common in the Pauline letters; it is summed up in the admonition: “Be what you are!” Be in practice what the calling of God has made you.”51 Continual Actualization of the New Person The command in Ephesians 4:23-24 could be fulfilled because the renewal of Colossians 3:10 has been done in principle 9 in Christ. Moule calls this process, “a continual actualization of an already existing new creation.”52 This actualization is not theoretical and theologically vague, but is presented by these two biblical passages in concrete terms. alone, can be nothing other than the gift of God.55 The renewal presented in Colossians as occurring according to the image of the Creator leads to knowledge, which is given an ethical sense. On the other side, there are clear statements of Paul that it is Christ who is the “image of the invisible God” (2 Cor. 4:4; Col. 1:15). There is also a clear distinction of the image of the earthly man from that of the heavenly, who has been actualized in the risen Christ (1 Cor. 15:49). The removal of the racial, religious, cultural, and social barriers in the following verses (v. 11; cf. Gal. 3:27) could happen only in Christ, and this provides an argument for accepting the image of God in v. 10 as reference to Christ.56 Thus, one can be renewed in the true knowledge, which is the knowledge of God, only when he is in union with Christ. The knowledge, then, is a gift of God given to the believer through Christ. This progressive increase of the true knowledge presented by the present participle “being renewed” (ἀνακαινούµενον) implies a constant renewal of Christ’s power and life within us by which a growth into Christlikeness is being accomplished. It is worth observing that in other references, like Romans 8:29 and 2 Corinthians 3:18, Paul spoke of conforming the believers into the image of Christ. We agree with Donald Guthrie that, “at no time does Paul suggest that Christ needed the image of God to be restored to him. He already was that image.”57 As far as the renewal of the believers is concerned, “the role of Christ is to be the perpetual model.”58 In the light of all this, we come to the conclusion that Paul’s understanding of putting on Christ is that it signifies the beginning of sharing Christ’s nature.59 The Image that Leads Back to the True Knowledge The reception and affirmation of a biblical truth, followed by discernment and acknowledgment of its implications, results in spiritual renewal. Thus, Paul strongly emphasized the importance of knowledge in the process of renewal. We should also notice that the terms “knowledge” and “image” are both reason and goal for this renewal, which produces a new creation. This is a “culmination of the process in perfect acknowledgment and awareness of God.”53 It is true that knowledge was in the center of man’s Fall (Gen. 2:17; 3:5, 7). Man, who was created after God’s image (Gen. 1:26), failed to act according to the knowledge of God he already had. This subject is strongly emphasized in Paul’s letters where he confirms that failure “to know and acknowledge God is at the root of human sin (Rom. 1:21).”54 E.D. Schmitz and E. Schütz expand this idea: Such recognition of God, where it is found, is a gift of God and not something natural. It is based on his revelation and therefore remains dependent on revelation (1 Cor. 13:8; 14:6; cf. 2 Cor. 8:7; 2 Pet. 1:5). Other passages are Phil. 1:9; Col. 1:9f (which contains a prayer for a growth in love with knowledge or in knowledge of the will of God; cf. Eph. 1:17) ... Consequently, this knowledge of God, which comes about through the acceptance of salvation in the forgiveness of sins 10 The Image that Leads Back to True Holiness and Righteousness time, however, Paul introduces two more elements of that original image, namely “the righteousness” and “true holiness.” These last two characteristics, along with the “knowledge” presented in Colossians 3:10, are known to be the ingredients of the original righteousness, which constitutes the original image. Accepting these three characteristics as chief parts of God’s image in man, John Calvin makes the following declaration: The Ephesians’ renewal is presented to happen “in the spirit of your mind” (τῷ πνεύµατι τοῦ νοὸς ὑµῶν), which phrase being under discussion is thought of by the majority of the commentators to refer to the Holy Spirit as the agent of the renewal process. Looking closer at the word “spirit,” Houlden defends this view stating that “in all other uses of pneuma in Ephesians (except 2:2) the reference is to the Holy Spirit of God, and presumably the same is true here.”60 If, on the other side, we take into account that the Holy Spirit is not spoken of as being a part of one’s human being and, therefore, pneuma is referred to the human spirit which, in our case, would become part of the pleonastic use of synonyms in the epistle, then together with the “mind” the terms will both point to the “person’s inmost being.”61 Following our previous discussion on the essence of the Ephesians’ renewal, we realize that the continual actualization of the new person is accomplished by constant surrender (this is implied by the use of the present passive participle, ἀνανεοῦσθαι), which will bring positive changes in the perception. It seems that in Ephesians, Paul inserts more precision to what is happening in the renewal of the already new person, namely that “this spiritual renewal will find its point of application in man’s intelligence; this renewal will be one of his mental faculties.”62 Such interpretation gives us good reason to conclude with Henry B. Swete that, “the spirit of the mind, where the great change is taking place, is not the divine Spirit, but it is the sphere of the operations of the Holy Spirit and his renewal and recreation are their work.”63 Since the image of God has been destroyed in us by the fall, we may judge from its restoration what it originally had been. Paul says that we are transformed into the image of God by the gospel. And according to him, spiritual regeneration is nothing else than the restoration of the same image.64 We have to remark that there is a difference between the original righteousness in the first man and the righteousness of character that is being built through moral actions. The first one is a righteousness of nature, which implies sinlessness. Adam and Eve stood before God as creatures of sinless nature. As long as this righteousness of nature was not challenged by any need of making a moral choice because of the personal freedom, they both retained this characteristic. This was an untested nature. The righteousness that the believer is bestowed because of his union with Christ, however, is something different. What he receives in Christ is not only a righteousness of nature, but also a righteousness of character. The believer obtains the first one because of his or her status as being “in Christ” and the second one is being worked in the believer because of the activity of the Holy Spirit and one’s own surrender to His work. It is a tested one, but also victorious.65 This is how the life of the new creation is patterned after God and since “holiness” and Similarly to Colossians, the renewal is again linked with the image of God, which serves as another reminder of Genesis 1:26. This 11 “righteousness” are God’s qualities, the new children of God should manifest them. Later, Paul would again remind believers to “be imitators of God” (Eph. 5:1). “What Christians ought to do depends on what they are.”68 Paul achieves the full presentation of the above truth by using the importance of the believers’ involvement in horizontal and vertical relationship. Their renewal is best manifested when it has to be applied toward their fellow brothers in the Christian community, as John Stott remarks: “You cannot be good in a vacuum, but only in the real world of people.”69 The newness of life, on one side, is reflected in the individual but, on the other side, it is reflected in the community as well. A great help in this direction has been the instruction given by Christian teachers. They helped believers understand that it is Christ who made the new creation possible, and this was declared in their baptismal experience. However, that was not all. They also taught them to realize that this new creation is an on-going event and it implies daily implementation of new motives, thoughts, decisions, and conduct. The end of all this is Christlikeness. Believers should see themselves as the image of God restored because of their position in Christ. The understanding of the importance of this vertical relationship is essential in the renewal process. The new man has to be what Christ made him. It is not in man’s natural abilities to become such. This is achieved only through being renewed in Christ and living out this new life. Because of classical Greek usage, suggestions have been made to take holiness, (ὁσιότης) as doing what is right in relation to God and righteousness (δικαιοσύνῃ) as doing what is right in relation to humanity. However, each of these two terms could imply moral or religious senses in their New Testament usage and that is why the above sharp distinction could be an overstatement. A better solution would probably be to take these two ethical qualities as denoting a Christian ethical virtue.66 Thus, the Ephesians’ renewal aspect compliments the one of Colossians in the conclusion that the knowledge of God should never be treated as something separate from walking in God’s ways or, as Bruce states, “To know him is to be like him, righteous as he is righteous, holy as he is holy.”67 Concluding Observations Great is the biblical truth that the believers are “God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus” in order “to do good works” (Eph. 2:10). Being a new creation, they are not the same as what they were before. By the power of God’s creative work, they have been changed and this should be clearly seen in their new lifestyle. Reading Paul’s thoughts in the discussed passages, we could summarize his ethical teaching in the phrase, BIBLIOGRAPHY Abbott, T. K. Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistle to the Ephesians and to the Colossians. Edinburgh, England: T & T Clark, 1968. Anderson, Ray S. On Being Human: Essays in Theological Anthropology. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1982. 12 Barth, Markus. “Traditions in Ephesians.” New Testament Studies 30 (1984): 3-25. Brown, Colin. Spirit, Holy Spirit.” In New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology. Vol. 3. Edited by Colin Brown. 689-709. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1986. Brown, Colin, ed. New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology. 4 vols. Edited by Colin Brown. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1986. Bruce, F. F. The Epistles to the Colossians to Philemon and to the Ephesians: The New International Commentary of the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1984. Calvin, John. Commentary on Genesis. 2 Vols. Reprint in 1 Vol. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1981. Quoted in Leroy S. Capper. “Imago Dei and Church Order.” Evangelical Review of Theology 10, no. 3 (July 1986): 214-227. Dayton, Wilbert. “Ephesians,” in The Biblical Expositor. Edited by Carl F. H. Henry. 1087-1096. Philadelphia, PA: A. J. Holman Company, 1973. Dunn, James D. G. The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon. The New International Greek Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1996. Ferguson, Sinclair B. The Christian Life: A Doctrinal Introduction. Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1981. Foulkes, Francis. Ephesians. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries. Leicester, UK: InterVarsity Press, 1989. Gaebelein, Frank, E., ed. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary. Vol. 11. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1978. Guthrie, Donald. New Testament Theology. Leicester, UK: InterVarsity Press, 1981. Hendriksen, William. Colossians: New Testament Commentary. London: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1964. ———. Ephesians: New Testament Commentary. London: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1972. Houlden, J. L. Paul’s Letters from Prison: Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, and Ephesians. Philadelphia, PA: The Westminster Press, 1977. Hugede, Norbert. L’Epître aux Colossiens. Genève: Labor et fides, 1968. ———. L’Epître aux Ephesiens. Genève: Labor et Fides, 1973. Hultgren, Arland. Christ and His Benefits: Christology and Redemption in the New Testament. Philadelphia, PA: Fortress, 1987. Quoted in Lois Malcolm, “Jesus and the Trinity,” Word and World 29, no. 2 (Spring 2009): 143-151. Kittel, Gerhard, and Gerhard Friedrich, eds. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. Translated by Geoffrey W. Bromley. 10 vols. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964-1976. Ladd, Eldon George. A Theology of the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1993. Lincoln, Andrew T. Ephesians. Word Biblical Commentary. Vol. 42. Dallas, TX: Word Books, 1990. Malcolm, Lois. “Jesus and the Trinity.” Word and World 29, no. 2 (Spring 2009), 143-151. 13 Martin, Ralph P. Colossians and Philemon. The New Century Bible Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1973. _________. “Ephesians,” in The New Bible Commentary: Revised. Edited by D. Guthrie and J. A. Motyer. 1105-1124. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1970. McDowell, Edward A. “The Doctrine of the Church in the Epistle to the Ephesians.” Southwestern Journal of Theology 6, no. 1 (October 1963): 46-59. Moule, C. F. D. The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon. The Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary. Series edited by C.F.D. Moule. Cambridge, England: University Press, 1968. O’Brien, Peter, T. Colossians, Philemon. Word Biblical Commentary. Vol. 44. Waco, TX: Word Books, 1982. O’Donovan, Joan E. “Man in the Image of God: The Disagreement between Barth and Brunner Reconsidered.” Scottish Journal of Theology 39 (1986): 433-459. Parsons, Michael. “The New Creation.” The Expository Times 99 (October 1987-September 1988): 3-4. Ridderbos, Herman. Paul: An Outline of His Theology. Translated by John Richard De Witt. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1975. Schweizer, Eduard. The Letter to the Colossians. London: SPCK, 1982. Stott, John. Essential Fellowship: The Message of Ephesians. Leicester, UK: InterVarsity Press, 1979. Swete, Henry B. The Holy Spirit in the New Testament. London, Macmillan and company, 1909. Quoted in Norbert Hugede. L’Epître aux Ephesiens. Genève: Labor et Fides, 1973. Vaughan, Curtis. “Colossians,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary. vol. 11. Edited by Frank E. Gaebelein 161-226. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1978. Yates, Roy. “Colossians 2.15: Christ Triumphant.” New Testament Studies 37 (1991): 573-591. ———. “The Christian Way of Life: The Paraenetic Material in Colossians 3:1-4:6.” The Evangelical Quarterly 63, no. 3 (July 1991): 241-251. 1 Lois Malcolm, “Jesus and the Trinity,” Word and World 29, no. 2 (Spring 2009): 144. 2 Ibid. 3 Arland Hultgren, Christ and His Benefits: Christology and Redemption in the New Testament (Philadelphia, PA: Fortress, 1987), 31-39, quoted in Lois Malcolm, “Jesus and the Trinity,” Word and World 29, no. 2 (Spring 2009): 144. 4 Francis Foulkes, Ephesians, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Leicester, UK: InterVarsity Press, 1989), 25-26. Foulkes states that “75 of the 155 verses of Ephesians are found in Colossians.” 5 Joan E. O’Donovan, “Man in the Image of God: The Disagreement between Barth and Brunner Reconsidered,” Scottish Journal of Theology 39 (1986): 444. 14 6 A. Oepke, “εv,” in Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, (hereafter TDNT), edited by Gerhard Kittel, translated and edited by Geoffrey W. Bromley (Grand Rapids MI: Eerdmans, 1968), 2: 542 (537-543). 7 C. F. D. Moule, ed., The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, The Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary (Cambridge, UK: University Press, 1968), 119. 8 Herman Ridderbos, Paul: An Outline of His Theology, trans. John Richard De Witt (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1975), 63. 9 Peter T. O’Brien, Colossians, Philemon, Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 44 (Waco, TX: Word Books, 1982), 175-176. 10 Curtis Vaughan, “Colossians,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol. 11, edited by Frank E. Gaebelein (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1978), 213. 11 H. Weigelt, “clothe,” in New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology (hereafter NIDNTT), edited by Colin Brown (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1986), 1: 312-317. 12 F. F. Bruce, The Epistles to the Colossians to Philemon and to the Ephesians, The New International Commentary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1984), 152. 13 Vaughan, 213. 14 Roy Yates, “The Christian Way of Life: The Paraenetic Material in Colossians 3:1-4:6,” The Evangelical Quarterly 63, no. 3 (July 1991): 243. 15 Sinclair B. Ferguson, The Christian Life: A Doctrinal Introduction (Edinburgh, UK: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1981), 164. 16 O’Brien, Colossians, 175-176. 17 This classification of the various groups (Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian and Scythian, slave and free) in Col. 3:11 is based on F. F. Bruce’s comment in The Epistles to the Colossians to Philemon and to the Ephesians, The New International Commentary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1984), 148. 18 Edward A. McDowell, “The Doctrine of the Church in the Epistle to the Ephesians,” Southwestern Journal of Theology 6, no. 1 (October 1963): 57. 19 Andrew T. Lincoln, Ephesians, Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 42 (Word Books: Dallas, TX, 1990), 271. 20 Ibid., 290. 21 B. Siede, “take,” NIDNTT 3: 750 (747-751). 22 K. Wegenast, “teach,” NIDNTT 3: 759-765. 23 Markus Barth, “Traditions in Ephesians,” New Testament Studies 30 (1984): 15. 24 K.H. Rengstorf, “διδασκω,” TDNT 2: 146 (135-165). 25 Barth, 19. 26 William Hendriksen, Ephesians: New Testament Commentary (London, UK: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1972), 212. 27 Ralph P. Martin, “Ephesians,” in The New Bible Commentary: Revised, edited by D. Guthrie and J. A. Motyer (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1970), 1117. 28 Ralph P. Martin, Colossians and Philemon, The New Century Bible Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1973), 106. 29 The so-called ‘Jewish Gnosticism’ is discussed by the scholars even though they recognize that there is a slender evidence for that coming directly from the letter itself. Such a Gnostic heretical teaching would contain some kind of syncretistic wisdom, consisted of ascetic, ritualistic worship of the ‘elemental spirits of the world’ 15 (2:8), Jewish ritualism, and speculation about the angels (2:18). What gives more weight to the ‘Jewish Gnosticism’ interpretation of the Colossian heresy is the fact that it is at that period that Judaism, Jewish Christianity, and Gnosticism could encounter each other since Phrygia was good soil for different teachings. For a summary on ‘Jewish Gnosticism’ see W. G. Kummel, Introduction to the New Testament: Study Edition (London: SCM Press, 1965), 239-240. 30 T. K. Abbott, Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistle to the Ephesians and to the Colossians (Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1968), 48. 31 Bruce, 103. 32 R. Meyer, “περιτεµνω,” TDNT 6: 72-84. 33 Roy Yates, “Colossians 2.15: Christ Triumphant,” New Testament Studies 37 (1991): 587. 34 Meyer, “περιτεµνω,” TDNT 6: 83 (72-84). 35 Eduard Schweizer, The Letter to the Colossians (London: SPCK, 1982), 142-143. 36 Abbott, 251. 37 Yates, “Colossians 2:15,” 587. 38 Bruce, 104. 39 William Hendriksen, Colossians: New Testament Commentary (London: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1964), 40 George Eldon Ladd, A Theology of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1993), 536. 41 Yates, “Colossians 2:15,” 588. 42 O’Brien, 188. 43 Martin, 106. 44 Bruce, 146 45 Ridderbos, 400. 46 Ibid., 404. 117. 47 Wilbert Dayton, “Ephesians,” in The Biblical Expositor, edited by Carl F. H. Henry (Philadelphia, PA: A. J. Holman Company, 1973), 1093. 48 H. Haarbeck, H. G. Link, and C. Brown, “new,” in NIDNTT 2: 672 (669-676). 49 Lincoln, 290. 50 J. Behm, “ανανεοω,” TDNT 4: 901 (896-902). 51 Bruce, 357. 52 Moule, 120. 53 J. L. Houlden, Paul’s Letters from Prison: Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, and Ephesians (Philadelphia, PA: The Westminster Press, 1977), 206. 54 James D. G. Dunn, The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, The New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1996), 73. 55 E. D. Schmitz and E. Schütz, “knowledge, experience, ignorance” in NIDNTT 2: 400 (390-409). 56 Schweizer, 198. 57 Donald Guthrie, New Testament Theology (Leicester, UK: InterVarsity Press, 1981), 180. 58 Norbert Hugede, L’Epître aux Colossiens (Genève: Labor et fides, 1968), 177. 16 59 Weigelt, “clothe,” NIDNTT 1: 312-317. 60 Houlden, 319. 61 Lincoln, 287. 62 Harbert Hugede, L’Epître aux Ephesiens (Geneve: Labor et Fides, 1973), 184. 63 Henry B. Swete, The Holy Spirit in the New Testament (London: Macmillan and Company, 1909), 240, quoted in Harbert Hugede, L’Epître aux Ephesiens, 184-185. 64 John Calvin, Commentary on Genesis, 2 Vols., reprint in 1 vol. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1981), 1:94, quoted in Leroy S. Capper, “Imago Dei and Church Order,” Evangelical Review of Theology 10, no. 3 (July 1986): 219. 65 Ray S. Anderson, On Being Human: Essays in Theological Anthropology (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1982), 28-29. 66 Lincoln, 288. 67 Bruce, 359. 68 Michael Parsons, “The New Creation,” The Expository Times 99 (October 1987-September 1988), 4. 69 John Stott, Essential Fellowship: The Message of Ephesians (Leicester, UK: InterVarsity Press, 1979), 184. 17