Putting on the New Man - Ephesians 4

In our last meeting of the season, Listooder welcomed Paul Foster for the first time. Speaking primarily from Ephesians 4, Paul considers how we have been called to 'put on the new man' (verse 24). It is this new man, created after the character of God, that should be our aim as believers seeking to glorify God in our lives. But to understand the requirements of this new man, we must first understand the character of God. What are the characteristics of God that we can aim to achieve as new creatures in Christ? GOD IS WISE We have a purpose, to glorify God. And God has given us the wisdom to know how we can demonstrate this purpose in our lives. It should be our desire to serve Him, and that desire comes from the wisdom of God in our hearts. GOD IS POWERFUL While yet unsaved, we had no power over the flesh. The sinful naure of our inner man had full control over us. But believers in Christ have power over the flesh. We have been given the strength of God to resist the sinful nature within us. GOD IS HOLY In Christ, we have been made holy. When we trusted in Him for salvation, we immediately came under the convering of the blood. His righteousness has been passed to us in exchange for our sin. We have been made holy, and our day by day lives should be a reflection of that holiness. GOD IS JUST Shall not the judge of all the earth do right? God is the perfect judge, His decisions are  fair and His judgements are right. Yet so often we unfairly judge others. We condemn some to hell in our minds, whilst lifting others up in glory. We must demonstrate the new man by showing justice and fairness in our actions. GOD IS TRUTH God cannot lie. His Word is truth. Therefore we can rely wholly upon His promises. As we seek to present the Gospel of Christ to the unsaved, we must guard against inconsistencies in our testimony. We must be sure that our witness is true, honest and of good report to all who watch us, so that our lives do no betray our words when we speak for the Lord. ---------------------------------------------------- Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Ephesians 5: 1-3