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“Put off” and “put on” are often preached as imperatives. Are they? If they are not, what are the implications? What is sanctification by faith?
Welcome to No Compromise Radio, a ministry coming to you from Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston. No Compromise Radio is a program dedicated to the ongoing proclamation of Jesus Christ based on the theme in Galatians 2, verse 5, where the Apostle Paul said, ìBut we did not yield in subjection to them for even an hour ,î so that the truth of the gospel would remain with you.
In short, if you like smooth, watered-down words to make you simply feel good, this show isnít for you. By purpose, we are first biblical, but we can also be controversial. Stay tuned for the next 25 minutes as weíre called by the divine trumpet to summon the troops for the honor and glory of her King.
Hereís our host, Pastor Mike Abendroth.
Welcome to No Compromise Radio, a ministry. My name is Mike Abendroth, and we, today on No Compromise Radio, are glad to be on. I donít know how many people listen, I guess weíll never know, but I get many encouraging emails from you, and I appreciate that.
Some of you have been listening for, I donít know how long, weíve been on, 13 years, lots of reruns when I was sick, I feel better regarding the lungs, I have some other issues, but not the lung issues.
I went on a bicycle ride last week, a couple-hour ride, it should have only taken me an hour back in the old days, but two hours, didnít want to push it, but was glad to be outside, and then two days later, you know, it snows 14 inches, so.
Anyway, weíre alive today, and glad to be alive, looking forward with great anticipation to the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. I, last night, noticed that it was the State of the Union with the President giving his talk, his teleprompter talk, and I just want to state for the record that for, I donít think we have many listeners who fall into this category, but if you do, okay.
For the record, howís the whole evangelicals for Joe Biden working out for you? I mean, what a complete and utter train wreck. I think two levels in this regard, I think of two levels. First is, please donít give me the whole 2020, you canít vote for Trump, and heís a hothead, and heís disqualified, and heís immoral, and heís pompous, and heís this, and heís that, and therefore I canít vote for him, I have to vote for the opposite guy.
Okay, thatís just totally irrelevant, itís not even worth talking about, you donít have to vote for anybody if neither of the candidates you think are going to be good. But if you donít think, if youíve got a problem with Trump, if you had a problem with Trump, and therefore you couldnít vote for him because of personal reasons, and maybe there were some policy reasons, okay, fine.
How could you vote for Joe Biden? How could you vote for Joe Biden when the policy at core is Romans 1 policy? Itís a death policy, itís a sin policy, thatís what they run on. And the platforms the Democratic Party run on are in fact that, and letís just start with the worst of all, and thatís abortion.
You say, well, you know what, itís going to exist, and letís just try to make it safe. That is just ungodly thinking, thatís not how you go about thinking through this. So theoretically, or positionally, or policy-wise, itís inconceivable that you have the big shots at the Gospel Coalition and Southern Baptist Worlds trying to say itís okay to vote for Joe Biden.
And then now, pragmatically, later on in time, we see how itís worked out. Howís it working out for you evangelicals for Joe Biden? I mean, you ought to be ashamed of yourselves for that. And of course, we all make mistakes, and we all sin, and we can repent and ask for forgiveness, but it is an utter and total, both theoretical and practical train wreck.
Itís just awful. So I just saw little snippets of it, and thought to myself, evangelicals for Joe Biden? You say, yeah, but thatís not as bad as evangelicals for Donald Trump. Iím not saying that. Okay, donít vote for Donald Trump, okay, fine.
But then to vote? You say, well, Iím not going to vote for Donald Trump because of these issues, of sin issues in his life, or his policies, but I will vote for Joe Biden, because of what? I mean, youíre just not consistent.
It is utter lunacy. And as Iíve been reading Ephesians chapter 4, you know, we donít have to live like we used to live. Weíve been saved. Ephesians 4 is very clear, in verse 17 and following, we must no longer walk as Gentiles do in the futility of their minds.
They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.
But that is not the way you learn Christ. Thatís the way we used to think. Thatís not how we think anymore. And it is obviously Godís ordained plan for this all to happen the way it did, and the election, and everything else, and the wars, and all that.
I know the Lordís sovereign over this, and we can trust Him, and in years to come, weíll look back and see what the Lord has done. But evangelicals for Joe Biden, how is that working out for you? And if you have the gall to say itís working out really well, I think the slaughtered babies would disagree with you.
And I donít even have to say one other thing about his policies. Everything else to me is subsumed underneath the genocide of young little infants that you, you know, youíre handed a baby, and you think, ìOkay, to protect this baby .î And then say, ìNo, no.
I have to get rid of this baby .î Everything else regarding the military and all its focus put on, you know, diversity, and transgender inclusion, and, you know, not much money spent anymore on the military.
I remember when I was interviewing for a chaplaincy at the National Guard here in Worcester, Mass., to be the reserve chaplain. I never did it because I needed to take six weeks off to go to officer training school, and I didnít have the time because I was a new pastor.
What am I going to do, brand new guy, and then say I need six weeks off to go down to South Carolina, whatever it was? I walked into the, I donít know if it was the headquarters here in Worcester, the barracks, the Quonset hut, I donít know what the technical name for it is, the reserve center.
And in those days, 25 years ago, they had huge computer monitors, right? The screens were the same size, but the length and width were, they were, you remember how big they were? I mean, the screen is still, you know, 15-inch screen, but it just extends back 15 feet, you know, the monitors.
Big fans in there and stuff. Anyway, on the screensavers, I would see kill, kill, kill, you know, attack, punish, bombs away, whatever. But I remember the kill, kill, kill one especially, just kind of with the old pixels, right, going across the screen.
I want those kind of people defending America. Thatís who I want. I donít want people who are concerned about all the diversity and feelings and social issues and how we can get along. And does the military need to reflect what America is really like?
By the way, if our military is going to reflect America, why is it, and you can listen to Victor Davis Hanson on this if you like, why is it that the majority of people killed overseas in Afghanistan are white people?
I think like 86 white males. And so what does that do when you think, ìOh, we want to have America, this military, look more like America .î Well, how ridiculous is that? Iím not saying I want other people killed besides white people.
Thatís not my point. You get my point and thatís not my point. Itís crazy, but everything else, military, inflation, you know, all the pipelines of gas and this, that, and the other, and transgendered world and everything else, thatís all to me.
While we could debate it and itís not good, itís all secondary to, itís just abortion crazy. Evangelicals for Joe Biden, it should be repentant evangelicals, ìSorry they voted for Joe Biden .î We donít think this way anymore.
Thatís the way we used to think, but thatís not the way we think anymore. Well, my name is Mike Cavendroth, this is No Compromise Radio Ministry. While Iím in Ephesians, I might as well talk about this.
The section here in Ephesians that I just read in chapter 4, I said in verse 20 that that is not the way you learn Christ, assuming that you have heard about Him and were taught in Him as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life, and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God, in true righteousness and holiness.
Therefore, put away falsehood, speak the truth, be angry, donít sin, donít steal, let Him labor. No corrupting words out of your mouth, but for those that give grace to edify. Donít grieve, Holy Spirit, donít let bitterness and wrath, but be kind, forgive, tenderhearted, etc.
The last verses here I just summarized, I didnít read verbatim. When we think about who we are in Christ and what has happened to us when God saved us, there is a response, there are consequences, that things happen consequently, and sanctification as God, the triune God, sanctifies us monergistically, alone, we do respond, and God teaches us to say no to sin, thatís mortification, yes to righteousness, thatís vivification, like vive la France, to live, vive, vive, and Iím not saying we shouldnít do that, we should say, you know what, instead of being bitter, I should be forgiving, I used to be futile in my mind, and dark in my understanding, and ignorant, but now I do the opposite.
So to put off and to put on is a consequence, and this is big in counseling, this is big in talking to people, Iíve even said recently to someone close to me, you know, weíre anxious, and how do we respond?
Well, you just canít stop being anxious, you have to do the flip side, the positive side, and you have to trust, right, rest, and rely on the heavenly care, the providential care of the Heavenly Father.
We get that, because if I just said, you know, red elephant, think of a red elephant, you canít really stop thinking about a red elephant until I tell you to think of something else, you know, red tiger, and you have to think of something else, because otherwise you just keep thinking about this red tiger.
Okay, I agree that this is the response. Since weíre new people in Christ Jesus, weíre united to Him in Christ, in Christ, in Christ, in Ephesians, weíve been elected, weíve been redeemed, weíve been sealed, Jesus, the Prince of Peace has brought the Gentiles and Jews together, we understand what Heís doing in the Church, the mystery has been revealed, Paul has been sent to preach the gospel to the Gentiles, we should be unified people, eager for the unity, the seven ones there in chapter 4, one spirit, one faith, one baptism, etc.
And this is what we should do, we donít have to go live that old life. You say, ìWhatís your point ?î. But my point today is, while thereís the ìput offî and ìput onî in 25 and following, whatís going on here in verses 20 -24?
Itís something thatís already happened. Now the English, in both, I think, ESV and NES, it makes it seem like itís a command, put on and put off. Now ìbe angryî, thatís a command, ìspeak the truthî, thatís a command.
Iím not saying there arenít commands, right? This is law from the hand of Christ to lead us, to guide us, to glorify Him. Iím for that, Iím for the law to guide Christians. But my point is simply, when it says that you have heard about Him and you were taught in Him, what did you hear about Him and what were you taught about Him and taught in Him?
What truth did you learn in Jesus? And it was to put off your old self, to be renewed, and to put on the new self. Heís not saying to do that. Heís saying, ìThis is what you were taught. This is how you learn Christ.
This has already been done to you. This is something that you are. And why does that make any difference? Why am I stressing that ?î. Well, one of the reasons is I have to have something to talk about today.
The other reason is Iím just so tempted to just make this ìput on, put offî the starting point where now that Iím a Christian, okay, start putting off, start putting on. Instead of saying, ìNow, letís just make sure thereís one extra layer of thinking here .î And that layer of thinking is when you learn Christ, when God, the triune God saved you, regenerated you, redeemed you, made propitiation, Jesus did, for your sins, reconciled, justified, forgiven, regenerated, did I say regenerated?
When God saved you, this is something thatís already happened. This is what was done when you were taught in Him as the truth is in Jesus. What were you taught right away? You were taught to put away old self, which belongs to your former manner of life, to be renewed, and to put on the new self.
Let me, for fun, I havenít looked at this, read what the ESV study notes say. And of all the, I mean, the ESV, Iím really bugged that they didnít translate ìonly begottenî as ìonly begottenî. And they translated it in John 3 .16, John 3 .18, John 1 .14, 1 .18, 3 .16, 3 .18, and in 1 John, I think, chapter 4, they translated ìonlyî.
Itís horrible, itís awful, I hate it, but when I see that, those passages, I just say ìonly begottenî, even if Iím reading the ESV. But for ESV study Bible, thereís a lot of good things in the ESV study Bible, sometimes even better than the Reformation study Bible.
Letís see, letís put them to the test. Put off old self, 4 .22, ESV study Bible. As Christians seek to do this, God makes it a reality, as seen in Colossians 3. Even Paulís Gentile readers can be part of the new creation in Christ.
Self is generic for man or human, perhaps an allusion to Adamic man apart from Christ. Ephesians 4 .22 describes the negative side of regeneration, while verse 23 -24 point to the positive side. Okay, so, dear class, do you like that?
Do you understand whatís going on? Are you getting discombobulated? Letís go to Colossians 3, because I think that helps us understand whatís going on here, and weíll put the package together soon enough.
Colossians 3, which would be kind of a sister epistle, would it not? Put to death, therefore, verse 5, what is earthly in you? Sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
On account of these, the wrath of God is coming. In these, too, you once walked when you were living in them. Kind of sounds like Ephesians, does it not, in verses 17 -19 in chapter 4? Yes, it does. In these, you once, too, walked when you were living in them, but now you must put them all away.
Anger, wrath, malice, slander, obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
Okay, thatís interesting. Abendroth, what are you saying? Iím saying ìput off, put onî is fine language, but please, dear Christian, start off with this, seeing that you have put off the old self, old Adam is gone, right, youíre no longer in Adam, right, youíre in Christ, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge.
This has happened, and this is something that we need to remember as Christians in Romans chapter 6, things that have happened, and what Iím saying here is, itís sanctification. Yes, the triune God sanctifies, and yes, we respond with holy living, but at the top of the list of holy living is sanctification by faith.
Thatís my point. I think this is forgotten. We think of, we think of, all right, God does his work, and we kind of respond. Okay, fine, thatís better than a transactional Christianity, right? I would do this, then God loves me.
God is sanctifying, and we respond, but how do we respond? Well, we respond with mortification and vivification, and weíre renewed, and weíre passive when it comes to sanctification, and yet then we do respond.
How do we respond? Well, we put off lying and put on telling the truth, verses 25 and following, Ephesians 4. Thatís all true. Iím just wanting to add the one extra step that we always seem to forget about, and that is believing what God said about us.
If you read Romans chapter 6 in union with Christ, thatís all stuff that you need to believe that you wouldnít know unless God tells you, that youíre united with Christ. I can give you another example of sanctification, response to Godís sanctification with faith maybe at the top of the list.
Did you know Jesus is praying for you? You know God is conforming you to the image of Christ? I donít really see it. Maybe long-term I see it, but day after day I donít really see it. I donít know it.
I canít feel it. I canít feel it. I canít experience it. I know itís true, though, because itís in the Bible, and thatís going to help me as I respond with other things like obedience and holy living and forgiving other people, not being bitter.
Whatís missing is the faith side, remembering in your holy living, I almost said sanctification, remember as God sanctifies you and you respond with holy living. Donít forget to remember some of the most important things, and Colossians 3 helps us, that you have put off the old self and that you donít have to live that way anymore.
Well, thatís the point. For the Christian, weíre not enslaved to sin anymore. You donít have to do that sin. You have been given the Spirit of God. He indwells you. Youíre united with Christ. You donít have to say to yourself, ìHm, does God like me or not ?î Youíre free, and that makes it much easier to obey.
I actually can obey. Oh, perfectly know, exactly as God wants to know, but I can, as a child wants to honor his or her father, I can obey. One of the missing elements in holy living is understanding that Godís the sanctifier and that we respond.
On their consequences and fruits and evidences of Godís sanctifying work, mortification, vivification. Thatís true. But itís starting here in Ephesians 4 and starting here in Colossians 3 with, ìIn these things you too once walked when you were living in them, but now you must put them all away.
Anger, wrath, malice, slander, obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another .î Whatís the reason why we shouldnít do that? Is it even possible for us to do that? And here we get the answer, ìSeeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self .î This is what God did to us, and of course, we should respond.
Letís read in the ESV Study Bible the section here in Colossians 3 and see if they can give us any more help. I donít know why that pen, Saul, is here. Colossians 3, ìSelf is rending of man .î Paul picks up here what he has said earlier about Christ circumcising Christians by removing the body of flesh, Colossians 2.
He employs the metaphor of taking off and putting on clothing. The aorist tense of the two participles suggests that it is an event that has already taken place. ÌA qualitative change of identity has already occurred in the lives of believers.
It now only remains for them to bring their behavior in line with their new identity .î. Well, there you have it. Good for them. Thatís exactly right. Whatís my point? Yes, as Christians, we want to obey God out of gratitude, and we want to say no to sin and yes to righteousness.
We want to not be bitter, but to be kind and forgiving. We want not to steal, but to work. We donít want to lie. We want to tell the truth. But I want to add in today something else, and that something else is, see what God has done.
Donít forget your identity in Christ. Thatís whatís missing in a lot of preaching today, is they just give people the rules. They just give people a bunch of law. They give people morality or pietism, and again, Iím for law.
But Iím for the law when itís used lawfully. A qualitativeóokay, Christian, letís make it practical. Dear Christian, youíre struggling with whatever sin youíre struggling with. Did you know, to quote the ESV study Bible, ìA qualitative change of identity has already occurred in your life ?î Did you know that?
Of course, now we begin to think about conduct fitting of an officer. You know, my son or my daughterís, your last nameís Abendroth, at least before my daughter got married, and so you want to act like an Abendroth kind of thing.
It now only remains for them to bring their behavior into line with their new identity. But the starting point, as we think about holy living, is believing this very fact. And then by believing it, we can say to ourselves, ìI actually can do this.
I actually have the power to do this because the Spirit of God, Ephesians 3, is dwelling in me and giving me strength. And Iím learning from God about the knowledge of the Lord Jesus and His love for me.
And this is motivating me to respond this way out of gratitude, and out of thankfulness, and out of a heart that says, ìYou know what? Thank you, Lord, for this, and this is the least I could do for you .î.
Well, anyway, my name is Mike Abendroth, this is No Compromise Radio. A missing element, I think, in holy living is thinking about this. And of course, the thinking person isnít like the old feudal of mind thinker that they used to be.
Now we want to have a mind thatís actually thinking through the issues, and thatís what Paul does in Colossians 3 and Ephesians chapter 4. You can write us, info at NoCompromiseRadio .com.
No Compromise Radio with Pastor Mike Abendroth is a production of Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston. Bethlehem Bible Church is a Bible teaching church firmly committed to unleashing the life-transforming power of Godís Word through verse-by-verse exposition of the sacred text.
Please come and join us. Our service times are Sunday morning at 1015 and in the evening at 6. Weíre right on Route 110 in West Boylston. You can check us out online at bbchurch .org or by phone at 508 -835 -3400.