Theological term
Old Man
2 sermons · All terms
The Transition from Darkness to Light, Part 1
Ephesians 5:3–7 calls believers to a radical break from the sexual sins that characterised their former life in darkness. Working through the three prohibited actions (fornication, uncleanness, and covetousness) and three prohibited forms of speech (filthiness, foolish talking, and coarse jesting), the sermon demonstrates that these sins are not merely behavioural failures but expressions of idolatry—putting creaturely gratification above God. The consequences are grave: those who unrepentantly practice such things have no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ, a warning grounded in both general revelation and the consistent testimony of the apostolic letters. Believers are called to resist deception through the word of God, to replace vile speech with thanksgiving, and to ground their ethical obedience not in moral effort alone but in the imputed righteousness of Christ.
The Characteristics of the New Man
Ephesians 4:17–24 sets before believers a stark contrast between the darkened, alienated mind of the spiritual Gentile and the renewed mind of the new man in Christ. The sermon argues that verses 22–24 are not imperatives commanding believers to transform themselves, but indicatives declaring what God has already accomplished in regeneration: the old man has been put off, the mind is being renewed, and the new man has been put on. These realities — rooted in the second Adam reversing what the first Adam forfeited — form the doctrinal foundation upon which the ethical commands of Ephesians 4:25–6:24 rest. Believers are therefore called to walk in a manner consistent with what they already are in Christ, using the ordained means of gospel preaching, Scripture, and prayer to pursue sanctification.