Series 1 - Lesson 6 - Annotation 16
What is the first step in putting off the "old man" (Eph. 4:22)? What is the first step in putting on the "new man" (Eph. 4:24)?
16. The first step in putting off the "old man" is denial of the reality of all that the "old man" represents -- thoughts and feelings of separation from God, of limitations in any form, of selfishness, greed, fear, sickness, poverty, old age, and death. It is saying "no" to all the errors that have appeared to bind man in limited conditions.
Through faith in God, as the Creator, man is awakened to the truth about himself as a child or son of God and his ability to show forth his divine nature in his daily life and affairs. He responds to the idea with a sincere desire, then he wills to carry it out in mind, body, and affairs. With firm denials he begins a great cleansing process within his mind and heart -- the thinking and feeling phases of his being.
"If you have done any piece of work incorrectly, the very first step toward getting it right is to undo the wrong, and begin again from that point. ... We have believed that God was angry with us and that we were sinners who ought to be afraid of Him ... All this is false, entirely false! And the first step toward freeing ourselves from our troubles is to get rid of our erroneous beliefs about God and about ourselves" (Emilie Cady Lessons In Truth 4:11).
The first step in putting on the "new man" is affirmation, the "yes" attitude of mind. By affirmation, man accepts and identifies himself with his spiritual Self, the I AM, Christ, Image of God, Son of God. Through affirmation he puts on a new concept of himself, one that is alive, alert, awake, joyous, and enthusiastic about life. He affirms,
I am life, I am health, I am peace, I am joy, I am that which God is -- all good.
Such ideas held in mind manifest in the body as well as in the affairs of one who puts on the "new man."
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Preceding Entry: What has man to do with the working out of his own salvation?
Following Entry: What is meant by the expression "the law of sin and of death" (Rom. 8:2)?
