Our New Nature in Christ基督里的新人
Dexu Xia
Put on your new nature, created to be like God. Ephesians 4:24
Our blue spruce was dropping pinecones and needles. The tree doctor took one look at it and explained the problem. “It’s just being a spruce,” he said. I’d hoped for a better explanation. Or a remedy. But the tree man shrugged, saying again, “It’s just being a spruce.” By nature, the tree sheds needles. It can’t change.
Thankfully, our spiritual lives aren’t limited by unchangeable actions or attitudes. Paul stressed this liberating truth to the new believers at Ephesus. The gentiles were “darkened in their understanding,” he said, their minds closed to God. They possessed hardened hearts containing “every kind of impurity,” and sought only after pleasures and greed (Ephesians 4:18-19).
But “since you have heard about Jesus” and His truth, the apostle wrote, “throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life” (v. 22 nlt). Paul noted how our old nature “is corrupted by lust and deception.” He said, “Let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy” (vv. 22-24 nlt).
Then he listed new ways to live. Stop lying. Resist anger. Stop cursing. Quit stealing. “Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need” (v. 28 nlt). Our new self in Christ allows us to live a life worthy of our calling, yielded to our Savior’s way. By: Patricia Raybon
What does it mean to put on your “new self”? How can you seek to walk the Savior’s way?
Renew my old nature today, dear Jesus, as I yield to become more like You.
要披上你们的新性情，这性情是照着上帝的形象造的。—以弗所书4章24节，新普及译本
我家院子里的蓝云杉不停地掉松果和松针。专治树木疑难杂症的树医师只看了一眼，就告诉我们说：“这棵树只是像所有的云杉一样。”我希望他可以作更详细的解释，或提供解决方案，但他只是耸耸肩，又说了一次：“云杉都是这样的。”云杉这种树就是会掉松针，天性如此。
还好，我们属灵的生命并不受限于我们的天性。保罗向以弗所的新信徒强调这令人宽慰的真理。他先指出外邦人“心地昏昧”，心思意念与上帝隔绝，刚硬的心里包含“种种的污秽”，只追求享乐和满足私欲（以弗所书4章18-19节）。
但保罗接着说：“既然你们听过耶稣的事，学了来自祂的真理，就要脱去旧有的罪恶本性”（21-22节，新普及译本）。保罗指出我们旧有的本性，“因情欲和欺诈而败坏了”，所以他说：“要让圣灵更新你们的思想和心态。要披上你们的新性情，这性情是照着上帝的形象造的，有真正的公义和圣洁。”（22-24节，同上）
保罗列出新的生活方式：不撒谎、不发怒、不怀恨、不偷窃，“用自己的双手努力做正当的工作，然后慷慨地赠予有需要的人”（28节，同上）。我们在基督里的新性情，使我们能活出与所蒙的呼召相称的生活，顺服救主的道。作者： 雷翠霞
“披上新性情”是什么意思？你如何努力遵行这位救主的教导？
亲爱的耶稣，当我顺服祢，渴慕更像祢，求祢今日就改变我的性情。