The Replacement Principle
Ephesians 4:25-28
25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. 26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: 27 Neither give place to the devil. 28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
Colossians 3:8-14
8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. 9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: 11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. 14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
Thoughts:
Knowing what to "put off" is great, but insufficient without knowing what we need to "put on." God's transformation strategy is replacement, not mere removal. Put off lying; put on truth-telling. Put off stealing; put on generous work. Put off corrupt speech; put on words that build up. When we only focus on stopping sin without replacing it with righteousness, we create space for old patterns to return. This is why many believers cycle through the same struggles repeatedly. Victory comes through active replacement. Choose one area where you're "putting off" and identify the specific righteous behavior you'll "put on" in its place.
Prayer:
Ask God for strength to sink into this new garment daily until it becomes your natural covering.
25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. 26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: 27 Neither give place to the devil. 28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
Colossians 3:8-14
8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. 9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: 11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. 14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
Thoughts:
Knowing what to "put off" is great, but insufficient without knowing what we need to "put on." God's transformation strategy is replacement, not mere removal. Put off lying; put on truth-telling. Put off stealing; put on generous work. Put off corrupt speech; put on words that build up. When we only focus on stopping sin without replacing it with righteousness, we create space for old patterns to return. This is why many believers cycle through the same struggles repeatedly. Victory comes through active replacement. Choose one area where you're "putting off" and identify the specific righteous behavior you'll "put on" in its place.
Prayer:
Ask God for strength to sink into this new garment daily until it becomes your natural covering.
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