I.　The new man was created by Christ, but the believers need to partake of this creation—Eph. 2:15; Col. 3:10:

A.　Christ's creating work on the cross to bring forth the new man has been accomplished—Eph. 2:15.

B.　In order to partake of this creation, we need to be renewed day by day—4:22-24; Col. 3:10.

II.　Through the renewing of the spirit in our mind, we put off the old man and put on the new man—Eph. 4:22-24:

A.　Our regenerated spirit is mingled with the indwelling Spirit of God; hence, our spirit is not a single spirit but a mingled spirit—Rom. 8:16.

B.　This mingled spirit can enter into our mind—12:2:

1.　Such a mingled spirit spreads into our mind, thus becoming the spirit of our mind.

2.　This changes and renews our mind.

3.　Our renewed mind then becomes a renewing mind.

C.　It is in such a spirit that we are renewed and that we put off the old man and put on the new man.

D.　In order to put off the old man (the old social life) and put on the new man (the new church life), we need to open our spirit and allow the Spirit of Christ to fill, saturate, and permeate our spirit until the Spirit overflows into our mind, emotion, and will; it is by this overflowing Spirit that we can be renewed for the one new man—8:11; 1 Cor. 12:13; Eph. 5:18; 4:22-24; 3:16-19.

III.　On the one hand, the new man was created (Eph. 2:15), but on the other hand, the new man is being renewed (Col. 3:10):

A.　Because the new man was created with us who belong to the old creation, he needs to be renewed; this renewing takes place mainly in our mind, as indicated by the phrase "unto full knowledge"—v. 10.

B.　The regeneration of the spirit is actually the creation of the new man; for this reason, we can say that in our spirit the new man has already been created—John 3:6:

1.　When the new creation took place in our spirit through regen-eration, the Holy Spirit with the divine life was added into our being—2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 6:15.

2.　This addition of the Spirit and the divine life produced a new being, a new man.

C.　There is a need for the renewing in our soul—Rom. 12:2:

1.　Although our spirit has been regenerated, our soul with its faculties of mind, emotion, and will remains in the old creation and still needs to be renewed—Rom. 12:2; Eph. 4:23.

2.　Through this process of renewing, the new man spreads from our spirit into our soul and actually increases within us.

IV.　To be renewed is to have God's element added into our being to replace and discharge our old element—Rev. 21:5a; 2 Cor. 5:17; Rom. 12:2; 2 Cor. 4:16:

A.　 Newness is God; therefore, to become new is to become God—Rom. 6:4; 7:6:

1.　God is forever new, and He infuses His ever-new essence into our being to renew our entire being—12:2; Col. 3:10.

2.　The Spirit of God renews us by infusing our inward parts with God's attributes, which are forever new, can never become old, and are everlasting and unchanging—Rev. 21:5a.

B.　 We are renewed by the renewing capacity of the divine life in resurrection—John 11:25; 2 Cor. 1:9; 4:14; Phil. 3:10.

C.　 The renewing Spirit imparts the divine essence of the new man into our being to make us a new creation—Titus 3:5.

D.　God arranges our environment so that little by little and day by day our outer man will be consumed and our inner man will be renewed—2 Cor. 4:16.