Ephesians 4:24 tells believers to put on a new self that has been made to reflect God, a self shaped by righteousness and holiness that flow from the truth. Paul wrote this to the church at Ephesus, a community of Christians in a major Greek city, as part of a larger call to live differently from the way they once lived.
And put on the new man, who in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of truth.
Ephesians 4:24 (WEB)
What Ephesians 4:24 Means
The verse uses the image of clothing. Before coming to Christ, a person wears a pattern of living shaped by the old way of thinking and acting. Paul says that pattern can be set aside and a new one worn in its place. The phrase “the new man” refers to the whole person made new in Christ, not a single feature of personality. The word “new” points to something fresh in quality and character, not merely something recent.
The phrase “in the likeness of God has been created” tells us where the new self comes from. It is not produced by willpower alone. God does the creating, and the goal is that the new self should resemble him. Paul describes that resemblance as righteousness and holiness, which are qualities that belong to God’s own character. Notice the tense: the new self “has been created,” so the work is already done in Christ, and believers are called to live in line with it.
The verse does not promise that the new life will be free of struggle. Paul in the same letter admits that believers still face temptation and must keep choosing what is right. What the verse offers is a settled identity and a direction. It describes what you are becoming and who you already are in God’s sight, and it calls you to act consistently with that.
The Context of Ephesians 4:24
Ephesians was written by Paul, traditionally considered its author, to Christians who had come to faith from both Jewish and Gentile backgrounds. The letter moves from the great truths of God’s grace in the first three chapters to practical instruction in the last three. Chapter 4 opens with a plea for unity and a warning against the futile thinking of unbelievers.
Just before verse 24, Paul contrasts the old way of life with the way the Ephesians learned Christ. He tells them to put away their former conduct and to be renewed in the spirit of their minds. Verse 24 is the positive counterpart to that instruction: after setting the old self aside, they are to put on the new. Verses 25 through 27 then give concrete examples, such as speaking truthfully and handling anger without sin. Read this way, the verse is not a vague call to be nicer. It sits at the center of a clear pattern of putting off and putting on.
Key Phrases in Ephesians 4:24
Colossians 3:10
And have put on the new man, who is being renewed in knowledge after the image of his Creator…
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Paul uses similar language in Colossians, describing the new self as being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its Creator. Reading the two passages together shows that the new life is a renewal toward the likeness of God in both letters.
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.
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This verse states that anyone in Christ is a new creation, with the old things passing away. It supplies the broader theological foundation for the transformation Paul describes in Ephesians 4:24.
A Short Prayer From Ephesians 4:24
Father, thank you for making me new in Christ. I confess that I still reach for the old habits of speech, anger, and worry, as though they were the clothes I was meant to keep wearing. Help me recognize what I have already been given and to put on the new self you have created in me. Shape my words and choices so they reflect your righteousness and holiness, grounded in the truth of who you are. Give me the grace to take each small step today toward becoming more like you. Amen.
