Put On the New Self: A Daily Devotional on Colossians 3:10

Colossians 3:10 says, “and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of the one who created him.” This verse stands in the middle of Paul’s forceful exhortation for Christians to put away the corrupt practices of the old life and to live in a manner that reflects the transforming truth of the gospel. The language is vivid. A person once clothed in the habits, desires, speech, and conduct of the fallen flesh has now stripped that off and has put on an entirely different manner of life. This is not a superficial adjustment, not a temporary mood, and not a religious costume worn in public and discarded in private. It is a real moral and spiritual change grounded in union with Christ and sustained by the truth of God’s Word. Paul is not speaking about outward religion without inward renovation. He is describing the Christian life as a decisive break with the old person and a continuing renewal that reshapes the mind, the affections, the will, and the conduct.

The immediate context makes this plain. In Colossians 3:1-4, Paul calls believers to set their minds on the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. He reminds them that they have died and that their life is hidden with Christ in God. Then in Colossians 3:5-9, he commands them to put to death what belongs to the earthly nature: sexual immorality, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, greed, anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy speech. He also commands them not to lie to one another. It is after this stripping away of the old that he says they “have put on the new self.” This means the new life is not abstract theology. It is visible in what a Christian refuses, what a Christian pursues, what a Christian thinks about, and what a Christian becomes by the sanctifying power of divine truth.

The Meaning of the New Self

The phrase “new self” points to the new person a Christian has become in relation to Christ. Scripture often presents conversion as a radical change of identity. Second Corinthians 5:17 declares, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things passed away; look! new things have come.” That does not mean the Christian becomes sinless in the present age. It means he is no longer what he was. His life is no longer defined by rebellion against Jehovah, slavery to sinful desires, and blindness to divine truth. He now belongs to Christ. He has a new standing, a new direction, a new mind, and a new obligation.

Paul uses similar language in Ephesians 4:22-24, where he commands believers to put off the old self, which is being corrupted according to deceitful desires, and to be made new in the spirit of their minds, and to put on the new self, which was created according to God’s will in true righteousness and loyalty. The old self is the person shaped by Adamic corruption. The new self is the person shaped by the saving work of Christ and the sanctifying truth God has revealed. That is why the Christian life cannot be reduced to rule-keeping or mere external reform. The Christian is being re-formed according to the image established by the Creator. There is an inner renewal that must express itself outwardly.

Colossians 3:10 is especially rich because it emphasizes both the decisive change and the ongoing process. The believer has put on the new self, yet this new self “is being renewed in knowledge.” That wording destroys two errors at once. First, it destroys the error that a profession of faith without visible change is acceptable. If the new self has truly been put on, renewal follows. Second, it destroys the error that Christians instantly arrive at maturity. Renewal is ongoing. Growth is real, but it is progressive. The Christian must continually submit himself to God’s truth, continually mortify sinful practices, and continually pursue the pattern of Christ.

Renewed in Knowledge

Paul says the new self “is being renewed in knowledge.” This is not merely intellectual accumulation. It is not the kind of knowledge that fills the head while leaving the heart untouched and the life uncorrected. In Scripture, true knowledge is covenantal, moral, and practical. It involves rightly knowing Jehovah, rightly understanding His will, and rightly responding to Him in obedience. Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge.” Knowledge begins with reverence for God, submission to His authority, and openness to His instruction.

This is why false religion is never harmless. A distorted view of God produces a distorted life. Paul understood that renewal must involve knowledge because the fall affected the mind. Romans 1:21 says that those who knew God did not glorify Him as God or give thanks, but became futile in their reasonings and their senseless hearts were darkened. Ephesians 4:17-18 says the nations walk in the futility of their minds, being darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them. Sin is not merely a matter of bad habits. It includes blindness, corruption of thought, suppression of truth, and resistance to divine revelation. Therefore, renewal must involve the restoration of the mind through God’s revealed Word.

Romans 12:2 says, “And do not be conformed to this system of things, but be transformed by making your mind over, so that you may prove to yourselves the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” The Christian does not drift into holiness. He must reject the shaping influence of the wicked world and submit to the transforming influence of Scripture. Since the Holy Spirit works through the Spirit-inspired Word, spiritual growth can never be separated from biblical truth. A neglected Bible produces a weakened mind. A weakened mind produces a compromised life. But when the believer fills his thoughts with God’s truth, he is equipped to identify error, resist temptation, and pursue what pleases Jehovah.

This renewal in knowledge is deeply humbling. It reminds the Christian that he does not possess wisdom naturally. He must be taught. He must be corrected. He must be governed by revelation, not instinct. The flesh always wants independence. It wants to choose its own standards, define its own morality, and establish its own priorities. But the new self bows before Scripture. Psalm 119:104 says, “From your orders I gain understanding; that is why I hate every false path.” That is genuine renewal. It does not merely admire truth. It receives truth, loves truth, and is reshaped by truth.

According to the Image of the One Who Created Him

Paul adds that this renewal is “according to the image of the one who created him.” This reaches back to the doctrine of creation and forward to the doctrine of sanctification. Man was originally created in God’s image, as Genesis 1:26-27 states. That image involved moral accountability, rational capacity, dominion under God, and the privilege of representing God’s rule on earth. Sin did not erase the image entirely, but it profoundly corrupted man’s moral likeness to God. Fallen man still bears God’s image in the sense that he remains a responsible creature made by God, but he does not reflect God’s holiness, righteousness, and truth as he should.

The new self involves restoration in this very area. Christians are renewed according to the image of their Creator. This does not mean they become divine. It means they are being conformed morally to what God intended man to be. Ephesians 4:24 ties this directly to “true righteousness and loyalty.” As the believer grows in knowledge, he is increasingly shaped into a life that reflects God’s standards. His speech changes because God is truthful. His conduct changes because God is holy. His love grows because God is loving. His patience deepens because God is patient. His hatred of evil sharpens because God is righteous.

This renewal is Christ-centered because Christ is the perfect image of God. Colossians 1:15 says of the Son, “He is the image of the invisible God.” Hebrews 1:3 says that He is “the exact representation of his very being.” Therefore, to be renewed according to the image of the Creator is also to be conformed to the character of Christ. Romans 8:29 says that God’s people are foreknown to be conformed to the image of His Son. The Christian is not left to guess what holiness looks like. He sees it in the person and work of Jesus Christ. He sees perfect obedience, perfect loyalty, perfect truthfulness, perfect compassion, perfect courage, and perfect devotion to the Father’s will.

This should affect daily life far more than many professing Christians realize. When a believer is tempted to speak harshly, indulge lust, harbor bitterness, nurture pride, or excuse deception, he must remember that these things do not belong to the image of the Creator. They belong to the old self. They belong to the corrupt patterns of fallen humanity. The new self is moving in a different direction. It seeks to reflect the character of God in the practical realities of ordinary life.

The Christian Life Is Not Cosmetic

One of the great dangers in religious culture is the attempt to appear renewed without actually being renewed. People may adjust vocabulary, adopt a church routine, display moral restraint in public, and yet remain inwardly governed by pride, greed, impurity, resentment, and unbelief. The Pharisees are the classic example. Jesus said in Matthew 23:27-28, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you resemble whitewashed graves, which outwardly indeed appear beautiful, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every sort of uncleanness. In the same way, outwardly you also appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

Colossians 3:10 will not allow that kind of religion. The new self is being renewed. It is alive, active, and inwardly transformative. It does not settle for external polish. It seeks heart-level obedience. This is why self-examination matters. It is not enough to ask whether one has adopted Christian language. One must ask whether one’s mind is being renewed by Scripture, whether one’s desires are being corrected, whether one’s attitudes are becoming more Christlike, and whether one’s conduct increasingly reflects godliness.

James 1:22 warns, “However, become doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” Self-deception is a severe spiritual danger. A person may hear sermons, read Scripture, discuss doctrine, and still remain fundamentally unchanged. But where the Word is believed and obeyed, there is renewal. The believer begins to hate what he once loved and love what he once hated. He begins to confess sin quickly, seek reconciliation earnestly, and pursue purity seriously. He no longer defends the flesh as though it were an old friend. He opposes it as an enemy.

Putting Off the Old and Putting On the New

Because Colossians 3:10 stands within a larger command structure, it is important to see that the Christian life involves both renunciation and pursuit. The believer must put off and put on. Negatively, he must kill sin. Positively, he must cultivate righteousness. Colossians 3:12-14 immediately follows with a list of virtues that belong to the new self: compassion, kindness, humility, mildness, patience, forbearance, forgiveness, and love. This means renewal is not merely subtractive. God does not only empty the Christian of corrupt practices. He fills the Christian life with holy qualities that display the beauty of transformed character.

This pattern appears throughout the New Testament. Ephesians 4:25 says, “Therefore, now that you have put away falsehood, let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor.” Verse 28 says, “Let the one who steals steal no more, but rather let him do hard work.” Verse 29 says, “Let no rotten speech proceed out of your mouth, but whatever speech is good for building up.” In each case, sinful conduct is not merely stopped; it is replaced with righteous conduct. This is crucial for real growth. A Christian cannot simply decide not to sin. He must replace sinful patterns with godly ones shaped by Scripture.

For example, the believer battling anger must not only avoid explosive speech; he must cultivate patience, gentleness, and measured truth. The believer battling lust must not only avoid immoral media or situations; he must cultivate purity of mind, disciplined eyes, and reverence for God. The believer battling pride must not only avoid boasting; he must cultivate humility, gratitude, and a servant’s spirit. Renewal in knowledge produces this kind of practical reorientation.

The Role of the Word in Daily Renewal

Since the new self is being renewed in knowledge, the daily ministry of Scripture is indispensable. Jesus prayed in John 17:17, “Sanctify them by means of the truth; your word is truth.” Sanctification is not mysticism, emotionalism, or inner voices detached from Scripture. It is the progressive setting apart of the believer through the truth God has revealed. The Holy Spirit does not bypass the mind. He works through the written Word He inspired.

Therefore, the Christian who wants to live Colossians 3:10 must be a person of the Bible. He must read it carefully, meditate on it seriously, memorize it faithfully, and obey it consistently. Psalm 1:1-3 describes the blessed man as one whose delight is in the law of Jehovah and who meditates on it day and night. Such a man is stable, fruitful, and enduring. Joshua 1:8 commands that God’s law must not depart from the mouth, but must be meditated on day and night so that one may be careful to do according to all that is written in it.

Daily renewal does not come through occasional contact with Scripture. It comes through sustained submission to it. The Christian should approach the Word not as a collector of religious information but as a servant eager to hear his Master. He should ask: What does this passage reveal about Jehovah? What sin does it expose? What command does it press upon me? What promise strengthens obedience? What false thought must I reject because this text corrects it? That is how renewal becomes practical.

The Battle Against Spiritual Stagnation

Colossians 3:10 also confronts spiritual stagnation. Some professing Christians settle into a pattern where they remain unchanged for years. Their temper remains unchecked, their speech remains careless, their priorities remain worldly, and their appetite for Scripture remains weak. Yet they comfort themselves with a past profession or a bare association with Christian things. This verse cuts through such complacency. The new self is being renewed. Growth is not optional. It is the ordinary direction of genuine Christian life.

Second Peter 3:18 commands, “No, but go on growing in the undeserved kindness and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” Hebrews 5:12 rebukes believers who should have matured but still required elementary teaching. First Timothy 4:15 tells Timothy to immerse himself in godly practice so that his advancement would be plain to all. Spiritual maturity is not automatic, but it is expected. A believer cannot be content with remaining spiritually childish, doctrinally shallow, and morally inconsistent.

This does not mean growth is always dramatic or evenly paced. There are seasons of sharp correction, seasons of steady strengthening, and seasons of painful exposure in which Jehovah reveals lingering sin that must be confronted. But genuine believers do not make peace with stagnation. They grieve over sin, hunger for righteousness, and desire to reflect Christ more faithfully. They know that the old life must not be indulged. They know that the world’s values must not be imported into the church or the heart.

Renewal in the Home, the Church, and the World

The beauty of Colossians 3 is that Paul quickly applies renewal to ordinary relationships. The new self is not just for prayer closets and private reflection. It appears in homes, congregations, workplaces, and daily interactions. The renewed believer speaks differently, forgives differently, serves differently, and endures differently. He does not compartmentalize spirituality. He does not imagine he is godly because he reads theology while remaining harsh in conversation, selfish in family life, or dishonest in business.

In the home, renewal means husbands love with sacrifice and integrity, wives display godly strength and respect, parents exercise disciplined care, and children learn obedience with seriousness. In the congregation, renewal means believers bear with one another, refuse slander, pursue peace, and let the word of Christ dwell richly among them, as Colossians 3:16 commands. In the world, renewal means Christians act as lights amid a crooked generation, as Philippians 2:15 says. They display a life that contradicts the darkness around them.

This matters because the world constantly presses believers toward conformity. It rewards self-exaltation, sensuality, outrage, vanity, and compromise. It trains people to react quickly, speak carelessly, consume endlessly, and think superficially. The renewed mind must resist that pressure. Colossians 3:2 says, “Set your minds on the things above, not on the things on the earth.” This is not a call to neglect earthly responsibilities. It is a call to interpret all earthly responsibilities from a heavenly vantage point. The believer lives on earth, but his governing allegiance is above.

Encouragement for the Believer Who Sees His Need

A serious verse like Colossians 3:10 can either strengthen or expose. It strengthens the believer by showing what God is doing in him. It exposes the believer by showing how much further he must go. That exposure is not meant to drive the Christian to despair, but to deeper dependence, repentance, and diligence. Jehovah does not reveal sin so that His people will surrender to it. He reveals it so that they will fight it by the truth.

Philippians 1:6 gives strong comfort: “For I am confident of this very thing, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” The believer’s renewal is not self-generated. It is the work of God through the gospel and through the sanctifying power of His Word. That should produce both humility and confidence. Humility, because we do not transform ourselves by natural strength. Confidence, because God does not abandon the work He begins.

Therefore, the Christian should not excuse remaining sin, but neither should he despair because of the battle. He should confess sin honestly, return to Scripture eagerly, pray for wisdom fervently, and continue walking in obedience. Proverbs 24:16 says, “For the righteous one may fall seven times, and he will certainly get up again.” The difference between the righteous and the wicked is not sinless perfection in this life. It is that the righteous return to Jehovah, receive correction, and continue in the path of obedience.

Colossians 3:10 calls every believer to remember what he has become in Christ and what he is still becoming by the truth. He has put on the new self. Therefore, he must not live as though the old self still rules him. He is being renewed in knowledge. Therefore, he must hunger for Scripture and submit to its correction. He is being shaped according to the image of his Creator. Therefore, he must pursue holiness not as a burden but as the proper expression of redeemed life. This verse is not merely a doctrinal statement. It is a daily summons to think biblically, repent quickly, walk uprightly, and reflect more clearly the character of the God who made and redeemed His people.

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