8 But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, 10 and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him. Colossians 3:8–10
After many years of rearing four kids and all that that entails, the least of which was the financial strain, we finally got around to doing some renovations to our house. Room by room we’ve removed the vestiges of the 1990s, repainted, replaced furniture, and redid the floors. What was a shrine to action heroes is now a bedroom fit for a bed and breakfast, and the room which was once closed to visitors is now my wife’s relaxing and stylish getaway with retro flair. Not to be outdone, my office with its particle board bookshelves and desk and worn carpet now features floors and furniture made from real wood, well placed prints of my photographs, musical instruments neatly staged, and theological books on wraparound elevated bookshelves.
Here’s my point, which is also Paul’s in verse 10. Now that all this has been accomplished, we’ve forgot what everything once looked like, we enjoy what has now been created, and we certainly don’t want to return to what once was.
Likewise, our new self is being renewed (anakainoo, “to make new”) to reflect the image of God, for which the blueprint is Jesus. In the dumpster hopefully are our old ways, ripped out and cast aside for all things fresh and new.
It is interesting to note that the word anakainoo is not found in other Greek writings, but is a variant of anakainizo.1 It appears that Paul may have ingeniously made his point by coining a new word!
It should also be pointed out that Paul states that we are being renewed “to a true knowledge,” not a counterfeit one like Gnosticism.
1Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W., Jr. (1996). In Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. T. Nelson.
Leave a Reply