Put on the New Self, Part 1

(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— (11) a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all. (Col 3:9-11)

In society, one can normally tell a lot about someone by what they wear. Someone in a suit and tie is generally assumed to be a professional or a businessman. Our profession many times determines what we wear. As John MacArthur said, “Christians must dress themselves spiritually in accordance with their new identity.” We are to throw off our old sinful lifestyle and put on our new godly lifestyle. [1] One commentary said this,

We have already found the same idea presented under the forms of death and resurrection. The "death" is equivalent to the "putting off of the old," and the "resurrection" to "the putting on of the new man." That figure of a change of dress to express a change of moral character is very obvious, and is frequent in Scripture. Many a psalm breathes such prayers as, "Let Thy priests be clothed with righteousness." Zechariah in vision saw the high-priestly representative of the nation standing before the Lord "in filthy garments," and heard the command to strip them off him, and clothe him in festival robes, in token that God had "caused his iniquity to pass from him."

Colossians 3 Expositor's Bible Commentary

The Position

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 (Col 3:9-10a)

“Do not lie to one another” (Col 3:9a)

Definition: ‘lie’ – The Greek word, pseudomai { psyoo'-dom-ahee } means ‘to show oneself deceitful, to speak deliberate falsehoods.’ Louw and Nida define it as “to communicate what is false, with the evident purpose of misleading … [involving] more than simply telling what is not true … to lie [involves] … the intent to deceive." [2]
Here are some examples of lying to deceive in Scripture: Satan lied to Adam and Eve (Gen 3:4-5), Cain lied to God after murdering Abel (Gen 4:9), Abraham lied claiming Sarah was his sister (Gen 12:11-19; Gen 20:2), Sarah lied to the three angels (Gen 18:15), Issac and Rebecca lied to defraud Esau of his birthright. And that is just a few of the lies in Genesis. [3]
Both here in v. 9 as well as in Eph 4:25, Paul exhorts the Colossians to stop lying which would seem to imply that they were in the habit of deceiving one another. But we need to remember that it is an expression of Satan’s character to lie and deceive (John 8:44; Acts 5:3; Acts 13:10; 2 Cor 11:3; 2 Cor 11:13-15). God is not the author of lies (Tit 1:2; Heb 6:18).
Albert Barnes called lying, “the universal vice of the heathen world.” He also pointed out that the Colossians had been fairly recent converts and were still coming to grips with the requirements of the Gospel because habits can be hard to break. Most people do not change overnight; it can be a long process of ‘dying to sin and self.’ [4]
John Gill calls lying “a voluntary disagreement of the mind and speech, with a design to deceive; it is to speak that which is false, contrary to truth shining in the mind; and it is spoken knowingly and willingly.” [5] So, my mind knows it's a lie and I force myself to speak the lie. It is willful desire to deceive others.
Since this is another ‘vice of the tongue’, some commentators see a linkage to sins listed in verse 8 and that does make sense. Mankind is very prone to sins of the tongue. But as believers we are called to be different, not like the unbelievers in the world around us. We are ‘saints’ which means we are all members of the same body of Christ. Because of that, we know that God hates the sin of lying. (Prov 12:22; Eph 4:25; John 8:44; Act 5:3-4; Ps 101:7)
It seems rather obvious but maybe it needs to be restated. In the words of Norman Geisler, “Lying and all other vices are inappropriate for a Christian for at salvation he discarded his old self (lit., ‘the old man,’ i.e., the former sinful way of living, characteristic of the unregenerate; Col. 2:11, 13a) with its practices (cf. ‘died’ in 2:20; 3:3).” [6] In verse 2 we are told to “Set your mind on the things above.” We are reminded in verse 3, “For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” If we actually believe these things, then we know that lying is the exact opposite of the character that God has called us to demonstrate.

“since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self” (Col 3:9b-10a)

Definition: ‘since you laid aside’ (‘since you have taken off’ – NIV; ‘ye have put off’ - KJV) – The Greek word, apekdyomai { ap-ek-doo'-om-ahee } means ‘wholly to put off from oneself (denoting separation from what is put off).’ Louw and Nida define it as “to take off or strip off clothing—‘to undress, to disrobe, stripping off.’” [7] Others have noted that the meaning here is the disrobing of the old sinful self lifestyle and later clothing oneself with Christ. The old self is inferior to the new self.
Warren W. Wiersbe draws an interesting relationship of the putting off and putting on as described in verses 9 and 10, saying, “This relates to the resurrection of Jesus Christ (Col. 3:1); for when He arose from the dead, Jesus Christ left the graveclothes behind (John 20:1–10). He had entered into a glorious resurrection life and had no need for the graveclothes. Likewise, when Lazarus was raised from the dead, Jesus instructed the people to “loose him, and let him go” (John 11:44).” [8]
Albert Barnes put it this way, “The reason for putting away lying … [is] that we ‘are members one of another’—or are brethren. The reason assigned here is that we have put off the old man with his deeds. The sense is, that lying is one of the fruits of sin. It is that which the corrupt nature of man naturally produces; and when that is put off, then all that that nature produces should be also put off with it. The vice of lying is a universal fruit of sin, and seems to exist everywhere where the gospel does not prevail.” [9]
Other commentators note the similarities between these verses and others. “The analogies between the old man and our old sinful ways and the new man and our new lives in Jesus Christ parallel Paul’s discussion in Rom. 6 about dying to sin and living for Christ. The two words old man and new man do not refer to the Christian’s fleshly and spiritual natures. Instead, Paul describes our former unredeemed life as the old man, and our life as God’s child as the new man. The new man has the image of the new creation in Christ, just as the old man bears the image of our fallen nature. The old man is under an old master, Satan, while the new man has a new master, the Spirit of God living within.” [10]
John Calvin wrote,

It [the old self] is put off by all that are renewed by Christ. The new man, on the other hand, is that which is renewed by the Spirit of Christ to the obedience of righteousness, or it is nature restored to its true integrity by the same Spirit. The old man, however, comes first in order, because we are first born from Adam, and afterwards are born again through Christ. And as what we have from Adam becomes old, … and tends towards ruin, so what we obtain through Christ remains for ever, and is not frail; but, on the contrary, tends towards immortality. [11]

So, as you can see, this is a direct reference to the lying from the first part of verse 9. That evil practice is a behavior of the old man, the old self that used to control us, which was supposed to have been laid aside.
The old self / new self has been disputed by many who believe that at salvation the believers receive a new self but keep the old and would mean that salvation becomes an addition and not a transformation. But MacArthur points out that this is not consistent with what Scripture teaches. 2 Cor 5:17 (ESV) says, “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” And again, Rom 6:6 says, “our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;” We might grasp and hold onto our old man, but he is no longer part of our nature. The old man cannot be renewed or converted; he has to be replaced by the new man. [12]
“The Bible views all men as either in Christ or in Adam.” The old self is the unregenerate self whose existence is in Adam. The old sinful self is “being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit.” (Eph 4:22) “To argue that believers have both an old and a new self is to argue in effect that the believer's soul is half regenerate and half unregenerate. There is no support for such a spiritual half-breed in Scripture. The new self … is the regenerate self. It is what believers are in Christ. The new self is the new creature Paul refers to in 2 Cor 5:17. It walks differently from the world (Eph 4:17), in divine love (Eph 5:1), in light of God’s truth (Eph 5:8), and in wisdom (Eph 5:15, loving God’s law and God’s Son, hating sin and pursuing righteousness.” [13]

The Progress

who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him (Col 3:10b)

Definition: ‘is being renewed’ – the Greek word anakainoō { an-ak-ahee-no'-o } means ‘to be changed into a new kind of life, opposed to the former corrupt state.’ Louw and Nida define the word as, “to cause something to become new and different, with the implication of becoming superior.” [14]
Definition: ‘true knowledge’ – the Greek word epignōsis { ep-ig'-no-sis } means ‘precise and correct knowledge; used in the NT of the knowledge of things ethical and divine.’ MacArthur says the word refers to a deep, thorough knowledge. [15]

As we saw in verse 10, “... the new self has been put on in place of the old. The new self means the new nature which each of the Colossians had put on when they were joined to Christ in his resurrection. The phrase means literally ‘the new man’ and signifies also a corporate figure referring to the new humanity in Christ (cf. 2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 6:15). The image of the Creator serves as the model or pattern for the renewal of the new person [verse 11]—a renewal that has in view the readers’ progressive increase in true knowledge, which includes their ability to recognize God’s will and command. [16]

“The new self is described as ‘being renewed in knowledge.’ The essential thought is that the new self (new nature) does not decay or grow old but by constant renewal takes on more and more of the image of its Creator. ‘Being renewed’ (anakainoumenon) is present tense, expressing a continuous process of renewal.” [17]

And as Max Anders states, “As individuals, and as believing communities, our objective is to be a part of the transformation process of being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator (Christ). Within the new community all barriers are abolished. Distinctions which normally divide people—racial (Greek or Jew); religious (circumcised or uncircumcised); cultural (barbarian or Scythian); social (slave or free)—no longer have significance. The reason human categories no longer matter is that Christ is all, which means Christ is central and supreme. Our relationship with him is really all that matters… The false teachers at Colosse were fond of dividing people into categories—elite versus ordinary, spiritual versus not so spiritual. The truth is, all believers are equal; all believers are to discard any and all behaviors and attitudes which are inappropriate for our new life.” [18] (Ps 51:10; Rom 12:2; Eph 4:23; Heb 6:6)
John Gill draws a correlation that Paul seems to be making here in verse 11, “for this is a creation work, and so not man’s, but God’s; and is made not after the image of the first man, no not as innocent, and much less as fallen; but after the image of Christ, to which the elect of God are predestinated to he conformed, and which is stamped in regeneration; and more and more appears by every transforming view of Christ, and will be perfected in heaven, when they shall see him as he is, and be perfectly like him, who is not only the pattern, but the Creator of it, even the author and finisher of faith.” [19]

The Partnership

a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all. (Col 3:11)

‘no distinction between Greek and Jew’ (Col 3:11a)

Barnes said this concerning this verse and Gal 3:28, “The meaning here is, that all are on [the same] level; that there is no distinction of nation in the church; that all are to be regarded and treated as brethren ... all are saved in the same way; all are entitled to the same privileges.” Barnes continues, “Paul means to teach that no man has any preference or advantage in the kingdom of God because he is a rich man, or because he is of elevated rank; no one is under any disadvantage because he is poor, or because he is ignorant, or a slave. All at the foot of the cross are sinners; all at the communion table are saved by the same grace; all who enter into heaven, will enter clothed in the same robes of salvation, and arranged, not as princes and nobles, and rich men and poor men, in separate orders and ranks, but mingling together as redeemed by the same blood, and arranged in ranks according to their eminence in holiness.” [20]
When Paul mentions ‘Jew and Greek’ he means that both are believers and at the same level when it comes to salvation in Christ Jesus. Just because the Jews might have the promise of being God’s people does not mean they come into the Kingdom of God differently. As Gentiles, we might be grafted in (Rom 11:11-31) but we are no less sons and daughters of God because of it.

Another commentator brings some clarity into why Paul mentions the Jews and the Greeks, “Of all peoples in the empire, Greeks, fiercely proud of their own heritage, were often the most intolerant of Jewish people.” [21] This then, also became a teaching how the Church was to function. All were equal, all were brothers and sisters in Christ.

‘circumcised and uncircumcised’ (Col 3:11b)

There is an interesting historical aspect to this that Paul was likely referring to. Greeks, or Gentiles, and Jews, one uncircumcised while the other was circumcised, were “... separated by seemingly insurmountable racial and religious barriers. They had nothing to do with each other. Jewish people refused to enter a Gentile house. They would not eat meals cooked by Gentiles, nor buy meat prepared by Gentile butchers. … they showed their disdain for Gentiles by shaking off the Gentile dust from their clothes and sandals. Even the apostles [at first] were reluctant to accept Gentiles as equal partners in the church (cf. Acts 10-11). Needless to say, the Gentiles returned those sentiments.” [22]
And even though, as we see in Acts 15, there was no longer anything special about being circumcised nor was there anything about uncircumcision that kept someone from the body of believers. This was an artificial separation in the body that Paul fought against, as we see in this verse.

As Barnes puts it, “No one is admitted into that blessed society because he is circumcised; no one is excluded because he is uncircumcised. That distinction is unknown, and all are on [the same] level.” [23]

‘barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman’ (Col 3:11c)

Albert Barnes gives us some clarity about who is being referenced here. “Barbarian. No one is excluded because he is a barbarian, or because he lives among those who are uncivilized, and is unpolished in his manners. Scythian. This word does not occur elsewhere in the New Testament. The name Scythian is applied in ancient geography to the people who lived on the north and north-east of the Black and Caspian seas, a region stretching indefinitely into the unknown countries of Asia… for they were regarded as a wild and savage race. The meaning here is, that even such a ferocious and uncivilized people were not excluded from the gospel, but they were as welcome as any other, and were entitled to the same privileges as others. No one was excluded because he belonged to the most rude and uncivilized portion of mankind.” [24]

‘but Christ is all, and in all.’ (Col 3:11d)

Max Anders sums up what he sees as Paul’s meaning in this verse, “Within the new community all barriers are abolished. Distinctions which normally divide people—racial (Greek or Jew); religious (circumcised or uncircumcised); cultural (barbarian or Scythian); social (slave or free)—no longer have significance. The reason human categories no longer matter is that Christ is all, which means Christ is central and supreme. Our relationship with him is really all that matters. Unity within the community is based on the fact that Christ is in all. He indwells all believers and permeates all our relationships. This does not mean that people cease to be Jew or Greek, slave or free, etc. It does mean that within the new community those distinctions don’t matter. The false teachers at Colosse were fond of dividing people into categories—elite versus ordinary, spiritual versus not so spiritual. The truth is, all believers are equal; all believers are to discard any and all behaviors and attitudes which are inappropriate for our new life.” [25]

Barnes said, “But Christ is all, and in all. The great thing that constitutes the peculiarity of the church is, that Christ is its Saviour, and that all are his friends and followers. Its members lay aside all other distinctions, and are known only as his friends. They are not known as Jews and Gentiles; as of this nation or that; as slaves or freemen; but they are known as Christians; distinguished from all the rest of mankind as the united friends of the Redeemer.” [26]

A distinction that we all should see here is that because Christ indwells all believers, all who are truly believers in Jesus are equal. No one is above another.

(9) Do not lie to one another, for you have stripped off the old (unregenerate) self with its evil practices, (10) And have clothed yourselves with the new [spiritual self], which is [ever in the process of being] renewed and remolded into [fuller and more perfect knowledge upon] knowledge after the image (the likeness) of Him Who created it. [Gen. 1:26.] (11) [In this new creation all distinctions vanish.] There is no room for and there can be neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, [nor difference between nations whether alien] barbarians or Scythians [who are the most savage of all], nor slave or free man; but Christ is all and in all [everything and everywhere, to all men, without distinction of person]. (Col 3:9-11 AMP)

Footnotes

Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), p. 415, p/o Logos Bible Software, Ver 10, © 2026.
Norman L. Geisler, “Colossians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), p. 681, p/o Logos Bible Software, Ver 10, © 2026.
Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), p. 526, p/o Logos Bible Software, Ver 10, © 2026.
Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), p. 135, p/o Logos Bible Software, Ver 10, © 2026.
Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament: Ephesians, Philippians & Colossians, ed. Robert Frew (London: Blackie & Son, 1884–1885), p. 277, p/o Logos Bible Software, Ver 10, © 2026.
Earl D. Radmacher, Ronald Barclay Allen, and H. Wayne House, Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary (Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers, 1999), p. 1566, p/o Logos Bible Software, Ver 10, © 2026.
John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Colossians & Philemon, (Moody Bible Institute: ©1992) pp. 148-149.
Ibid, p. 149
Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), p. 593, p/o Logos Bible Software, Ver 10, © 2026.
Peter T. O’Brien, “Colossians,” in New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition, ed. D. A. Carson et al., 4th ed. (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994), p. 1273, p/o Logos Bible Software, Ver 10, © 2026.
Curtis Vaughan, “Colossians,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), p. 213, p/o Logos Bible Software, Ver 10, © 2026.
Max Anders, Galatians-Colossians, vol. 8, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), p. 330, p/o Logos Bible Software, Ver 10, © 2026.
John Gill, An Exposition of the New Testament, vol. 3, The Baptist Commentary Series (London: Mathews and Leigh, 1809), p. 200, p/o Logos Bible Software, Ver 10, © 2026.
Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Second Edition (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic: An Imprint of InterVarsity Press, 2014), p. 577, p/o Logos Bible Software, Ver 10, © 2026.
Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament: Ephesians, Philippians & Colossians, ed. Robert Frew (London: Blackie & Son, 1884–1885), pp. 277–278, p/o Logos Bible Software, Ver 10, © 2026.
Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament: Ephesians, Philippians & Colossians, ed. Robert Frew (London: Blackie & Son, 1884–1885), pp. 277–278, p/o Logos Bible Software, Ver 10, © 2026.
Max Anders, Galatians-Colossians, vol. 8, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), p. 330, p/o Logos Bible Software, Ver 10, © 2026.
Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament: Ephesians, Philippians & Colossians, ed. Robert Frew (London: Blackie & Son, 1884–1885), 277–278, p/o Logos Bible Software, Ver 10, © 2026.

All Scriptures quotes are from the New American Standard Bible, 1995 Revision, unless otherwise noted. Verse links from Blue Letter Bible.

The Amplified Bible (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1987), Col 3:9–11.

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