hypocrites likewise show by their walk that their pretensions of
faith and forgiveness of sin are hollow. No proof is seen in their
lives and works showing that they have in any wise mended their
former ways; they merely deck themselves with a pretense, with the
name of Gospel, of faith, of Christ.

10. Now, the apostle has two things to say of the old man: that he
corrupts himself in error as to the soul and in lusts as to the body.
Paul portrays the old man--meaning every man without true faith
though he bear the name of a Christian--as in the first place given
to error: coming short of the truth, knowing naught of the true
knowledge of Christ and faith in him, indifferent alike to God's
wrath and God's grace, deceiving himself with his own conceit that
darkness is light. The old man believes that God will not be moved to
vengeance though he do as he pleases, even to decorating vices with
the names of virtues. Haughtiness, greed, oppressing and tormenting
the poor, wrath, envy--all this he would call preserving his dignity,
exercising strict discipline, honestly and economically conducting
his domestic affairs, caring for his wife and children, displaying
Christian zeal and love of justice, etc. In short, he proceeds in the
perfectly empty delusion and self-conceit that he is a Christian.

11. Out of this error proceeds the other corruption, the lusts of the
body, which are fruits of unbelief. Unbelief causes men to walk in
sinful security and yield to all the appetites of their flesh. Such
have no inclination toward what is good, nor do they aim to promote
orderliness, honor or virtue. They take desperate chances on their
lives, wanting to live according to the lusts of their flesh and yet
not be reprimanded.

12. This, says the apostle, is the old man's course and nature. He
will do naught but ruin himself. The longer continued, the greater
his debasement. He draws down upon himself his own condemnation and
penalty for body and soul; for in proportion as he becomes
unbelieving and hard-hearted, does he become haughty, hateful and
faithless, and eventually a perfect scoundrel and villain. This was
your former manner of life, when as yet you were heathen and
non-Christians. Therefore you must by all means put off the old man
and cast him far from you; otherwise you cannot remain a Christian.
For glorying in the grace of God and the forgiveness of sin is
inconsistent with following sin--remaining in the former old