Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Ephesians 4:23

"and that ye be renewed in the spirit of your mind," — Ephesians 4:23 (ASV)

In a contrasting positive statement, Paul reminds the Ephesians that instead of being subject to progressive deterioration, they were to be perpetually renovated in mind and spirit. “To be made new” (GK 391) possibly involves an element of restoration, since the image of God, impaired by the Fall, is fully reinstated in the new creation. As over against the futile thinking of the unregenerate Gentiles (v.17), Christian converts are to undergo a radical reorientation of their mental outlook. This can only take place under the influence of the Holy Spirit, acting on the human spirit as it affects the realm of thought.