The New Man of New Men

While Paul is exhorting and instructing the individual Christian to put on the new man of Christ, Paul is also instructing about the importance of the building of the corporate new man--the local body of Christ. Christ is sanctifying new men as part of His overall goal of sanctifying the New Man, the Church. The New Man needs new men, and new men need the New Man: there's only incomplete sanctification and obedience for the Christian outside of the local church.