"Old Man – New Man"

 

 

Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creation, old things have passed away behold all things have become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17.

 

That you put off concerning your former conduct the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God in righteousness and true holiness. Ephesians 4:22-24.

 

Be not conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:1-2.

 

Every man knows what he was like before he came to Christ. We all had things in our life that we knew we shouldn’t be doing but we did them anyway. We said things that we shouldn’t have said, we reacted towards others in a rude manner, and we had habits and sins that we were not proud of, to be honest, we had no control.

 

Then we came to Christ and things seemed to be different for a while. We now had the Holy Spirit living in us, and our desires really did seem to change. But low and behold, old habits and desires have a way of hanging on. Guess who was there to remind you of who you used to be and what you used to do?

 

I used to wonder why? If I’m a new creation in Christ and all things have become new then what is going on in my life? I’m glad you asked. To get a clear understanding of who we are and how we operate we first have to get an understanding of how we were created or what we are made of. Are we one part, two parts, three parts or maybe four? I wanted to know, so I began a deep study of who I am.

 

I had heard some teaching concerning the triune man but I didn’t have a clear revelation on the subject. So I began in Genesis reading from the Amplified Bible and did a complete study of spirit, soul and body. This is what I discovered and this is how I see myself today. I am a spirit, I have a soul and I live in a body.

 

For years people taught that spirit and soul were one and the same, they are not. As we go to the word we can see they are two distinct and separate parts. Look at Hebrews 4:12 – For the word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword piercing even to the division of soul and spirit and of joints and marrow (body) and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (spirit).

 

The word say’s by two or more witness’s let every word be established, so I like to give at least two scriptures to back up a point. Look at 1 Thessalonians 5:23 – Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely (wholly) and may your whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

So the evidence is surely here that we are a triune being. If you are not convinced then I suggest you do a Bible study on this subject, because once you realize who you are and how you operate it will help you in your daily walk as a believer.

 

Now comes the hard part, if I consist of three distinct parts then how are they different and who in Heavens name is in control? I’m glad you asked.

 

Before Adam sinned and died spiritually, meaning his spirit man was no longer joined to God’s Spirit, he had control over his soul and body. These two areas of his life were lined up and performed in obedience to his spirit man. Which at the time was in obedience to God.

 

When Adam disobeyed God’s command, his spirit then lost control immediately over his whole being. Because of sin and being cut off from fellowship with the Father he went from spiritual life to spiritual death. Adam was literally born again from life to death.

 

Now that he had lost spiritual contact with God he slowly began to lose control over himself and he was left wide open for his new god (Satan) to move in and begin to steal, kill and destroy. Study Genesis 4,5 and 6 and you will see fallen man doing the will of his new master.

 

 Right here would be a good place to define the triune man.

# 1 – I am a spirit – The inner man was created in the image and likeness of God. God is a spirit therefore man is a spirit. The spirit in man has a voice; it is called a conscience. This is the area where God communicated with Adam and will communicate with us if we would ever be quiet long enough to hear Him. Remember Jesus said My sheep know My voice. Well we can’t hear his voice over the noise of the world. We have to be quiet, meditate on the word and pray without ceasing. Remember when we are born again our spirit is joined to the Father by His Spirit.

 

# 2 – I have a soul – My soul or my mind consists of my intellect, my reasoning and my emotions. This is where the human will resides. Before Adam lost control, his soul was in complete obedience to the spirit. When he sinned he received within himself what is commonly referred to as a lost soul. This is now the part of man that is completely out of control. As soon as Adam sinned, Satan moved in with his fallen nature and took the soul of man captive. Exactly where carnal man has remained to this very day.

 

A man with a lost soul can never be in control of himself. Why? Because through the ages his enemy has confused and confounded him to the point where he even denies there is a God who created him in the first place. Man has become so deceived that he professes not to believe in God the creator, but he in turn serves god the destroyer. Look at the things he does that end in destruction, he is living in a fool’s paradise.

 

# 3 – I live in a body – We don’t need proof that we inhabit a body. We can feel it, smell it and even be repulsed by it. Because of the fall of man the body is corruptible, it will eventually die and go back to the earth. In it’s fallen state the body follows the lead of the soul. Through the leading of the soul, Satan will try to aim the body towards early destruction. In a lot of cases he does succeed. We as believers know that man’s only hope is deliverance through Christ.

 

And so, once Satan had control over the soul of man he began to manipulate this man to do his will and to lead him further away from the will of God. With man in a fallen state and Satan gaining control over the soul of man, the spirit man who was once in fellowship with God the Father, was all but forgotten, except by God.

 

God’s plan of salvation has always been to bring man’s spirit back into fellowship with Him. That’s where the born again experience comes into the picture. By accepting God’s Son as Lord and Saviour and turning from a life of sin we become spiritual beings transported onto the straight and narrow.

 

How we walk this road depends on how much control Satan has managed to gain over our souls. This is where Ephesians 4:22-24 comes into play. How much does the mind need to be renewed? Remember Paul is talking to believers here, an unregenerate man cannot be renewed. It is entirely up to us now; the ball is in our court. God has done everything that He could possible do. If we are spending our time doing any other thing but renewing our mind then we will never know what God has in store for us during our earth watch. Remember to watch and pray.

 

Verse 22 says, you put off your former conduct or actions. God has a new coat just waiting for us to slip into. As a matter of fact, He has a whole suit just our size hanging in the Heavenly closet, are we going to put it on or be contented with the old corruptible one?

                                                                                                      There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:1-2. By now it should be clear to us where we are at spiritually. Am I walking in the spirit or am I still struggling with the flesh?

 

We can see clearly in this scripture that in God’s eyes we have all been delivered from the law of sin and death, but we have to use the power of the Holy Spirit and revelation from God’s word to walk in Christ and to leave the old man behind. The more word that we consume the more fruit of the spirit comes forth. In 1 Peter 2:2 it says, as newborn babes desire the pure milk of the word that you may grow thereby. I believe he’s telling us that we need more of the word and less world, if we are ever to put on the new man. Amen.

 

Written by: R W Nagle.