The New Man

Three key passages on the New Man

Our two most recent blogs have been on the subjects of Regeneration, and the Baptism by the Spirit.

Some of  the key Bible passages on these two subjects also referred to the subject we are going to consider now.

That subject is the New Man.

When we were born again and placed into Christ, we were made a new creation.

We were born again as a new kind of human species so to speak. A new kind of humanity. The new man.

2CO 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
ESV

So this week we are going to learn about this New Man.

How did he come into being?

What are his characteristics and make up?

What is his life like now?

What is in store for him in the future?  What is his destiny?

There are three key passages that speak directly about the New Man.

They appear in the epistles to the Colossians and to the Ephesians.

This is significant and I’ll tell you why.

Colossians is the pre-eminent book about the Head, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians is the pre-eminent Bible book about the Body of Christ, the church.

The one , “corporate” New Man is made up of the Head and the Body.

So let’s begin.

And we will begin with the book of Colossians.

Here we will see that what is emphasized about the new man is the  Head, our Lord Jesus Christ.

COL 3:1-12
1Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2  Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.

5  Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. 6 For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, 7 and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and  abusive speech from your mouth. 9  Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man  with its evil practices, 10 and have put on the new man  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.

Here we are to put aside the attitudes and behaviors of the old man BECAUSE we have died, and our life is hidden with our Head, Christ.

The second passage that speaks directly of the new man is in the second chapter of Ephesians:

EPH 2:11-16
11 Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called " Uncircumcision" by the so-called " Circumcision," which is performed in the flesh by human hands —  12 remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, 15  by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is  the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, 16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.

Here the emphasis is on the corporate, singular new man - the Body of Christ.

In the body of Christ, there is no Jew or Gentile.  The Old Man, the human race in Adam, was divided in all sorts of ways:

Race, Language. Gender, Social status,Nationality, Religion

Just to name a few.

The New Man is one new man.  No distinctions based on any of these things. Unity.

1CO 12:12-13
12 For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

Here is the third passage that speaks of the new man directly.  It too is in the book of Ephesians.

EPH 4:11-24
11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as  evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12  for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. 14  As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

17  So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; 19 and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. 20 But you did not learn Christ in this way, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, 22 You were taught, with reference to your former manner of life,  to lay aside the old man, who is corrupted in accordance with the deceitful desires,  23 to be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and to  put on the new man, who has been created in God’s image - in righteousness and holiness that comes from truth.

This passage in Ephesians chapter 4 starts with the corporate aspect of the new man - the one whole body, and then moves to the individual members of the body.   This is fitting, because chapters 4-6 of Ephesians deal with practical Christianity: how are we to live in light of the fact that we are the fullness of Christ in this world ( see EPH 1:22-23).

We can learn so much about the New Man by spending time in the books of Ephesians and Colossians..

 

Just the facts

And there is a lot to learn!

Here are fourteen  facts about the new man: 

1. He is a new creation directly from the hand of God Himself. (see EPH 2:10)

2. God spoke, and the new man came into being with a brand new life. God made something out of nothing. The new life that the Spirit birthed in us is the life of Jesus Christ Himself. (see JAM 1:18).

3. The new man is NOT the old man improved.

4. The new man has been created in God’s image. Man was originally created in the image and likeness of God, but lost that in the Fall of Adam.  Now God has created a new man in His image and likeness.

5. Thus, the new man is marked by righteousness and holiness, a holiness that comes from the truth. And Jesus is the truth.  The new man loves all that is right and holy.

6. He replaces the old man, the kind of humanity that all unbelievers are. The old man is corrupt and decaying, and is incurable.

7. Every human being identified by one or the other, but not both. Every human being is either in Adam or in Christ.

8. Because we used to have the mind of the flesh, we need to be renewed in the spirit of our mind. The new man is renewed in knowledge .(COL 3:10, JOH 8:31-32)

9. The new man is to be instructed. We need to be taught how to think in keeping with who we have been made to be.

10. A man who is experiencing the renewal of the spirit of his mind will WANT to get rid of the old and will WANT the new.

11. The new man is to be put on.  This speaks of the call to conduct our lives in keeping with being made a new creation in the image and likeness of God.

12. You can’t put on the new man unless you put away the old man.  You do both at the same time.

13. We are to practice righteousness, and be holy as God is holy. This is what it means to be like God. (see EPH 5:1-2).

14. The new man has a phenomenal destiny.

Php 3:20-21
20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; 21 who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.

 

A day in the life of a new man

And now it’s time to see what a typical day in the life of the new man is like.

“The whole art of Christian living is to know how to talk to yourself”. (Lloyd-Jones)

In the morning, when you wake up and take the sheets off your body, remind yourself that you are no longer the old man.   You have been created brand new!

Remind yourself of what a horrible character the old man was.

Then remind yourself about the wonderful character of the new man - righteous, holy, loving, faithful and true.

This is part of the renewing of the spirit of your mind.

The devil will speak to you the moment you wake up.  Sometimes even before that! 

And he will say a thousand and one things - influencing your feelings, suggesting his thoughts, insinuations, accusations  - lies! He tries to totally depress us before we even get out of bed!

Resist him!

Talk to yourself! “No! I am  NOT going to live my day like that!”

I am the new man. I am not the old man.  I do not belong to the world. I belong to God. To Christ.

My old man has been crucified with Christ.

I am born again.  I am a partaker of a new kind of humanity that is directly from God. (see 1PE 1:13-16)

I have been taken out of the kingdom of darkness and have been placed in the kingdom of God’s beloved Son.

How can my conduct and behavior today be that of the old realm, when I am a member of this new realm?

Therefore, I am not going to make any provision for my flesh today.

This means there are places I won’t go, things I will not look at, web pages I will not visit.  And I will stay away from certain people who always have a corrupting influence on me.

So once again, today, consider yourself to be dead to sin but alive to God in Christ.

It is because you ARE a new man in Christ that you are to put on the new man.

Get out of bed, stand up, and present yourself to God as alive from the dead.  (see ROM 6:12-14)

During the day, do the things that remind you of the new man, things that help to build up the new man. That includes reading the Bible, prayer, and spending time with like-minded folks.

Php 4:8-9
8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. 9 The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Putting on the new man is reminding yourself of who you are.

You are born again. 

You are a child of God.

You are a member of the body of Christ.

You are in union with Christ.

The life of our  blessed Head - Christ’s very life - is flowing through you.

Christ is in you.

The Spirit is in you.

You are being renewed, day by day, by the Spirit, and by the truth of God’s word.

Finally, keep reminding yourself about your destiny: where you are GOING. One day soon Christ will return and your mortal body will take on immortality.

You are headed for glory.

Stop being what you aren’t any more.  You are no longer part of the old that is decaying and corrupt. You are the new.

Now go be  who God has made you to be.

 

Until the next time, we’re all ….

In His grip,

Pastor John

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