Understanding the new man - (2 Cor 5: 16-21)

<p id="viewer-amfad"><strong> Beloved - I am sharing this with you for you to read and peruse at your own time. Meditate on it and allow the Holy Spirit to minister to you. </strong></p>

<p id="viewer-b9uci"><strong>The Truth that we know sets us free. You are called to an overflowing life in Jesus.</strong></p>

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<h2 id="viewer-dgf45"><strong>Who and what is the new man?</strong></h2>

<p id="viewer-6lg15">When a sinner comes to the Lord, he becomes a new person (2 Cor 5:17) and is declared righteous (v21). This brand new person is not made over like some overhauled house but he/she never existed before. For such a person, the old life is gone- dead, kaput, obliterated etc meaning the old life no longer exist. That person becomes a brand new person - in every ramification. The spirit of such a person is born a new. This born anew person is of God and completely reconciled to God - meaning no longer an enemy of God (2 Cor 5:18) and is born of the Spirit of Jesus Christ (Rom 8:9), adopted into the family of God as sons not as servants (Gal 4:6, Rom 8:14-17) and the believer is also sealed by the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption (Eph 4:30; 1:13). We must never look at that person from an outward or worldly point of view because God no longer sees the person as such (2 cor 5:16). God sees such a person as holy, righteous, sanctified and redeemed because they are in Jesus (1 Cor 1:30). </p>

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<h2 id="viewer-42h9j"><strong>The new man and sin</strong></h2>

<p id="viewer-btb7v">What happens if they sin you say? That is a good question. Sin interrupts fellowship never sonship (1 Jn 1: 5-10). I must repent of such sins and seek for forgiveness so that intimacy/fellowship is restored. Even though the person is saved but because he is not in fellowship with God, he does not experience the benefit of the kingdom life that Jesus came to give us. John 10:10 describes this life as the overflowing life. The overflowing life is not just money but wholesomeness in every area of our lives that overflows to others - God is not just interested in you having abundance in health only but in wealth, spiritual gifts, peace of mind etc. Even in the state of non-fellowship, the Holy Spirit is still prodding him to the path of Life (Rom 8:26, John 14:17, 26; Heb 9:14) to connect him back to His Father. Interestingly, Jesus, our High Priest also prays for us (1 John 2:1-2) if we sin. </p>

<p id="viewer-c30j8">Notice the Bible says <strong>if we</strong> sin meaning a believers natural habitat is not to sin. Why? Because the seed of God remains in Him (1 John 5:18). Does that mean, once saved always saved? No. God expects you to continue in the Faith. To remain committed to the journey. To not deny Him, draw back into perdition (Heb 10:39). It is worth noting here that he that is born of God can not habitually commit sin because the seed of God is in him (1 John 5:18). He now has a different nature. The life principle of God keeps him from making sin his natural habitat. Sin should repulse a believer because the life of God in him will tell him he is living beneath his status as a righteous son of God.</p>

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<h2 id="viewer-4hm6m"><strong>Why should the new man flee from sin?</strong></h2>

<p id="viewer-a8np"><strong>The danger of sin is this</strong>: sin kills, sin hardens your heart towards God. Sin can lead you to renounce Jesus as in you no longer wants to be a Christian. When you renounce Him, you are rejecting the sacrifice that brought you from darkness to life. You are renouncing Lordship. When God asks us to flee from sin, it is because of the destructive nature of sin and where it can lead to (Gal 6:7-9). I must state here that to renounce Jesus to the extent that the person can no longer be restored is a <strong>pretty difficult thing</strong> <strong>but not impossible</strong>. A person who becomes unrestorable is one who has enjoyed the following 5 points and still went ahead and renounce the Lord Jesus (Heb 6:4-8)</p>

<p id="viewer-8kc4e">- was once enlightened</p>

<p id="viewer-cv7su">- tasted of the good word of God</p>

<p id="viewer-7c00r">- tasted of the heavenly gift (gifts of the Holy Spirit)</p>

<p id="viewer-a09kt">- was made partakers (sharer with/of) the Holy Spirit)</p>

<p id="viewer-54m66">- tasted of the power of the age to come</p>

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<p id="viewer-aif4k">You will notice that a person who has been exposed to the 5 items above can not be a baby christian. It has to be someone who is matured in faith. </p>

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<h2 id="viewer-fgnsp"><strong>So what should a new man in Jesus do?</strong></h2>

<p id="viewer-7rui7">You need to know that God loves you irrevocably and accepted in the Beloved (Eph 1:5) regardless of what goes on in your life. You have been justified by faith in Jesus' atoning sacrifice (Rom 5:1-2). You have been made righteous. Under the law, man did not have an internal sense of righteousness. Under the New Covenant, however, we have been given a new nature. We are a new creation. We have been made righteous. The new birth is a birth into righteousness. We should do whatever it takes to connect with the sense of righteousness. It is that sense of righteousness that keeps us connected to the power of righteousness. If the power of righteousness is in me, then I don’t need to become righteous, I need to yield to the power of righteousness. As a believer I now have options. Sin may compel me, but it has no power over me until I decide to yield to it. Then its power goes to work in me to make me a slave to sin. Simultaneously, even though sin is compelling me, righteousness is in me. The desire to sin may have caused me to lose my sense of righteousness, but it has not left me. I am connecting to sin as I meditate on it. As I entertain the pleasure it will bring, sin becomes more real and alive in me than righteousness. Sin is not my master it is simply the thing to which I am emotionally connecting through my thoughts. I can do the same thing with righteousness that I do with sin. I can begin to think about the joys of walking with God. I can remind myself that I am righteous in Jesus. As I magnify righteousness and its joys above sin, I reconnect to righteousness. As I once again sense its presence I am confident to yield to its power. This is what it means to put on the new man and put off the old man (Rom 6:13; Col 3:1-25)</p>

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<p id="viewer-88u8g">In Rom 6:3-14; the focus was on making the believer know they are already dead to their old lives and as Christ is now alive unto God so should they see themselves as alive to righteousness and in the newness of life. God wants you to know that the old man is dead and you should not serve sin. If sin is ruling a believers life, it is because they are still trying to relate to God as under the law and not as under grace. Grace empowers you to live holy (Titus 2:11-14). Sin can never dominate a man who truly understands grace (Rom 6: 14). Please make note of the word dominate in Rom 6:14, it is a word which means "to rule over, govern or control" - so in essence if I am being ruled over, dominated and governed by sin, then I am not operating under grace but under the law and the law can never make you perfect (Rom 3:20). Essentially, I am trusting in my own righteousness. I am trusting in my works as a means to be holy with God. I have failed to realise that Jesus is my righteousness. </p>

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<h2 id="viewer-5bcra"><strong>How do I put on the new man?</strong></h2>

<p id="viewer-3atgg">To live above sin, you need to reckon yourself to be dead to your old life and don't allow sin to reign in your body to obey its lusts (Rom 6:11-13). You need to put off the old man and be led by the spirit. You need to put on the new man which is created in Jesus in righteousness and true holiness (Eph 4:22-24).</p>

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<p id="viewer-5h1uf">Putting on the new man first comes by <strong>acknowledging</strong> that you are a new man - not just in your head but believe it in your heart. Look for scriptures that tell you about the new you - all the "in Him, by Him etc scriptures and quote it to yourself until your heart is saturated with them. These are your <strong>identity</strong> scriptures. When your heart is fully persuaded of who you now are in Jesus, the power to overcome sin and live victorious is birthed by the Holy Spirit who is in you so that you can live in the realm of the supernatural. As you renew your mind daily (Rom 12:2) to these truths and yield to the Holy Spirit, you will find out that sins that easily beset you no longer hold sway over you. Pray to God to make scriptures come alive to you (Eph 1:17-21). Obey the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Fellowship with Him in praise, worship, adoration, meditation etc. Saturate your life with the Word of God until the Word of God is closer to you than your breath or the clothe you wear. </p>

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<h2 id="viewer-9h68f"><strong>Conclusion</strong>:</h2>

<p id="viewer-45evk">The new man in Jesus is perfected forever by the blood of Jesus (Heb 10:14-18). Don't second guess your salvation. Renew your mind to the truths of the bible. Believe them. Act on them. Stay away from religion. Religion is an attempt to relate to God in a way that does not depend on Jesus, but on one’s personal efforts. It leads one down a path of sincere dedication that never produces what it promises. It is a root of bitterness toward God and people. Remember, you are holy, righteous, sanctified, accepted, blessed, chosen, adopted and loved in Jesus. The power to live above sin is in you. <strong>You don’t need anyone to bring it to you, just yield.</strong></p>

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<p id="viewer-b3bp5"><strong>Remember, God loves you as you are and He wants the best for you. Make 2016 a year of deep intimacy with God. Everything flows from the intimacy.</strong> </p>

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<p id="viewer-2kdjm"><strong>Recommended book: </strong></p>

<p id="viewer-alsd7"><strong>Grace: the power of change by Dr Jim Richards.</strong></p>