THEME: Understanding Salvation: Inheriting Incorruptible Nature
LESSON: Five
TOPIC: The Usefulness of Salvation (Using The New Man To Live) – Part 2
TEXT: Galatians 5:14-21; Ephesians 4:19-31; Colossians 3:5-16; Matthew 5:29-30, Matthew 16:24-27
MEMORY TRACK:
In our last lesson we learned by the grace of God that both the small salvation (Christ) and the great salvation (the Father) that should happen to the soul of men are meant to be used by believers to correct the work of sin and death in the soul. The usefulness of both salvations is seen in how God uses them to correct the destruction that happened to the spirit, soul, and body. These salvations are job descriptions given to believers to fulfill the professional obligations of their faith. The new birth therefore is a call to come and work.
Using the New Man as instrument Christ the New Man vs the Old Man
The new man is the work of God, crafted in the soul by the wisdom and power of God. He is both powerful and wise according to the order of God.
The new man is a renewed soul, fashioned after God’s image through the knowledge of God in Christ. The true fruit and manifestation of the new man is true holiness and righteousness (Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10). Far wiser than the old man, the new man possesses everything needed to rid the soul of the old man.
The old man, by contrast, is a creation of Satan, fashioned through ignorance of the knowledge of God, and what it produces is a foolish soul. The devil’s greatest work in the soul of man is ignorance of God’s ways and judgments (Ephesians 4:17-19). A person can be a child of God and yet remain ignorant of the life of God, thereby living in the flesh. Even a believer whose eyes have been enlightened can still walk in the flesh.
Our victory lies in this: the coming of the new man has rendered the old man weak, powerless, and impotent (Romans 6:6). What we need is the wisdom to employ the new man in defeating the old man that still operates in the soul.
Just as two nations struggled in Rebecca’s womb (Genesis 25:22-23), so every believer carries two persons within: the old man and the new man. The new man resides in the spirit, while the old man operates in the soul. Remarkably, through the knowledge of God the new man can also take residence and exercise authority in the soul—even while the old man continues to dwell there and perpetuate his evil works. This is the power of the soul.
The Responsible Believer
The Lord causes us to be born again so that we may engage in the work of grace through the help of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5; John 3:3-8). There are responsibilities that belong to God and responsibilities that belong to the believer. God has never called any person to help Him carry out His own responsibilities, nor should we expect God to fulfill ours for us. To assume that everything must be done by God is to live in deception.
God sent His Son to pay for our sins, sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within us, raised up the fivefold ministry to teach us the knowledge of God, and gave us the gift of fellowship with other believers—among other resources. Yet He expects us to make full use of all these provisions in order to live out the new life that is ours in Christ (Ephesians 4:11-13; 2 Corinthians 5:17).
Works of the Flesh and the Wisdom of Christ in Dealing with Them
One of our major responsibilities as believers is dealing with the works of the flesh. The Bible often uses words such as “mortify”, “walk” “flee” and “endeavor” to instruct believers on how to handle the works of the flesh (Colossians 3:5; Galatians 5:16; 1 Corinthians 6:18). These words show it is the Believers’ responsibility to act instead of waiting for God.
Categorizing the Works of the Flesh (Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 5:1-3)
- Works of the flesh against God: Idolatry, Sorcery/Witchcraft (Galatians 5:20; Revelation 21:8)
- Works of the flesh against our fellow believers/men: Hatred, Enmity, Strife, Variance, Jealousy, Outbursts of wrath / Anger, Selfish ambition / Rivalries, Dissensions, Seditions, Factions / Heresies / Divisions, Envy, Murder (Galatians 5:20-21; Romans 1:29).
- Works of the flesh against our soul and body: Adultery, Fornication / Sexual immorality, Uncleanness, Lasciviousness / Sensuality, Drunkenness, Revellings / Orgies / Carousing (Galatians 5:19, 21; 1 Corinthians 6:18).
- Works of the flesh against our soul: Hatred (as an inner disposition), Jealousy, Envy, Selfish ambition, Pride, Bitterness and Malice (Ephesians 4:31; Colossians 3:8)
The New Man’s Way of Dealing with the Works of the Flesh
- Works of the flesh against God: The wisdom of the new man is to believe and love God. Idolatry is an act of unbelief and lack of love and fear of God. The biblical response is to confess it, and in certain situations publicly renounce it, repenting of the gain it offers the soul (1 John 5:21; Acts 19:18-19.
- Works of the flesh against our fellow believers/men: The most powerful wisdom of the new man is love (Romans 13:8-10). Love, being the fruit of the Spirit, expresses itself in forgiveness, forbearance, longsuffering, patience, preferring one another, and submitting to one another (Galatians 5:22; Ephesians 4:2; Philippians 2:3). The nature of the new man is charity, and charity is the most powerful wisdom that the works of the flesh cannot withstand. The flesh becomes impotent when charity comes on board (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).
- Works of the flesh against the soul and body: These sins destroy the soul and further destroy the body. They operate first through thought and complete their cycle in the body if left untamed. The wisdom of the Epistles is to “Flee” (1 Corinthians 6:18; 2 Timothy 2:22).
- Flee things that bring it to thought: avoid materials and associations that expose the mind to it.
- Flee the physical appearance of it: do not cultivate close relationships with anyone toward whom you have romantic or lustful feelings.
- Expose it before the Lord and cry for help. Hate it; do not hide it from the Lord because of the pleasure it offers.
- If it persists, confess it to a more spiritual believer who can take it to God in prayer and give necessary counsel in meekness (James 5:16; Galatians 6:1).
4. Works of the flesh against the soul
These are more internal operations of sin and death. The best antidote is love, lowliness of mind, meekness, humility, and submission under God and higher authority (Colossians 3:12-13; Ephesians 4:2; James 4:6-7).
Conclusion
The greatest weapon of our warfare is to use the fruit of the Spirit—especially love—to deal with all the works of the flesh. We walk in the Spirit when we use the fruit of the Spirit to fight the flesh and its works (Galatians 5:16, Galatians 5:22-25). Using the fruit of the Spirit mortifies the old man and his deeds. This fruit develops with use.