|
'How To'
Instructions in Righteousness
printer-friendly Lesson 21: Put on the new man
Key verse: Eph 4:24 [And that ye put on the new
man] The new man refers to the renovated nature. This is called in
other places, the "new creature, or the new creation" (see
the notes on 2 Cor 5:17 below), and refers to the condition after the
heart is changed. The change is so great, that there is no impropriety in
speaking of one who has experienced it as "a new man." He has new feelings,
principles, and desires. He has laid aside his old principles and practices,
and, in everything that pertains to moral character, he is new. His body is
indeed the same; the intellectual structure of his mind the same;
but there has been a change in his principles and
feelings which [make] him, in all the great purposes of life, a new being.
Learn, that regeneration is not a trifling change. It is not a mere change of
relations, or of the outward condition. It is not merely being brought from the
world into the church, and being baptized, though by the most holy hands; it is
much more. None of these things would make proper the declaration, "he is a new
man." Regeneration by the Spirit of God does.
~Barnes Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. [A new creature] Margin, "Let him be." This is one of the instances in which the margin has given a less correct translation than is in the text. The idea evidently is, not that he ought to be a new creature, but that he is in fact; not that he ought to live as becomes a new creature-which is true enough-but that he will in fact live in that way, and manifest the characteristics of the new creation. The phrase "a new creature" kainee (NT:2537) ktisis (NT:2937) occurs also in Gal 6:15. The word rendered "creature" ktisis (NT:2937) means properly in the New Testament, creation. It denotes: (1) The act of creating (Rom 1:20); (2) A created thing, a creature (Rom 1:25); and refers: (a) To the universe, or creation in general; Mark 10:6; 13:9-11; 1 Peter 3:4. (b) To man, mankind; Mark 16:15; Col 1:23. Here it means a new creation in a moral sense, and the phrase new creature is equivalent to the expression in Eph 4:24, "The new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." It means, evidently, that there is a change produced in the renewed heart of man that is equivalent to the act of creation, and that bears a strong resemblance to it-a change, so to speak, as if the man was made over again, and had become new. The mode or manner in which it is done is not described, nor should the words be pressed to the quick, as if the process were the same in both cases-for the words are here evidently figurative. But the phrase implies evidently the following things: (1) That there is an exertion of divine power in the conversion of the sinner as really as in the act of creating the world out of nothing, and that this is as indispensable in the one case as in the other. (2) That a change is produced so great as to make it proper to say that he is a new man. He has new views, new motives, new principles, new objects and plans of life. He seeks new purposes, and he lives for new ends. If a drunkard becomes reformed, there is no impropriety in saying that he is a new man. If a man who was licentious becomes pure, there is no impropriety in saying that he is not the same man that he was before. Such expressions are common in all languages, and they are as proper as they are common. There is such a change as to make the language proper. And so in the conversion of a sinner. There is a change so deep, so clear, so entire, and so abiding, that it is proper to say, here is a new creation of God--a work of the divine power as decided and as glorious as when God created all things out of nothing. There is no other moral change that takes place on earth so deep, and radical, and thorough as the change at conversion. And there is no other where there is so much propriety in ascribing it to the mighty power of God. ~Barnes For years I have been preaching that Godly Calling to repentance, baptism, and entrance into the Salvation Process by the laying on of hands is not a choice but a miracle. God would never let this initial contact of Godly Calling to chance. Indeed, the Bible says that He considered you before the foundations of the earth were laid (1 Peter 1:20; Matt 25:34; John 17:24; Eph 1:4). He knew that He would call you, long before you were born. If the initial calling were left to the choice of the individual, don't you think God would have seen this too? Therefore, would He go ahead and make the call? Absolutely not. The calling is a miracle. He, by mighty power, places the individual into the Salvation Process. From that point, he has but one choice: obey or not; stay in the Process or not. However, once he is placed in the Salvation Process, he has no excuse in judgment. The two primary scriptures of this study confirm this fact. The verses are not an encouragement to become a new person, but rather that in the calling, we ARE new creatures. Notice three excerpts from our Doctrinal Statements [STP]: From our statement on the Holy Spirit: Spiritual solutions are needed to solve spiritual problems. If this one fundamental point were understood, man should be forced to realize that the structure of his entire society—from the government of nations to the behavior of children—needs radical revision before people can at last be joyfully busy with peace and progress. This is where God's plan of salvation comes in. God first calls us by—opening our minds to His truth, leading us to recognize our wretched, sinful state, cut off from God. Then upon our heartfelt repentance and sincere acceptance of Jesus Christ as our Saviour, God enables us through baptism and the laying on of hands to receive His Spirit. Conversion by God's Holy Spirit means a renewing of one's mind (Rom. 12:2), a complete changing of one's attitude and heart; it is the creation of a new man, walking in newness of life (Rom. 6:4). Through God's Spirit man can have the fellowship and communion with God that is so important to growth in God's mind and character. From our statement on the The Christian: A Christian is one whose whole outlook and frame of mind is in the process of transformation from "carnal" to “spiritual." When one rises from baptismal waters he becomes a "new man" by taking on a whole new spiritual lifestyle, created after the likeness of God in “true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:24). Whereas before his conversion he armed himself to face life with his own pride, ego, strength and intellect alone, the true Christian now adds the "whole armor" of God—the girdle of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Word of God (Eph. 6:13-17). These fruits or characteristics of the Holy Spirit become progressively more manifest in the life of a Christian. Hate is replaced by love, anxiety by peace, fearfulness by faith, indulgence by temperance, and pride by meekness. All these and the other fruits of the Spirit work together to overshadow the natural, carnal characteristics of adultery, idolatry, strife, envy, wrath and the many other aspects and variations of human nature. From our statement on the The Christian Relationship with His Fellow Man: There is no limit to what the Holy Spirit can do through the individual that submits himself to God. God's church is exhorted to break the bonds of prejudice by putting on the “new man” which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him: “Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision ... bond or free: but Christ is all, and in all" (Col. 3:9-10ff); It is the responsibility of each church member to repent of past wrong attitudes toward those of other race or ethnic groups. We are all one in Christ and must have that Christian love for all which only God's Spirit makes possible. Note: Our doctrinal
statements support the two great concepts of putting on the new man: |