9.69 Be renewed in the spirit of your mind
The last lesson, we said that the choice is for the believer to either walk by faith according to his new nature in Christ, or to walk in the memory of the old man (who was crucified with Christ).
How we behave does not change the reality. But knowing the reality will change how we behave. Let us share a powerful passage to illustrate the point.
(Eph 3:20-24)
But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 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 true righteousness and holiness.
First of all the passage tells us that we should put off the old man. The old man has been crucified with Jesus. He no longer exists. He is dead. He is the old man. We have to put off the memory & the consciousness of that old man.
Secondly, it tells us that we are to put on the new man (the new creation) which was [past tense] created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. Now the new man is the real you. It is the new you. It is created according to God. The real you is righteous and holy. We are to live in the reality of the new man.
How do we do that? Why is there a struggle in some Christians between the new identity versus the old identity? The struggle is one of faith – to believe our new identity and to walk in that consciousness.
The passage tells us that we are to be “renewed in the spirit of your mind”. When our mind is conscious of our new identity, the verse tells us that we can then put on the new man, or to walk in the consciousness of the new man.
Once again, the verse tells us that the challenge is not to put down the old man, it is to believe that the old man is dead, and to walk by faith in the new man. It is a fight of faith. The renewal of our minds to the truths of the New Covenant is an ongoing process. Tomorrow, we will share another verse that talks about the renewal of our minds.
How we behave does not change the reality. But knowing the reality will change how we behave. Let us share a powerful passage to illustrate the point.
(Eph 3:20-24)
But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 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 true righteousness and holiness.
First of all the passage tells us that we should put off the old man. The old man has been crucified with Jesus. He no longer exists. He is dead. He is the old man. We have to put off the memory & the consciousness of that old man.
Secondly, it tells us that we are to put on the new man (the new creation) which was [past tense] created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. Now the new man is the real you. It is the new you. It is created according to God. The real you is righteous and holy. We are to live in the reality of the new man.
How do we do that? Why is there a struggle in some Christians between the new identity versus the old identity? The struggle is one of faith – to believe our new identity and to walk in that consciousness.
The passage tells us that we are to be “renewed in the spirit of your mind”. When our mind is conscious of our new identity, the verse tells us that we can then put on the new man, or to walk in the consciousness of the new man.
Once again, the verse tells us that the challenge is not to put down the old man, it is to believe that the old man is dead, and to walk by faith in the new man. It is a fight of faith. The renewal of our minds to the truths of the New Covenant is an ongoing process. Tomorrow, we will share another verse that talks about the renewal of our minds.
posted by Joshua Lye @ 10:56 PM
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