THE NEW MAN IS ENTIRELY NEW

Posted on by BETH

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Cor. 5:17).

Some wonder about this scripture for they can look at their own lives and see, in fact, that very little has changed. The Lord shows us how all the old things can pass away and everything can become new. “And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again” (2 Cor. 5:15). If the new man has the new mind (repentance) in not living for himself at all, then all of the old has passed away. If the new man has the new mind in turning to live only for the one who died for him, then truly everything has become new. If we lose our life for Christ and the gospel (Mark 8:25), deny ourselves and take up our cross daily and follow Christ (Luke 9:23, 24), and forsake all that we have (Luke 14:33), surely the old will have passed away and everything will become new. We have clear examples of prophets and apostles who, without question, lived for God and not for themselves in any way, like Moses and the other prophets, and Paul and the other apostles. Jesus did literally nothing of himself, but what he heard and saw from the Father—who is our chief example to follow. Truly, if we determine to walk in Jesus steps, live only for the Creator, everything will certainly become new, and the old will all be passed away.

So, who lives in the new man?

The new man no longer is willing to serve men, as he did before, for he has been bought with a price and commanded “be not ye the servants of men” (1 Cor. 7:23). If indeed he heeds the admonition, “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith” (Gal. 6:10), he does so, not because of his own desires, but because his Master has commanded him to do so. When he serves his earthly master, he no longer does so to get his favor or to get a raise. He does so “Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men” (Eph. 6:6-7).

The life he now lives is really not his living for himself, but living to serve Christ who lives in him (Gal. 2:20), for he truly is living only for Christ. The new man follows his one Master’s example who said, “…Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise” (John 5:19). He no longer receives (accepts) honor from men, but receives honor from God only (John 5:44), like his Master (John 5:41). He no longer receives (accepts) any praise at all from men, but any praise he does receive is from God only (Rom. 2:28-29). It is no wonder he states that for all those with the new mind (repentance), all of the old has passed away and all has become new for they have crucified the old man and risen with Christ to walk in the new life.

Paul Crucified His Old Man

Posted on by BETH

Paul is our example of having crucified the old man.  He testified, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me…” (Gal. 2:20).

This crucifixion was a crucifixion to the world.  He said, “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world” (Gal. 6:14).

This death to the world was a death to the rudiments of the world and the ordinances made by men of the world.  He asks the Colossians (who had been crucified to the world), “Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (Touch not; taste not; handle not; Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?” (Col. 2:20-21).

The old man walked like the rest of the world (Eph. 2:2-3) and loved the world and the things of the world the same way the world does (1 John 2:15-17).  The new man has responded to the first gospel sermon: “And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation” (Acts 2:40).

The new man has agreed to fulfill his part of the covenant:  “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty” (2 Cor. 6:17-18).

Paul had done this.  He testified, “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ” (Phil. 3:5-9).

VII. THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IN GOD’S ETERNAL PLAN: God’s Future Plans for His Children

Posted on by BETH

He also commands us to labor to enter into his rest.  He does not plan for us to retire, but “. . . he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his” (Heb. 4:10).  “For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works” (Heb. 4:4). Rather than retire, he plans for his servants to serve him (Rev. 22:3) and to reign with him forever and ever (Rev. 22:5).  He plans for us to reign as kings (Rev. 1:6).  There is a great deal of work in reigning as kings.  Kings need to be faithful and strong. If we suffer with him according to his will now, we will reign with him (2 Tim. 2:12).  He illustrates this point in the two parables of the talents tells what he has in mind for his children.  The conclusions were:

“His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord”  (Matt 25:23).

And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities” (Luke 19:17).

Jesus has now received authority over the heathen and the uttermost parts of the earth, and all things in heaven as well (Matt. 28:18; 1 Cor. 15:25), to the point of working all things together for good for those who 1) love him and 2) are called according to his purpose (Rom. 8:28).  He promises that those who overcome will be given power over the nations as he has received of his Father (Rev. 2:26,27).   This scripture is a quotation of Psalms 2:

I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.  Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.  Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel. (Psa. 2:7-9)

Our Father judges according to our faithfulness.  If we are faithful to him in the use of the unrighteous mammon here on earth, we will be faithful to reign with him in the new heaven and the new earth (Luke 16:10-12).

“Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.  Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful” (1 Cor. 4:1, 2).

We can not earn these things, nor do they come free.  We must win the crown by running the race according to all things he has commanded us (Matt. 28:20). “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matt. 5:48).  God commands us to be perfect.[1]

[1] Some argue that this is not a command because this form of the Greek word is in the future tense.  This conclusion can not be substantiated.  The future is frequently used as the imperative.  Barbara and Timothy Friberg, Analytical Greek New Testament, Baker Book House, 1981, state: “The future, like the subjunctive, is frequently used as imperative. This is limited to second and third person forms of the future and thus corresponds with the imperative forms. While the subjunctive used as imperative shows a correspondence between tenses, the future indicative used as imperative does not. So for every future used imperativally, we had to determine the tense of the imperative function.  We did this item by item, deciding in each case the aspectual sense (punctiliar action, durative action, etc.) of the command.”   pp. 810, 811.

SCRIPTURAL LOVE: Comprised of Many Parts

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Love is not merely one entity but is made up of many different parts.  There are many different kinds of love.  Bible love is by no means the same as the world’s love.  “God is love” (1 John 4:8, 16).  God is surely not the same as the world!  God’s love is comprised of many different parts.  He lists several of these parts in what has been called the ‘love chapter’ (1 Cor. 13).

Love  1)  “suffereth long, and  2)  is kind; charity  3)  envieth not; charity  4)  vaunteth not itself,  5)  is not puffed up, 6)  Doth not behave itself unseemly,  7)  seeketh not her own,  8)  is not easily provoked,  9)  thinketh no evil;  10)  Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but  11)  rejoiceth in the truth;” (1 Cor. 13:4-8).

Someone may counter that these qualities are mostly negative. Though many of these parts are negative, we can understand that for every negative there is generally a corresponding positive. if love does not vaunt itself, it must be humble.  If it does not behave itself ‘unseemly,’ it must behave itself ‘seemly.’  If love does not seek her own, then  it must seek other’s good, etc.  There are many other parts of God’s love which are not listed in 1 Corinthians 13.    Every good part of God is a part of his love and the love of Christ, who is “. . .the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person” (Heb. 1:3). If we grow in Christ’s love we are growing in the love of God.

If our love lacks kindness, longsuffering, humility, or any other part, it is not the complete (perfect) love of Christ.  We need to acquire each part to be “in the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”  We grow into that complete love by keeping his commandments – which is the third part of the great commission – “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you”  (Matt. 28:20).   We note what happens when someone has completely fulfilled the third part of the Great Commission.  He declares: “But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him” (I John 2:5).  Full obedience to the great commission ends in forming the perfect love of God in the disciple’s heart.  Willing obedience to even one of the commandments of God, will give us a part of the love of Christ.  Willingly obeying all of his commands will surely perfect (complete) all of the parts of Christ’s love in us.  This is in line with the definition of love that Jesus gave the apostles just before his crucifixion.

He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.  Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?  Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.  He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.  (John 14:21-24)

Loving God with some of our heart, soul and mind, means obeying some of his commandments.  Obeying the greatest command to “. . .love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Matt. 22:37), is to keep all of his commandments.  Obedience to all of the commands will produce the complete love in our hearts (1 John 2:5).  This is identical to John’s definition in the last chapter of first John.

By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous (1 Jn 5:2-3).

Thus, if we obey the first part of the great commission, we will make disciples whose aim and goal is to be like their master by obeying all things whatsoever Christ commands (Matt. 28:19, 20).

THE CHRISTIAN RACE

Posted on by BETH

God sets a race to run before every child he receives encourages us to “run with patience the race that is set before us” (He 12:1).  The picture of a runner running for the crown is one of the clearest pictures God gives us his purpose.  He That race has a crown to win (1 Cor. 9:24-27).  There is a definite mark or finish line (Phil 3:14).  There are specific unbreakable rules (2 Tim 2:5).  Several months before Paul died  he said: “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing” (2 Tim. 4:7,8).

Paul knew where to run and did.  The runner who does not know the mark, will run aimlessly, without heart.  He will run toward every bright light that beckons.  The Lord does not want anyone to be “tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine” (Eph. 4:14).  The one who believes in a wrong goal runs heartily, but will arrive at the wrong mark. “And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully” (2 Tim. 2:5). We must see God’s plan as it is.  What avail is it for a man to choose what he wants to believe, only to find a few moments after he dies that he missed the mark?  He warns us that many will be shocked who not only knew him, but they were absolutely certain that they were serving him (Matt. 7:21-23).  Even on judgment day they will still believe they knew him and were serving him.  We don’t want that to happen to us.

It is not a question of doubt.  It is a matter of faith – faith in God’s word – every word.  We need to know the truth – all of the truth.  God’s plan can be made to be too hard or too simple.  To do so is to miss the mark.  Many, like the Pharisees, will miss the mark because tradition is strong.  Some have said: “If ‘so-and-so’ has not taught it, it is not so.”  Faith in men is the wrong faith.  Paul did not use his own words so “That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God” (1 Cor. 2:5). Our faith must be in God – in every word that proceeds out of his mouth.  This is not our natural inclination.  “No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better” (Luke 5:39).

On judgment day, we will all wish we had heard and understood every word. God has never said that the gospel is simple.  The closest we can come to a ‘simple’ gospel is in 2 Corinthians 11:3.  The word ‘simplicity’ is literally singleness (not folded), which is ‘sincerity.’  There are first principles in the gospel for babies (Heb. 5:11-14) but there are second principles of the gospel which are not easy to be understood (2 Pe 3:15,16).  God hid this wisdom of the gospel from the foundation of the world so that no prophet or anyone else ever imagined what it is (2 Cor. 2:6-11).  He tells plainly that he revealed these things in wisdom.  God’s wisdom is not simple.  Paul preached the gospel in all wisdom (Col 2:28).  The gospel makes disciples (Mt 28:19), baptizes those who have been made disciples, and then teaches them all Jesus taught them – the complete truth (John 16:13).  This is not simple.