When the Apostle Paul wrote about our “old man” being crucified and dead, what did he mean? And what impact do those words have for a Christian today?
There are a lot of people who talk about their old man being dead, only to say it resurrects every morning. That’s because they’re still identifying with having a fallen sinful nature. That is detrimental to Christian growth.
Proverbs 23:7 says, “As he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” If you think you’re still dead in trespasses and sins while also having a new nature, then you’re schizophrenic. It’s just a matter of time until that old nature dominates you again because that’s who you think you are.
But that is not the case for a born-again child of God. You don’t have a part of you that’s separated from God. If you’re born again, your nature has been changed! The only thing compelling you to still live the way you did before you got born again is the fact that you haven’t renewed your mind.
Let me say upfront that understanding this will require some thought and effort on your part. You may not have wanted to hear that, but I believe you're reading this because you're seeking more than just a feel-good message. While some pursue emotional highs and go from conference to conference and from church service to church service, understanding this truth will last long after emotions fade. It’ll be an anchor for your soul and give you a stability that few Christians operate in today.
When I first began ministering, I had the opportunity to spend time ministering in the local jails. I recall talking with one of the inmates, saying, “If I had the power to free you and I just opened the door and said, ‘You’re free!’ you’d be freed. But that doesn’t mean you’d be free. You have to believe you’re free and then act on it by getting off your bunk and walking out the door.”
A similar thing happened when Abraham Lincoln announced the emancipation of slaves in 1863. The Confederate States didn’t think it applied to them, so they didn’t even tell their slaves about the Emancipation Proclamation. Then, on June 19, 1865, some Texas slaves heard from Union soldiers that they had been freed more than two years earlier. Imagine how they must’ve felt hearing that they had been freed all along but just didn’t know it.
That same concept can be applied to us. Jesus has totally set us free. When we were born again, the old man died with Christ. Bornagain believers do not have a sinful nature (Rom. 6:7). We have been freed! But if you somehow or another still believe that you are by nature a sinner, then you’ll still let that sin nature influence you.
It is because the believer’s old man is dead that Paul can give the exhortation in Romans 6:12,“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.” The word therefore is referring to the previous things that were said, which is that your old man is dead. And because you are no longer enslaved to the old man, you can do what Romans 6:13 says:
"Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God."
This is an awesome truth that’s contrary to most religious teaching, but that doesn’t make it wrong. You just have to renew your mind to God’s Word. Part of renewing your mind is reckoning yourself to be dead in the same way that Christ is dead unto sin.
Jesus only died unto sin once, and you only die unto that old sin nature one time. The Bible says your old man is dead, which means it cannot resurrect every morning. If you really understood that it’s not your nature to live in sin anymore, then you would be free from sin.
First Peter 5:8 says that Satan is going about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. He can’t devour just anybody. You have to cooperate with him through unbelief—through sin—in order to give him that inroad into your life.
Look at Romans 6:17, where it says, “But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.” The word servants here was translated from the Greek word doulos, which means “a slave“ (Strong's Concordance).
Before you were born again, you were a slave to sin, and you couldn't consistently operate contrary to it. You might’ve done some good things, but consistently, you were living as a sinner because that was your nature. You were enslaved to sin. But now you’ve been set free from that!
The moment you accept Jesus and put faith in what He did, your old man dies, and God makes you a brand-new creation in Christ Jesus. First John 4:17 says that you are identical to Jesus:
"Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world."
Since God is a Spirit, He looks at you in the spirit. When you’re born again, He sees you as righteous, holy, and pure. Your actions will never be as perfect as Jesus’ actions were when He walked this earth. Your thoughts will never be as pure and as perfect as Jesus’ thoughts are. But in your spirit, you are identical to Jesus right now. That’s awesome!
Most people don’t have this mindset. But the truth is, when you get born again, God puts His nature on the inside of you. You become married—or enslaved—to that nature. And if you would just renew your mind and change that old man’s programming, this new nature that was given to you would compel you to live a holy life the same way that your old sinful nature compelled you to live a sinful life.
This is really simple, but it’s exactly what the Bible says. These are some of the most foundational, liberating things that you could ever learn.
I’ve only just scratched the surface of this subject. I believe this teaching will totally change your life and show you how to walk in the freedom that Jesus Christ died to give you. I encourage you to get the full teaching, titled The Old Man Is Dead. I’m offering a free booklet, and the series is also available in CD, DVD, and USB formats.
To order, you can go to awme.net/OldMan or call our UK Helpline at +44(0)1922 473300.
We love you,
Andrew and Jamie
The Old Man is Dead: Goodbye & Good Riddance
In Andrew Wommack’s teaching The Old Man Is Dead, learn about the transformation that occurred inside you when you were born again and how to leave your sin nature behind.
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