Bible Study Week 9
Part 2
From the Old Man to the New Man
It is exciting to witness the miraculous manifestations of God's power in church. But the greatest miracle that can ever happen to someone is to experience the life-changing transformation brought about by the new birth (John 3:5). Jesus performed powerful miracles during His ministry, including the raising of the dead. He gave the disciples power to perform many of these same miracles, but He cautioned them not to rejoice because they had power over spirits but rather "because your names are written in heaven" (Luke 10:20). The Lord is obviously more concerned with the miracle of salvation and eternal life than any other miracle that could be performed. Salvation is always God's highest priority for humankind.
The Works of the Flesh
Jesus offers victory over satanic forces, human weakness, and struggles of life; (John 16:33; I John 5:4-5; I Corinthians 15:57). But it seems that the greatest enemy is within. "Out of the heart of men proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these things come from within, and defile the man" (Mark7:21-23). When we receive the Holy Spirit, we receive the very presence and life of God to dwell within, and He gives us power to conquer the fleshly nature.
The sins in Mark 7:21-23 come from carnal, sinful nature. Galatians 5:19-21 also lists sins that come from the sinful human nature. "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like. "When left to itself, the heart is capable of unbelievable evils.
Those who live according to the dictates and the desires of this sinful nature can never please God. It is impossible to please God with the carnal mind, for it is hostile toward Him and does not submit to His laws (Romans 8:7). For this reason God gives a new nature (Romans 7:6; I Corinthians 6:17), a new mind (I Corinthians 2:16), and a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26-27; Romans 5:50, thus making a new man (Ephesians 4:24) full of new life (Romans 6:4; II Corinthians 5:17).
The old man, as he is called (Ephesians 4:22), cannot please God. He cannot understand God (I Corinthians 2:14), neither can he live holy before God. (Romans 8:5-6). Can sweet water come from a bitter spring? (James 3:11). Of course not! Neither can he who lives in the lower nature of the old man produce the fruit of the newly created man.
The sinful nature will oppose God's work in each heart (II Corinthians 10:3-5). The Christian has a dual nature--the nature of God and the sinful nature of the flesh (Galatians 4:29). We must overcome the sinful nature. Sometimes people fail in the struggle, but if they repent and keep trusting in God, they will have victory. Children fail many times before they are finally able to walk. When God's children make mistakes and fail, He promises forgiveness and strength to rise and walk again if they will confess and repent (I John 1:9; Hebrews 4:15-16; 12:3-4).
"Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 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" (Romans 6:12-13).
Fruit of the Spirit
When the Spirit of God is resident in a person's heart, the Spirit will produce a harvest of love, joy, peace, gentleness, goodness, longsuffering, faith, meekness, and temperance (Galatians 5:22-23).
>>> Why do you think the Bible describes these good qualities as fruit?
Our goal as Christians should be to grow closer to God and grow toward the purpose God has for us. Consistent with the idea of growing, Scripture also promises our will show fruit, of the work of the Spirit within us.
The Spirit will conquer the things that were formerly destroying the person. Unbelief is conquered by faith, hatred is conquered by love; wrath and strife by longsuffering and temperance, fear by love and patience, bondage by deliverance, and so on. What a tremendous experience it is to see God completely change the old man into a brand new man who flowers into the true image of God (Ephesians 4:24).
Romans 12:21 states the principle for abundant life: "Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." Jesus said in Luke 6:45, "A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth that which is good. An evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh." To bring forth good things, we must have a new heart, for the heart is the fountain of all the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23). It is the ultimate aim of God to bring forth the fruit of His Spirit in the hearts of His people (John 15:8). He knows that a life abounding with the fruit of His Spirit is a meaningful and complete life.