The Promise of the Ages Part 2 "The New Man - Partakers in the Divine Nature"
By Anthony Barbera April 13, 2010
One of the most exciting and thrilling promises in the Word of God is that our Heavenly Father has invited us to be partakers of His divine nature. When we chose to join His son Jesus Christ as a partaker and joint heir, we are considered a new man, which after God is created us in righteousness and true holiness. Holy to the Father and seated in the heavenlies with Christ Jesus.
Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature [κτίσις-creation]: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2Cr 5:17
The new man is designed by God and outfitted for his new home in the heavenlies, where he has already been granted citizenship.
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. [3] For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, [who is] our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. Col 3:1-4
Before we look at this new man [men and women], it is proper to bring back to our remembrance what it takes to become a part of this heavenly family, where Christ has reserved a place for you and I, and we are in the book of life.
In Adam, the life of a perfect man was lost. All that was left of Adam was the natural man: the man of body and soul. Now he and Eve lacked spirit. He lost dominion and authority by giving it away, vacating his position. The one, who was there to take it, was Satan. From the time of the fall of man until the presence of Christ all humanity was on a collision course with ultimate death. The perfect man Adam gave away eternal life for all mankind. Thus, the ransom to obtain back a man of body, soul and spirit, was the life of another perfect man. The ransom being held was spirit. God took it upon Himself to rectify this awful situation.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16
God didn’t leave man in this unredeemed state of eternal death. God, in his mercy and grace made entry into His kingdom free, with one requirement.
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven, and [things] in earth, and [things] under the earth; And [that] every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Phil 2:9-11 KJV
How do we acquire the new man? To receive this gift of God you must do the following. It is a requirement, and really the only requirement to gain access.
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. [10] For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Rom 10:9-10 KJV
In Ephesians 4:24 we are told to put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Who is this new man, this new creation? How does he differ from the old man? We know that the old man is what you are when you are born into this life. However, when you except God’s gift of eternal life, that spirit of God in Christ in you is created within. God refers to it as “Christ in You” the hope of glory. In Colossians 2:6 it instructs us, “As ye have therefore received [accepted] Christ Jesus the Lord, [so] walk ye in him.
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities[the native weakness of our old man nature]: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered [expressed in words]. [27] And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what [is] the mind [thoughts]of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to [the will of] God. Rom 8:26-27
The old man or, soul man, the one born without spirit, as I like to call him, is a man who is born into this world without the spirit of God within. The old man or old nature, the one inherited from Adam, cannot be fixed or made right. The old man has personal problems of which being dead (having a death sentence, which will be carried out), is only the most prominent. Secondly, the old man cannot understand the things of God because they are spiritually discerned, or separated from his understanding. Truly, without the spirit form God within, there can be no real understanding of God. There may be appreciation, regard, even awe—but not a true and vital relationship.
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Cor 2:14
The form of the spirit, which God freely creates in a person who asks Him for it, is on the other hand, made up of two parts: spirit and love; God is spirit and God is love.
We should look at some of the characteristics of the new man, but before we do, we must be mindful of one simple truth that for some Christians is still a very foggy. It is this: This new man is created by God, so that he cannot give away its spirit from God once it is received from God! Let me repeat this. You cannot give away your spirit from God as Adam did, even if you try. It is not transferable. Remember, it only took Adam and Eve two chapters to lose their spirits, which was placed upon them upon condition.
Secondly, the new man is not designed like the old man. The new man is not motivated by the same ideals or characteristics. They do not operate the same way and they weren’t fashioned to do so. The old man is motivated, like Adam, to do it himself. He is a self made man. The new man, on the other hand is motivated by the characteristics of his Creator; the divine nature; love.
Here is where the problem arises. We try to operate the new man the same way we operate the old man, and guess what? It doesn’t work. That’s religion. That’s what being religious is. You do this and you do that, and through your doing, you feel that you are becoming pleasing to God.
Religion is man’s way. True Christianity is about family. A father with his children. Relationship. The new man is perfect (fully equipped and able in all aspects) as a minister of love. The new mannew man communicates with God by way of spirit and his everlasting life starts the moment that he accepts Christ as Lord. That is why it cannot be lost: it is eternal life spirit, an inheritance incorruptible. If God says it’s incorruptible, that settles it. Period. walks with love motivating his actions, following in the spirit steps of his brother, the first to be raised from the dead—Jesus Christ. This
Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 1Pe 1:3-4
The new man has access to his Creator and Father whenever he chooses. He speaks with God, spirit to Spirit, by way of the new birth language, or simply prays as he wishes. If he breaks the fellowship with his Father by sinning, he has an advocate who stands up for him against the railing of Satan the accuser within the great heavenly hall of justice. Additionally, he is able to mediate the sin by going directly to the Father and obtaining forgiveness, which is given freely by way of mercy. You may hang up, so to speak, but your heavenly Father is always on the other end when you decide to talk again. He loves His kids and wants nothing more than to talk.
Remember, the old man wants to do it himself. The new man is dependent upon God for all his needs to be met, not himself. The new man looks to God for his answers. Because we cannot fix the old man, we are instructed by God to put off the old man.
That ye put off concerning the former conversation [behavior] the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; Eph 4:22
To put off means to lay aside, lay it down, put it away—just get rid of it. That old nature cannot be fixed, so in the scriptures we are instructed to lay it aside.
Now there seems to be a real question that arises here. How? How in this world do you throw aside this behavior which is corrupt because of deceitful over-desire? Lust can be an over-desire for anything. Well the answer is not in the world—but it is in the next two verses.
And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Eph 4:22-24
How great is that? It is as simple as can be. Throw off the old nature by putting on the new nature. As you walk in the spirit of the new man, the old man simply falls away. That is a "just do-it" thing. It’s not you deciding what to do all the time, it’s you, deciding to do it His way. Making him Lord in your life.
Now here is some good knowledge. The new man’s motivation is not what might happen if he doesn’t, but what he gets to do because he already is. The new man doesn’t act out of fear, but out of love. True love is doing God’s will.
The new man has not been restored to what Adam was, oh no—he has been endued with something even greater, eternal life, that cannot be lost, because Jesus Christ paid the sentence of death on our behalf. As a result, we are justified before God; all charges have been dropped, as though they never occurred. The new man’s realm is not sin but grace.
That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. Rom 5:21
New means New. The new man doesn’t operate in the same way as the old Man. The New Man is a new creation. Designed outside of the realm of this world controlled by Satan. Now here is an interesting point. When we try to discipline our life by our ability to walk without sin—then we have problems. First of all, no one can really do it. Sometimes we sin more. Furthermore, the new man is not born again under the dominion, or authority of Satan, ruled by sin. His citizenship is provided by heaven. You see, it is an entirely different mindset. We are not to dwell on the old way, the nature or its realm, but on the new!
We want our focus to be upon God and His son Jesus Christ—not upon sin and Satan’s realm.
We are ambassadors to the earth and represent our Heavenly Father, always encouraging men back to God. He has delivered us from the power of darkness, and has translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: We are seated in the heavenlies with Christ Jesus. For as death reined by one man’s disobedience (Adam), much more, they which receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness through the obedience of one, Jesus Christ, shall reign in life.
The new man realizes that there are great rewards and privileges to obedience, and consequences for sin… so he doesn’t wish to partake in the second, for he knows that a great price has been paid for his life and membership into the Royal Household of God. As he walks in love, his desire is to do the Father’s will. He’s not thinking or dwelling on sin, but walk in love. As the new man put’s on the mind of Christ, the old man simply falls away. Think about it this way. One way to lose weight is to go to the gym and lift weights. As muscle is being built, the fat simply falls away. It is replaced by muscle.
God sees our new nature—the Christ in us, not our old nature. We're to walk in love, not earthly reason and judgment. Love is not good or bad, it is simply love. We like to equate love with what we do, instead of who we are. We are no longer sinners saved by grace. We are a new creation who reckons the old man dead.
Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Rom 6:11
When it comes to license or law, it seems as though our natural religious inclination is to fall on one side or the other. Then to point fingers at those on the other side of the line. We are either very religious, follow every rule and law, and condemn ourselves daily for our inability to be perfect, or we use grace as a means for justifying anything we wish to do. As though grace were a license to sin. Neither works. We are to be partakers of His divine nature and we do that by walking in love. When we walk in love, our desire is to do His will. Love does the father’s will and grace is needed because we are not perfect and never will be in this earthly life until Crist returns.
Thrillingly, the new man is a powerhouse of spiritual ability, limited only by his faith to believe that he can do all things through Christ Jesus, and greater things, because Christ has gone to the Father. The gift which he has received from the Father is even greater than the one given to Adam, for he is now equipped with all the enablement’s of Jesus Christ. The affect the new man receives from his use of the gift is the fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance—thus the new man, a man unlike any ever before created, grows in faith and union with his Creator and heavenly Father.
Your heavenly Father wants one thing above all else. Fellowship with you. That you build a personal relationship with Him, communicating always. As we build that first, all other events in life will fall into place in a wonderful way. Our service upon God’s behalf because of our love for Him and not out of religious obligation will come alight.
That new man is you and I! Whether in service at work, at school, sharing God’s Word—in everything we do, the new man is constantly mindful of God’s presence and power in and with him, all day long.
God Bless,
Anthony
