Notes:

The New Man

• Paul exhorted the Ephesians to, ‘…walk worthy of the calling with which you were called’ (Eph.4:1).
• And to the Philippians he wrote, ‘…let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ’ (Phil.1:27).
• The word ‘worthy’ means ‘as is fitting or appropriate’.

There is a practical outworking of the grace of God in our daily lives. Sadly, there are many wrong teachings regarding this.

For example:

• Some teach deficiency, i.e. the reason we may struggle in our Christian walk is because God has left us without sufficient resources. We need more! This leads to a dichotomy in the body of Christ between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’, and leads to spiritual co-dependency where the ‘haves’ need to impart to the have-nots’. But we already possess all we need for life and godliness. Growth is just an expansion of the life we already have.
• Some teach legalism, i.e. that holiness is to be attained by our striving, or is manufactured by our works. This is behaviour modification. They believe we can train the flesh how to behave properly. However, we are already holy. Godliness is an outflow of that which we are already in possession of.
• Some teach passivity, i.e. ‘just let go and let God!’ Those who teach this fear that any kind of exhortation or instruction concerning practical living will lead to legalism. But this kind of teaching is disempowering. Paul’s letters are full of exhortations concerning how we are to live, because he knew that we have already been empowered to live as children of light.

So what did Paul teach? Paul’s teachings are in two distinct parts: doctrine and exhortation. This is like the two blades of a pair of scissors.

1) The first blade: doctrine

A) What Christ has done for us, i.e. He has made us righteous, complete, holy, sons of God, etc. This concerns our identity in Christ through baptism into His death, burial and resurrection.

B) What Christ has given to us, i.e. His life in us. Everything we need for godliness lives inside us, ‘…His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue’ (2 Pet.1:3). Thus, whatever God asks of us He has already given to us.

2) The second blade: exhortation

• We are called to put on the Lord Jesus Christ, i.e. to be who we are and to bring forth what we have.
• ‘…asthe elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering…’ (Col.3:12).
• We are to work out what He has worked in us, ‘…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure’ (Phil. 2:12-13). Notice that Paul tells us to work out our salvation, not work on it or at it.
• We do this by faith – ‘…the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me’ (Gal.2:20). The Christian life is ‘…from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith”’ (Rom.1:17).
• As we put on the Lord Jesus Christ by faith, we make no provision for the flesh, ‘…put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts’ (Rom. 13:14).
• As we put on the new man in Christ, we put off the old behaviour, (see Eph.4:22-32).
• Our focus is not on dealing with the flesh, but walking in the Spirit. If we walk in the Spirit the consequence will be that we will not fulfill the desires of the flesh. ‘Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh’ (Gal. 5:16).
• Similarly, if we offer the members of our bodies for righteousness they are not available for sin, (see Rom.6:13,16,19).

Our obedience is made possible by the Holy Spirit. ‘For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live’ (Rom.8:13).