THE NEW MAN

THE NEW MAN

Passage: Colossians 3:8 – 13 [KJV]

“⁸But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. ⁹Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; ¹⁰And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: ¹¹Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

¹²Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; ¹³Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. {quarrel: or, complaint}”.

 

Memory Verse: [2 Corinthians 5:17 – Amplified Version]

“Therefore if any person is in Christ (the Messiah), he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old (previous moral and spiritual condition) has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!”

 

The death of Christ brought about the introduction of the new man (John 12:24). The concept of the new man brings up the issue of the old man. In the Bible, the old man is mentioned in Romans 6:6, Ephesians 4:22 and Colossians 3:9 in relation to our old nature which is after Adam. This topic seeks to bring to bear the nature of the old man, the distinction between the old man and the new man, the nature of the new man and the output thereof.

 

The Old Man

The old man is the nature of man that is after the nature of the fallen Adam. “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” Romans 5:12. This old nature is under the curse of sin and hence suffers the consequences of sin, the ultimate of which is death. When man fell, the original proper order of spirit, soul and body was upset. In Genesis 2:17, God did not want Adam to eat the fruit because the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil only exalts the soul, hence suppressing the spirit and subjecting the latter to the rule of the former.

 

The scientific definition of death is the cessation of all the vital functions that are required to keep an organism alive. One of the main and vital functions of the spirit of man is communion with God. Adam did not die physically after eating the fruit; his death had to do with his spirit being separated from God. The consequent inability of man’s spirit to commune with God marked a cessation of vital functioning and thus death. However, this does not mean that his spirit disappeared. Instead, his spirit lost its sensitive awareness to God (Romans 3:23). For example; a deaf person has his ears but is unable to hear because the ears are dead in respect to hearing. The spirit fell into a lifeless sleep. The flesh then began to rule; hence man became flesh (Genesis 6:3).

 

Regeneration

“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Titus 3:5).

 

Regeneration is the means by which man who was hitherto after the flesh is born of the Spirit. The issue of the old man (old nature) was dealt with by Christ on the cross so that anyone who accepts the gift salvation is freed from the curse of sin and its effects. The unregenerate man is born of the flesh and is therefore flesh. Through regeneration man is born of the spirit (John 3:6). After this, there is a step-by-step progression until perfection is fully manifested.

 

Upon regeneration, the spirit which was dead and fallen I quickened by the Spirit of God thus imparted with the life of God thus eternal life (John 3:16). As a result, Holy Spirit controls his (regenerated man) spirit; his spirit controls the soul and, through the soul, the body. When He enters, it is as if a lamp is lit (Proverbs 20:27). This is the new spirit (Ezekiel 36:26). The basis of regeneration is the cross (John 3:14-16). Regeneration is the first step in the spiritual life. Although the spiritual life received at the time of regeneration is complete, it is not full-grown. This is similar to a fruit in its young stage; it is still a fruit though not full-grown/mature.

 

The “new man” is the converted, regenerated man. The significance of regeneration include the following:

1.      Regeneration is a new birth. By this new birth the spirit of man is imparted with a new life (John 3:3-6).

2.      Regeneration results in the new creation which is created after the nature of God. The spirit of the regenerated man is quickened and made alive to God. This spirit now has desires for things emanating from God so that the new man is not governed by the appetite and desires to sin or satisfy the flesh (not determined by his fallen). (Ephesians 2:1-5).

3.      The regenerated man is given a new heart (heart of flesh). (Ezekiel 36:26).

 

The New Man

“And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” Ephesians 4:24.

 

The new man is the regenerated man. That is, the individual who has accepted and confessed Christ as Lord and Saviour. Thus, when a person becomes born again, that person belongs to the order of the new man; meaning that person has put on the new man (Colossians 3:10). Such person has his spirit or inner man made alive; and his awareness to God restored (thus, his spirit-conscious being is alive again). He is without sin and blameless before God (1 Peter 1:23, Romans 8:1).

 

Many believe that we have been restored unto the original Adam but this is not so. We have been made a new creature all together as 2 Corinthians 5:17 says; one that the world has never known before. 1 Corinthians 15:45 says: “And so it is written, the first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.” The last Adam is Christ and we are made in His likeness; a quickening spirit, in other words, a life-giving spirit. The new man expresses the life of The Christ. The nature of righteousness flows from the spirit of the new man and invades his soul and body.

 

The Nature of the New Man: The “new man” is an appellation yielded by the contrasted idea of the “old man” (Rom. 6:6; Eph. 2:15; 4:22-24; Col. 3:9-10). The “old” is “corrupt” and expresses itself in evil “deeds”; the “new” possesses the “image of God” and is marked by “knowledge, righteousness and holiness.”

 

There are two Greek words “new” – neos and kainos. The former means “new” in the sense of young, as the new-born child is young thing; the latter means “new” in the sense of renovated, as when the house which has been rebuilt is called a new house. The converted man is “new” (neo-anthropos) in the sense that he is a “babe in Christ,” and “new” (kaino-anthropos) in the sense that his moral nature is renovated and built over again. In the New Testament there are 5 different verbs used to express the action put forth in making “old man” a “new man.”

1.      He is “created” and thus called a new creature. (Ephesians 2:10, 4:24, 2 Corinthians 5:1)

2.      He is “begotten again” (anagennao) by the Spirit. (1 Peter 1:3).

3.      He is “quickened” (zoopoieo) and has been made “alive from dead” by a spiritual resurrection. (Ephesian 2:1, 2:5; Romans 6:13).s

4.      He has been made “young” (ananeoo) and a child of the Spirit at the commencement of his religious experience. (Ephesians 4:23).

5.      He’s said to be “renovated” (anakainoo) such that the sinful human nature is taken by the Spirit and morally recast into the new man. (2 Corinthians 4:16; Romans 12:2).

 

Separation from the World

The new man in Christ has been made different and separated from the life of this world. We believers, now have a life that is divine; hence we should live as such. From 2 Corinthians 6:14-18, Paul admonishes us to be separate; different from this world and its ways. In James 4:4, we are told that friendship with the world is enmity with God. For what communion has light with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14) Our life is distinct and should be seen as such by the world. We are to live the life that manifests Christ to the world.

 

To be separate is to:

·         Be apart: not touching or connected, not together, or not in the same place.

·         Be unrelated: distinct from something or someone else.

 

Holiness: When the Bible calls God holy it means primarily that God is transcendentally separate. He is so far above and beyond us that He seems almost totally foreign to us. This however, does not mean that God is unreachable, it just means He is absolutely different in nature with respect to all creation. To be holy is to be “other” or “uncommon”, to be different in a special way; being set apart from the all. Some believers say they are not holy because they have sinned. This is wrong. We are holy not because of us or what we do, but because of our association with God. However, this does not give us the liberty to sin. “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?” Romans 6:1.

 

Holiness then is apartness; that is been set apart from the world, not conforming to the standards of this world.

 

With this knowledge, we realize how wonderful the new nature given us is. “It is a gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9. But we need to be cautious not to make this just mere knowledge without works; it should be manifested in our lives to the glory of God. As Ephesians 2:10 says: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” In that we have been made new men in Christ Jesus and God expects us to walk in the realities of the new man as expressly said in the text above.

 

Glory to God!!!

 

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VESSELS OF HONOUR

VESSELS OF HONOUR

Passage: 2 Timothy 2:19 – 22 [NIV]

“¹⁹ Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: The Lord knows those who are His, and everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness. ²⁰ In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. ²¹ If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work. ²² Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”

Memory Verse: 2 Corinthians 4: 7 [NKJV]

“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us”.

A vessel is any craft designed to serve a specific purpose. A vessel can also be a person who possesses a particular or who is used for a particular purpose. Every believer has been moulded as a craft to carry out a particular task.

“You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” [2 Corinthians 3:3 NIV]. This verse makes us aware that, we are the letters of Christ, meaning each believer communicates a particular idea of God to the world. Thus, we are the embodiments of His message to the world. In this write up, we are going to consider what it means to be a Vessel for the Lord.

THE “GREAT HOUSE”

From 2 Timothy 2:19 – 22, Paul talks about a great house with vessels made of different materials such as gold, silver, clay and wood. Paul in this analogy draws our attention to the truth that not all who make up the church are serving as honourable members. Some are with iniquity and cannot be regarded as the precious vessels God requires all to be. This categorization of believers as either type of vessels is based on the functioning of the vessels and not in their abilities. Thus, those who deeds are full of iniquity are seen unto dishonour whiles those who have purged themselves from iniquity are unto honour. What matters is how well the vessel has made itself ready and available for the master’s use.

Bringing this to our lives, it is clear that not all in the church are regarded by God as Vessels of honour. There are people with admirable abilities that everyone seems to admire, people with sweet melodies voice, others with good oratory abilities, some graced with breath taking beauty and many more. But the fact that one has all these characteristics and abilities does not make the person a chosen vessel of God.

A clear example can be seen when Jesus while on earth and choosing disciples, He left those who were well versed in Scriptures, had the respect of people among others and went for ordinary fishermen, sinful tax collectors and others not even respected by their families but were willing to give themselves to be used of the master. What God needs is a vessel that is readily available and willing to be cleansed for used.

KINDS OF VESSELS

·       Vessels of gold and silver

These are those precious vessels fit to be used at the table of the master. The vessels of gold and silver refer to the kind of believers that exhibit the characteristics of the elements gold and silver. These elements can stand fire or heat. When these elements are passed through fire they are refined all unwanted particles are burnt away. In effect these vessels of gold and silver core refined when passed through challenging times and circumstances. They continue to trust God even in those hardship or difficult circumstances, and these gutter. They are faithful unto death [Rev 2: 10].

Secondly, just like gold, these crop of believers can easily, be moulded to suit the masters use.    They are ever willing to follow the master’s purpose for their uses. In most cases, God uses events and daily encounter in life to shape us into more purposeful ambassadors. However, some believers do not avail themselves in order to be moulded to suit the masters’ use. It takes a while for them to submit their will, passion and emotions to conform to their plan of God for their lives.

Again, these kind of vessels shine incomparably and brighten every area of darkness encountered. Darkness is not able to overcome the radiance of their light. They have not lighted their lamps and put it under a bushel but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. Thus, the become men and women people look up to for inspiration. They declare the truth boldly and wisely, shinning everywhere they find themselves.

·        Vessels of wood and clay

These are the vessels which are not fit to be used by the master at the table. These kind of believers have not set themselves apart from the world and are easily deceived because they do not have the truth well-grounded in them. Just like wood which loses its shape and is burnt to ashes when passed through fire there are believers who cannot stand the test of fire and even heat. Sometimes, what is needed to change their confession is a small wind of a challenging moment or a moment of unanswered prayers. They are tossed to and fro by any wind of testing moments. In most of the time their resilience is quite questionable.

Secondly, contrary to the vessels of gold and silver, these kind find it extremely difficult to submit their will, intellect and emotions to God. Their actions usually oppose the workings of the Holy Spirit in them. Just like Jonah, they have to be subjected to a lot of inconveniences before their will be submitted. These kind of believers are yet to explore the depth of brokenness.

Moreover, these kind of vessels express radiance far below the divine capacity deposited in them. They are not able to rely on the Holy Spirit for optimum manifestation of God’s glory in them. Sadly enough, some have their lamps lighted but the lamps are hidden under blankets and bushels. These vessels are therefore used for ordinary purposes. It is worth knowing that irrespective of the nature of the vessels, it can still be used as a vessel of honour (2 Timothy 2:21). Vessels of honour are more precious and reserved for special purposes. Our being used as vessels of honour is however dependent on our willingness to be broken.

THE WAY FORWARD

·       Purging one’s self

To be a vessel of honour fit for the master’s use, Paul admonishes us to shy away from people who have corrupting influences and desist from ignoble and unclean things. Also, he continued to say in 2 Timothy 2:22 that “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” [NIV]. Paul used a similar admonition in 1 Timothy 6:11 – 12, “Flee……….. pursue ……….. fight”. True Bible separation is balanced: we flee sin, but we pursue righteousness. If we are not balanced, then we will be isolated instead of separated. In fact, Paul admonishes us to fellowship “…. With them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart” [2 Timothy 2:22]. After all, this is the purpose of ministry of the Word [1 Timothy 1:15]. It is sad when true believers are isolated because of a false view of separation. We are to note that, it does not matter how outstanding our abilities, talents and beauty are, what matters is a vessel that has cleaned itself from all worldliness and is ready to be used by God for an honourable purpose.

·       Purging by the Lord (John Chapter 5)

For God to be able to use us as vessels, we must be empty, clean and available. He will take us, fill us and use us for His glory. But if we are led by sin of defiled by disobedience. He will first have to purge us; and that might not be an enjoyable experience. In the “great house” or Christian family, there are true believers and false. We must exercise spiritual discernment and be careful that we are vessels sanctified unto honour. Potters use water to soften hard clay before moulding. In the same vein, God uses His Word which is described as water in Ephesians 5:26 to soften and mould us into His original intent. Our temper and self-control among other characters and qualities are been worked on by the dual partnership of the Word and Holy Spirit in us.

WORK OF THE VESSEL

After we have availed ourselves to be used, what we produce as vessels count. The Bible has made it clear that what we produce would be tested. For one’s works to stand the test of fire, it is to have its source from God. Any work originating from the flesh has no life and as such corrupts with time. The Bible clearly states that God is Love (1 John 4:8). In other words, whatever we produce only matters when it emanates from or is motivated by love. Paul explains this truth in 1 Corinthians 13: 1 – 3; “¹ If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ² If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. ³ If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.”

A responsibility is placed on us as vessels of honour to produce lasting works. Thus, works which have life and works fueled by love. Not that which perishes after it has been passed through fire. Works fueled by selfishness, envy, greed, bitterness, pride, etc…these are dead works.

For we will all stand before the “judgment seat” to account for our works (2 Corinthians 5:10). We must remember that, we were not saved by good works rather we were saved to do good works (Ephesians 2:10). We are to manifest the good works God has prepared in advance in us. We are to be the light and salt of the world. We have but one purpose as vessels and this purpose is to be fit, ready and profitable to the master and to show forth the praises of Him (1 Peter 2:9).

As vessels, members of the household of God, God has ordained every believer to be a vessel of honour. Depositing in each believer a treasure needed for the benefit of the world, for creation is eagerly waiting for the manifestation of this treasure. We should also know that the excellency and glory of this treasure is of God, not man; as such we should know how to possess the treasure deposited in us as vessels in sanctification and honour. That the world will know the riches of these vessels of honour which God has afore prepared unto glory.

      

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SOMEONE NEEDS TO HEAR THIS

SOMEONE NEEDS TO HEAR THIS

“Now Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; so the children of Israel heeded him, and did as the LORD had commanded Moses.” (Deuteronomy 34:9 NKJV)

You need loyal people to stand with you to succeed in Ministry. You need Loyal sons and daughters around your anointing and Vision to help you grow. You need people that will Love and Respect you and your anointing. Never walk with sons and daughters that looks down on you, never walk with Sons that thinks they are better than you. To the sons you can't receive the same anointing you are fighting. You can't insult, make mockery, gossip, trash, criticize His anointing and still expect to be Bless by the same anointing.

ü  If you think you are anointed more than your spiritual father and u can’t submit under Him, Then Leave

ü  If you can't celebrate your father in his absence. Then Leave.

ü  If you have submitted under the Anointing of a Father, and you don't feel like talking, preaching or to do things like Him. Then Leave

ü  You know you are more educated then your Spiritual father and you feels He doesn't deserve the Favors and Respect many gives to him. Then Leave

ü  If you keep introducing your Spiritual father to your friends as a Friend in his absence to make your friends know that u are also anointed. Then you are not a Son but a Devil. So Leave

ü  If you are in your spiritual father's church, and you have started forming your own church out of his own, you are a traitor. So Leave

ü  The laying of hands doesn't necessarily realizes the Anointing but the Love and Respect you have for the Vessel that carries the Anointing.

ü  If you are a Son and you cannot promote, grow and spread out your father's Vision then you are not a true son but a competitor. So Leave.

A father will have many people Love him and many hated him. But you as a Son must submit, support and homer Him. They may have their weakness and mistakes. What the church of today is lacking are Loyal Sons and Daughters, David was so much afraid even when he cut off the garment of Saul he still had to go back and tell him. The people around him wanted him to kill Saul but he respected the Anointing on him, even though He himself were also Anointed. Saul was into sorcery and demonic stuffs but he dare not touch him.

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