Ephesians 4:21-24 NLT
[21] “Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, [22] throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. [23] Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. [24] Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.”
Living this new life of faith and obedience begins with a choice. God does not force us to do His will. He provides the grace and the power by giving us His Spirit. However, we must take the initiative when the tests and temptations to gratify our old nature come.
Paul says we must change our attitude. We do this by mentally taking off our old nature as we would our soiled clothes. Then we put on the clean clothes of salvation. This means that we choose to think and act out of our new nature of faith and love, not out of the old nature of lust and deception.
Trouble us, there’s a war going on inside us, flesh against spirit. Our spirit, renewed by God’s power, wants to do the right thing but our flesh rebels against God’s will. Paul knew how deadly this battle was when he tried to overcome his old nature by himself without help.
Romans 7:15, 21-23 NLT
[15] “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate…
[21] I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. [22] I love God’s law with all my heart. [23] But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.”
We all know how horrible this battle is and how often we lose and succumb to temptation.
So, what’s the answer?
Paul learned that there is an effective way to deal with our flesh. It begins, again, in the mind, just as sin begins in the mind. A young preacher from the USA taught me that we become what we dwell on. How true is that! The more we dwell on our sinful actions and reactions, the stronger the pull to go that way.
So, says Paul, there is another more effective way to handle temptation.
Reckon, think of as true, done, accomplished! What must we reckon?
- That we died with Jesus when He died.
Romans 6:1-4 NLT
[1] “Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? [2] Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? [3] Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? [4] For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.”
We died with Jesus and we were raised again to a new life to which we testified by our baptism.
Dead people don’t sin!
- That we are no longer slaves to sin.
Romans 6:6-8 NLT
[6]”We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. [7] For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. [8] And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him.”
Satan’s lie – sin still controls us. The truth is that Jesus set us free from sin’s grip on us.
Dead people are no longer slaves.
- That sin is no longer your master.
Romans 6:14 NLT
[14] Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.
We belong to a new master, Jesus. We are under His authority, no longer under Satan’s mastery. Satan is lying when he tells us to obey him.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NLT
[19] “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, [20] for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.”
Armed with the truth of our position in Christ, we change our attitude from pawns of our sinful nature to overcomers through Jesus by the power of God’s Spirit.
Romans 7:24,25a NLT
[24] “Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?
[25] Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord…”
Romans 8:37 NLT
[37] “No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.”
Once again, this is a partnership between us and God. We can do nothing on our own but, once we are enlightened by the truth and we make our choice to believe God’s Word, the Holy Spirit gives us power to say “No!”
We “put on” the new nature and act accordingly.
I think it’s like making bricks. Let me explain. The brickmaker pours brickmaking material into a mould and bakes it in an oven to set it. Then he removes the mould and the brick is made.
God gives us the mould… love. We pour love into the mould by choosing to love even if we don’t feel like loving. We ‘fire’ our loving ‘brick’ by choosing to love again and again. The more we act in a loving way towards others, the more loving becomes who we are. In this way, based on what we have learned to reckon, we are putting off the old nature by putting on the new.
It might sound simple but learning to live and walk in the Spirit is a lifelong process. However, every journey begins with the first step. We must set our minds to reign over our old nature in this life if we want to reign with Jesus in His kingdom in the next life.
So, you see, it all depends on what we look at. If we keep seeing ourselves as pitiful failures, that’s what we become. If we keep looking at Jesus, our model and mentor, guess what! We become more like Him!
2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV
[18] “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”