SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/30/2017
8:56 PM
My Worship Time Focus: The Process
of the New Man
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Colossians
3:10b
Message of the
verses: “who is being renewed to a
true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him.”
When we think of the new birth we have to think
about it being like a person who is just born physically and the need to be
feed so that they can grow up and be productive. As new believers Peter tells us to in “1Pe 2:2
like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may
grow in respect to salvation.” So just
as a new born baby does not grow to physically maturity so a new born believer
does not become spiritually mature instantly.
Once a person is born again the flesh will desire that you go back to
the old way of living as it tempts the new believer. There is a spiritual battle that is going on
right from the beginning of the new birth, but remember the old nature has been
replaced with a new one “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new
creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come (2 Cor.
5:17).” Paul also wrote in 2 Cor. 4:16 “Therefore
we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man
is being renewed day by day.” He writes
this to show that the inner man can cope with the decaying outer man.
John MacArthur writes “Being renewed refers to being new
in quality. The preposition on the front
of the verb (ana) makes the verb (kaioo) have the sense of contrast to
what was already there. This is a new
quality of life that never before existed.”
This is why Paul stated “behold, new things have come.” MacArthur writes “Epignosis (true knowledge) refers to a deep, thorough knowledge (1:9). The process of renewal brings increased
knowledge. William Hendriksen writes, ‘When
a man is led through the waters of salvation, these are ankle-deep at first,
but as he progresses, they become knee-deep, then reach to the loins, and are
finally impassable except by swimming (cf. Ezek. 47:3-6)’” A Christian cannot grow without obtaining
knowledge, and that knowledge has to come from the Word of God. Remember what Peter wrote about new believers
needing the pure milk of the Word, and then the diet begins to have food that
you have to chew up as you continue to grow.
Paul tells us in Romans 12:2 that we are “not to be conformed to this
world, but be transformed by the renewing of you mind, that you may prove what
the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” We have written about the word transformed before
“(metamorphoo) to change into another form, to transform, to
transfigure.” Paul writes elsewhere in Ephesians
4:22 “Be renewed in the spirit of your mind.”
MacArthur adds “From mature knowledge flows holy living.”
What is the goal of knowledge? It is to conform the believer “to the image of
the One who created him.” Our goal as a
believer is continually, steadily becoming more and more like the Lord Jesus
Christ and this is progressive sanctification.
Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:49 “Just as we have borne the image of
the earthly, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.” Look at Romans 8:29 “For those whom He
foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son.” The new self will continue to progress toward
Christlikeness until the Lord returns or the believer dies. I have said many times that I am looking for
the Upper-Taker, and not the undertaker.
4/30/2017 9:27 PM
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