SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/5/2019 10:45 PM
My Worship Time Focus: PT-3 “Become
the New Self”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Ephesians
4:23-24
Message of the verses: “23 and that you be
renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24
and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been
created in righteousness
and holiness of the truth.”
Let
us begin by looking at the words righteousness and holiness as seen in verse
24. Righteousness relates to our fellow
men and reflects the second part of the Ten Commandments. The first part speaks of God while the second
part speaks of our neighbors similar to the two things that Jesus spoke of in
the gospels when He said that we are to love God and love our neighbor. I have also equated this with the cross as
the vertical post goes up towards God and the horizontal represents our
neighbors. John MacArthur writes
“Holiness’ (hostiotes, sacred
observance of the duties to God) relates to God and reflects the first table
(Ex. 20:3-11). The believer, then,
possess a new nature, a new self, a holy and righteous inner person fit for the
presence of God. This is the believer’s
truest self.”
So
as we look at these two words we can see that both righteousness and holiness
is this new self that Paul refuses to admit that any sin comes from that new
creation in God’s image. MacArthur goes
on to say that “Thus his [Paul’s] language in Romans 6-7 is explicit in placing
the reality of sin other than in the new self.
He says, ‘Do not let sin reign in your mortal body’ (6:12), and, ‘Do not
go on presenting the members of your body to sin’ (6:13).”
I
certainly have to agree with John MacArthur as he is saying that our new self,
given from God at salvation does not sin, but, and here is the rub, it is
either the old self, (and I don’t think it is), or the flesh (and I think this
is it who causes us to sin). In Romans
chapter seven Paul uses the word flesh four times and in verse 17and 18 he
writes “17 So now, no
longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. 18 For I know
that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the
doing of the good is not.” Let us
also look at verses 20-23, with the emphasis on verses 20 and 23 “20 But if I am doing the very thing I do not
want, I am no longer the
one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. 21 I find then the principle
that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. 22 For I joyfully concur
with the law of God in the inner man, 23 but I see a different law in the members of my body,
waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my
members.”
MacArthur
writes “In those texts Paul acknowledges that being a new self in the image of
God does not eliminate sin. It is still
present in the flesh, the body, the unredeemed humanness that includes the
whole human person’s thinking and behavior.
But he will not
allow that new inner man to be given responsibility for sin. The new ‘I’ loves and longs for the holiness
and righteousness for which it was crested.”
Let
us look now at Paul’s summary which is the dichotomy (a division or
contrast between two things that are or
are represented as being opposed or entirely different), as he writes the following in Romans
7:24-25 “24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this
death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one
hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my
flesh the law of sin.” This struggle
that is going on inside of every believer prompts the anticipation for “the
redemption of the body” which is described in Romans 8:23 “23 And not only this, but also we ourselves,
having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within
ourselves, waiting eagerly
for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.” “20
For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a
Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; 21 who
will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of
His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things
to Himself” (Phil. 3:20-21).
John
MacArthur concludes this section with a preview of what comes next in
Ephesians: “The remaining portions of
the epistle contain exhortations to the believer to bring his body into
obedience to the will of God.”
Scripture that goes with yesterday’s
quotation: “The eyes of the Lord are in
every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3).
5/5/2019 11:16 PM
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