The other day I had a conversation with a client in my barber chair which was most revealing. He said to me, as we discussed the Christian experience, something like this; "I go to church and hear many good things such as; we should trust God no matter what might be our daily experience, we should exercise our Christianity in our behavior or moral standing, we must always forgive others, be kind and honest". Then he said; "after church I go home with a new enthusiasm, however soon I am confronted with who I really am when I look in the mirror and I know I cannot live up to the status or standards I am told I must". He simply realized that; "All men are sinners and fall short of the glory of God", "If we say we have no sin in us we are liars".
The problem is we Christians, if our mind is not totally dulled down by self preoccupation with the things of the world, someday will wake up to realize we are just incapable of living up to the preachers Sunday morning admonitions to promote and encourage a certain standard for us to follow. This man then told me he has left the church, although still a self described Christian. Why? He could not seemingly live up to it's expectations or simply fit the mold and presentation of Christianity as seen from the pews. His good works were never consistent, his morals were not up to par.
He was constantly disappointed with himself and saw himself surrounded by possible hypocrites like him, many observably more aligned with the world than he, yet complacent even happy in their church/social comfort zone. He was not capable of holding to the standard of the church or the bibles teachings as to moral behavior or it's idealism of the faith and neither was anyone else surrounding him, at least in his judgement, so he simply gave up on the church as a place to formulate his Christian disposition.
Does this sound familiar? It sure did to me! And if it doesn't you might consider the dulled down statement above. What is the problem? Is it that the teaching/preaching is not accurate? No not necessarily. These are all good things and often even biblical. The problem is in how we apply them. Or I should say to which man we apply them too.
You see the bible teaches we have two natures to deal with. The bible calls them the old man or first Adam and the new man or last Adam. The first [our current condition as human men and women] is declared by the bible to be born into sin. " Wherefore, as by one man [Adam] sin entered the world; and so death [the natural Adam mans condition] by sin; and so death passed upon all men" Rom. 5:12. The last man or new Man however counters death for us; " In Him you were also circumcised [separated] with a circumcision made without hands in the removal of the body of the flesh [deaths curse removed replaced by His representative status] by the circumcision of Christ [on the cross]; having been buried with Him" Rom. 6:4.
It is entirely our choice which man or identity/personality we cultivate. Understanding the difference will be the most important thing the believer will ever do. The first the old Adam man, who is declared judicially dead by God, but however remains functioning in the old Adam condition in which all of mankind are included, Christian or not. We all live in these sinful human bodies while on the earth. All fully capable and culpable believer and non- believer alike in our subjection to the old Adam sin nature. The non-believer simply has no idea of his condition. Unfortunately many believes also choose ignorance. Men living without exposure to the new creature he is in Christ by faith is condemned to remain in a lifestyle of carnality. " For they [anyone] that are after the flesh [of earthy position not mentally acknowledging their heavenly identification] do mind the thing of the flesh".
This old man is only escapable by a new mental enlightenment or revelation of our position or identity [new men] as a new creature in Christ, which we may approach and live in only by faith. Opening a door for the transformation of the soul. "And do not be conformed [staying in the old Adam mind set] to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, [not behavior, morals, works or church life] that you may prove what is good and acceptable and perfect will of God" Rom, 12:2. Never looking for any verification or validation of it by action or works good or bad from the Adam nature, as we cannot escape the human condition, which is sinful and self centered. Its all from a fresh biblical new creature mental approach from which the soul may change, to a new identification.
If we do not accept by the faith principal God's redefinition of us by the renewing of our mind. Learning from the Words revelation that we are new creatures seen in His Son; we will remain in what Paul described a carnal [immature, old Adam] state. Even worse we will live a worldly controlled existence as the old dulled down man, not even knowing how the Father sees us as completely identified in His Son. This is the absolute worse condition a Christian can live in! He will have no possibility to honor God in this position. Not knowing his own identity as viewed by the Father. As his own self perception when limited to the old man is one that makes him incapable of living the life God has designated for the Christian; even sacrificed His Son for, that His children might see and know themselves in the light of Jesus Christ's life, who is at His right hand in full representation of us.
The escape from the old lies in our self perception, nothing more. "Set you mind on things above...for you have died [judicially] and your life [the eternal life view of you by God] is hidden [positioned, represented] with Christ [in heaven] in God" Col. 3:2,3. This is not a theoretical view of our being which we may observe and look up to in gratitude. No this is the actual condition of what we are before God, as he has made us to be so in His Son. It is only approached and lived by revelation then by faith as truth of who we are as Christians.
Living in the old man as identity the believer is taken up by his own self-consciousness rather than the Father's own scriptural revelation of Himself. His revelation is one thing our self consciousness is quite another. " Oh wrenched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from this body [old Adam] of this death?" Rom. 7:24.
Nothing should be more foreign and distasteful than a Christian centering his testimony always around his feelings about himself. Or even his emotional devout sincerity for his salvation, remaining a worshiper but never going through the veil of the earthly church life, having never reach the end of his self centered old Adam. "It is for the effectual displacement of all this, and to transfer the heart to a entirely new center, a heavenly spiritual reality, that the revelation of the old man is divinely necessary for our souls". "The father is come in to our life to detach us from that which is our natural [old man] center, that He may link our affections with another Person....even with the glorified Lord Jesus Christ...and make Him everything to our hearts, so that our association with Him may be known, [new man] and may become the deep abiding joy of our souls".
It simply cannot be said too much.... All Christians must learn to; "Set your affections [mind] on things above....for you died and your life is hidden with Christ in God" Col. 3:2,3. Our life is not here we are citizens of heaven....therefore we must come to know ourselves thoroughly in the old man condition of death, to associate with the new man [be consciously reassigned] we are in Jesus Christ as our life!
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