Declaring Doctrine | Part 22 | The Doctrine of the New Man
Alright we’re there in Romans 7. On Sunday nights we’ve been going through a series called “Declaring Doctrine” and we’ve been doing a systematic study of the major doctrines. We’ve been in this section of salvation for several weeks. We talked about justification and propitiation and atonement and those things. Then I preached a sermon on eternal security as well. We talked about why we believe in eternal security and why we believe that once you’re saved, you’re always saved. Tonight, I’m dealing with the subject of the doctrine of the new man. Next Sunday we’ll finish up this doctrine of salvation with the reprobate doctrine. You might not consider the reprobate doctrine as part of salvation and it’s not but it’s within this heading of the different doctrines of salvation.
Tonight, we’re looking at the doctrine of the new man. There are lots of passages that deal with the new man. We’re going to look at a lot of them tonight so I hope you’re ready to move through the Bible with me. But I want to give you several thoughts in regards to the new man and I’d encourage you to take down some notes. Here’s what I want to give you tonight. I want to give you the why, the when, the what, and the who of the new man. The why of the new man. The when of the new man. The what of the new man. The who of the new man.
We’ll start with the why. The why of the new man. Why do you even get a new man at salvation? What’s the purpose of the new man? Romans 7:8 “8 But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.”. When he says here that without the law sin was dead, what he’s saying is that without the law sin was inactive. It had no power. The only power that sins has is through the law. He says “8 But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.”. Verse 9. “9 For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came,…”. That phrase means when the law came, when I understood the laws of God, “when the commandment came sin revived and I died.”. He says I died spiritually and was therefore in need of salvation because of the commandment.
See, the Bible says that the commandments were a school master to bring us to Christ. The law was a schoolmaster that showed us our need for salvation. People often think “If I keep the law it’ll save me.”. The only thing the law can do is condemn you. Because when you look at the law, if you’re honest with yourself, you look at the laws and the commandments of God and you’ll realize that you can’t fulfill all of those laws and commandments. Here Paul says “I was alive without the law once”. You say what is the why of the new man? What is the doctrine of the new man? And the doctrine of the new man is that when you got saved, when you place your faith on Jesus Christ, when you trusted in him for salvation, when you called upon him in faith. The Bible says that God created in you a new man.
You say “Why would I need a new man?”. Here’s why. Because when sin revived. I died. See, I was alive without the law once but when the commandment came sin revived and I died. Now let me just try to explain this to you a little bit so you understand. At the age of accountability, this is a phrase that’s often used in Christian circles and I’m not against it, but at the age of accountability your spirit died. No one is condemned until they understand the law. This is why we believe that babies who die go to heaven. Before a child comes to the place of accountability where they understand the laws of God, they understand what God expects of them, before they come to that accountability, they’re not spiritually dead. Paul said I was alive without the law once. When a child is born, they’re born with a body, soul and a spirit. Their spirit is not dead. However, they as they grow and they mature, they come to a place where they understand the difference between right and wrong. They understand what sin is and the commandments. At that age of accountability, their spirit dies. For I was alive without the law once but when the commandment came sin revived and I died.
Now in Genesis 2, God told Adam and Eve not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He said that the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. But yet Adam and Eve, when they sinned and they took of the tree, they did not die that day physically. In fact, it was hundreds of years before they died. In that day they started to die physically but their spirit died. Genesis 2:17 “17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”.
Notice that the Bible says this “17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”. Adam and Eve did not die physically when they ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil but they began to die physically and they died spiritually that day. Why? Because when we’re born, Adam and Eve were created with a body, soul and spirit. But when we come to the place where we have the knowledge of good and evil, when we get to the place to the age of accountability, when we get to the place where we understand what’s right and what’s wrong, when we understand what we should do and what we should not do, the Bible says then you are guilty. The commandments and the law are like a weapon that kills your spirit. What does this have to do with the new man? This is why. When you get saved, God has to bring a new man. He has to create a new man. He has to quicken or revive your spirit because your spirit was dead. This is why you’ll often hear me say about babies that they’re not condemned. Their spirit is not dead. It’s not till the time that they get to the age of accountability that they even need to be saved.
Romans 3:20 “20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight:”. Look, you cannot keep the law to get yourself saved or get yourself into heaven. “20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”. All the law does is condemns you. All the law does is it points out your inability to save yourself. It shows you that you’ve broken the laws of God. The deeds of the law cannot justify your flesh because by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Let me just talk. I’m preaching about the new man but since we’re on this subject and it’s all kind of together, let me talk about the age of accountability for a little bit. The age of accountability is not a set age. Sometimes you use that phrase and people think “Well, what’s the age?”. The age of accountability is not a set age. It may be different for different children. And by the way, this also applies to people that maybe can never come to the place where they can fully understand the gospel and fully understand what the Bible teaches. When we talk about people with disabilities, someone who may have a mental handicap, their age of accountability may be a lot older than maybe someone who doesn’t have that disability. It’s possible that they never even hit the age of accountability. The age of accountability is when somebody gets to the place where they understand good and evil.
Your newborn baby, 6-week-old baby, 1 year old, 2-year-old, 3-year-old and you could argue your 4-year-old is not even in that place where they can really understand what sin is and salvation. Obviously, I’m all for giving the gospel to our kids as young as possible but realize that it’s ok if they just do not understand. That’s ok. Sometimes parents are worried when they give the gospel to their 4-year-old and they don’t understand it. But see, if they aren’t getting it then you don’t have to worry about them dying and going to hell. They don’t yet understand. We don’t serve a Calvinist God. God’s not on a hair trigger to send anyone to hell especially your 4-year-old. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t give the gospel to our four-year-old and our five-year-old and our six-year-olds. What I’m saying is that God is not going to send somebody to hell that does not understand.
Some people say “Well Pastor, I need something to know when.”. This is the best thing I can come up with and just a rule a of thumb. When a child is conscious of their own nakedness then they’re probably reaching the age of accountability where you want to start preaching the gospel to them and making sure they understand these things. You say “How do you know that?”. Remember that Adam and Eve were naked and not ashamed but then ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Then the first thing we notice is that they are aware of their own nakedness. Genesis 3:6 “6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. 7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.”. Look, with 1- and 2-year-old, if you aren’t careful, they run around naked without shame. Those children are innocent. They don’t understand the different between right and wrong. At that point they’re in an age of innocence and if they were to die God assures us that they would go to heaven. But when a child starts getting older and they don’t want to take a bath with their sibling anymore then they are starting to know right from wrong and we want to start preaching the gospel to them.
So, I want to begin with the why of the new man. Why do we even need a new man? Here’s why. Because at the age of accountability your spirit died. Your spirit’s dead. We were created in the image of God. We are not a trinity like God but in a similar way we were created in 3 parts. Body, soul, spirit. When we come to the age of accountability, when we understand the difference between good and evil, the Bible says that our spirit dies and we become spiritually dead. Sometimes I think that we as Christians see these little terms and phrases in the Bible and think they’re just these little analogies. But there is actually real meaning behind them. Let me give you some examples.
We talked about the why of the new man. Why do I need a new man? Because at the age of accountability your spirit died. Next let’s talk about the when of the new man. When do I get a new man? At salvation your spirit is made alive. This is why Jesus said in John 3:3 “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”. Some people think of being born again as a cute phrase or analogy but realize that when you got saved, you were literally born again. Your spirit died at the age of accountability. The day that you put your faith in Christ, you were born again. A new man was created. A spirit was quickened in you. John 3:6 “6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.”. What is the when of the new man? The when of the new man is at salvation. You were born again. That’s not just a nice little phrase. It’s a literal thing. You were born again. Your spirit was born and died once and that spirit was born again.
1 Peter 1:23 “23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible,…”. In the same way that you need the seed of a man in order for physical birth to take place, in order for an egg to be fertilized, you need the seed of a man to be able to produce that birth, you also need the seed of the word of God to produce spiritual birth. “23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.”. We’re saved by the word of God. Sometimes people say, “Well I think that seed is an example for a plant or a fruit.”. But it works the same way. The seed is necessary.
2 Peter 1:4 “4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”. When you got saved, you became a partaker of divine nature. I didn’t say that you became divine or became God or became deity. But the spirit was born inside of you that came from God. You became a partaker of the divine nature. Something was born inside of you that is connected to God, that comes from God, that communicates with God. You became a partaker of the divine nature. This is what the Bible talks about when it says being born again. Let me give you some other examples.
Not only does the Bible say we’re born again, the Bible also says we’re quickened. The word quicken is an older word that means to be made alive. Ephesians 2:1 “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;”. Quickened means made alive. Your spirit was dead. There was nothing spiritual in you. There was nothing spiritual that connected with God. But Paul says that when you got saved, you were quickened or born again. You were made alive. Look at verse 5. “5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)”. We were quickened. We were made alive. Our spirit that was dead was resurrected and we became a new man. We were born again. Let me give you another example.
2nd Corinthians 5:17 “17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:”. That’s not hyperbole. That’s not an exaggeration. “17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”. There’s a new man inside. When you got saved, you got the new man. There’s a new man inside of you. We were born with a body, soul and spirit. When you came to the age of accountability, the spirit died. Sin taking occasion by the commandment slew you. It killed you. When sin revived Paul said “I died”. And then you walked around dead in your trespasses and sins. Then one day you got saved and the word of God came in and the seed of God came in and you were born again and you were quickened and you were made a new creature or a new man.
The why of the new man is because you were dead in your trespasses and sins. The when of the new man is at salvation. Your spirit was made alive. You were born again. You were quickened. You were made a new creation. And by the way, when you got saved, the Holy Spirit came to live inside of you as well. But this is what happened at salvation. The spirit was quickened. The Holy Spirit moved in and all things are become new.
The why of the new man, the when of the new man. Why do you need a new man? Because you were dead in your trespasses and sins. When do you get a new man? At salvation the spirit was quickened, was born again, a new creation was made alive. Let’s talk about the what of the new man. What exactly is the new man? The new man is a regenerated divine nature inside of you. You say what’s the new man? The new man is the spiritual part of you that connects with our spiritual God. In fact, to explain in more detail, your soul is disconnected from God when you’re not saved. The Bible says that our sins and our trespasses have separated us from God and the spirit has to speak with the Holy Spirit to connect us to God. See, your spirit speaks to your soul. Your spirit speaks to the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit speaks to God on our behalf. See, our connection to God is through the Holy Spirit. The only reason you can understand the Bible is because of the Holy Spirit. The only reason you can pray to God is because of the Holy Spirit. The only reason you can connect to God in any way is because of the Holy Spirit. The only reason that the Holy Spirit can connect to you is because of your spirit. That’s why unsaved people can’t understand the Bible. They don’t understand spiritual things. The new man, the spiritual man connects us with a spiritual God.
1 Corinthians 2:11 “11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him?…”. The Apostle Paul here is saying the only reason we can understand each other as human beings is we all have the same spirit. We’re human beings. “…even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.”. See, no man understands the things of God except for by the Spirit of God. Notice verse 12. “12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.”. How can you understand the Bible? You can if you are saved. Why? Because you have the Holy Spirit of God and that Holy Spirit of God is speaking to your spiritual man that we might know the things that are fully given to us of God.
Verse 13 “13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”. There’s no spirit. There’s nothing spiritual in an unsaved person. See, trying to talk to an unsaved person about spiritual things, you might as well talk to a wall. They don’t understand it. There’s nothing spiritual about them. Their spirit is dead. They’re dead in their trespasses and sins. That’s why the only thing that we need to do with unsaved people is get them saved. You can’t start talking to them about doctrine and spiritual things because their spirit is dead. We’ve got to get them saved so that their spirit can be quickened. Their spirit can be made alive. They can get born again. A new spiritual man can be born in them. The Holy Spirit moves in and now we can begin to deal with them on a spiritual level. See, the new man connects us with God.
Romans 7:22 gives a lot of insight into this type of Christianity that we live. Romans 7:22 “22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:”. Have you ever wondered why you like hard preaching? It makes no sense. I mean we put on a conference here this year in July. It will be our sixth annual Red Hot Preaching Conference. I mean we advertise this conference. We call it the Red-Hot Preaching Conference. People ask us what the theme of the Conference is. We’re going to bring in the most fiery, angry, spirit-filled men of God. They’re going to kick and scream and spit and rip face. They’re going to just rip on all of your sins. You would think that no one would come for that but we will have people from all over the country and all over this world who will attend. They’re happy when their faces are ripped off by the hard preaching. You say what is that? That’s the spiritual man inside you. See, when hard preaching comes, part of you thinks it really hurts but then part of you really likes it. The part that likes it is the spirit inside of you. It’s the new man. Paul says “I delight in the law of God after the inward man.”. It’s the inward man that likes heart preaching. It’s the inward man that likes the word of God.
When you go soul winning and you’re excited about it, it’s not your flesh that is excited. The inward man, the spiritual man loves it. This is the part of you that likes the things of God. This is the part of you that enjoys it. See, that’s why you should get your friends saved before you bring them to church. If they aren’t saved, they probably won’t like the preaching. The Bible says “I delight in the law of God after the inward.”. This is why churches that are not filled with a bunch of Christians have to make their services a bunch of worldliness. They turn the lights off and make it feel like a rock concert or a casino because that’s what the flesh likes. They have to bring the rock ‘n roll music in because that’s what the flesh likes. They have to bring in the rock and roll music and the music of this world. Why? That’s the only way you’re going to attract the crowd.
At our church, we get up here and sing Blessed Assurance. It’s your spirit, not the flesh that likes that. Your spirit likes that, not your flesh. It is the inward part. We delight in the law of God after the inward man. The new man is what connects us with God. The new man is what connects us spiritually. The new man is what likes the things of God. So, you come to church and you say “Man that was hard but that was so good.”. That doesn’t even make sense. It’s like, “Do you have multiple personalities?”. The truth is you do. You’ve got a new man and an old man. You’ve got the spirit and the flesh. You’ve got the inward man and the outward man. Paul says “I delight in the law of God after the inward man.”. See, the new man connects us with God.
And by the way, the new man does not sin. 1 John 3:9 “9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed…”. That’s the divine nature of God. “for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.”. Now see, unsaved people don’t understand the spirit. They look at verses where it says “You’re never going to sin” and they come up with stupid doctrines like sinless perfection which makes no sin. All of us. You say “What is this verse talking about?”. See, whosoever is born of God does not sin. See, our spirit was born again but not our bodies. We’re still living in the same old body. Now one day, at the day of Christ, this body will be regenerated. This body will be born again. But when we look at saved people, they were spiritually born again but you’re not seeing a body that was born again.
Here is the thing, our flesh sins but not the new man. The new man does not commit sin. Your new man can’t sin because he is born of God. Your new man shares the divine nature of God. Your spiritual man cannot sin. You say “Well I still sin.”. Your flesh does. And by the way, it’s not an excuse to commit sin. Don’t have this attitude “It’s my flesh”. You need to take accountability and responsibility for your actions. But the Bible clearly teaches that the new man connects us with God and the new man does not sin. Now we still sin because we still have our flesh but when we sin it is not our spiritual man that is sinning. It is our flesh. And either way it’s you. You are the new man and the old man at the same time. You’re the spiritual man and the flesh at the same time.
Why do we need a new man? Because we were dead in our trespasses and sin. When does this happen? At salvation our spirit is quickened or born again. What is the new man? The new man is a regenerated divine nature. The new man connects us with God. The new man does not sin. Everything that is spiritual that you like is your new man. Fourthly, let’s talk about the who of the new man. Here’s the truth, you are both the new man and the old man. Let’s talk about this dichotomy that is in us.
Romans 7:17 “17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.”. See, Paul is stating there is nothing good in his flesh but his spiritual side is what is good. Let’s talk about the who of the new man. Who exactly is this old man? Who is this new man? What is this dichotomy inside of us? I want you to notice that all throughout the Bible we get this idea of the inner man versus the outward man or the spirit versus the flesh or the new versus the old. 2nd Corinthians 4:16 “16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.”. Notice, there’s a dichotomy here. There’s the outward man. There’s the inward man. The outward man perishes but the inward man is renewed day by day.
Galatians 5:16 “16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.”. See, there is a war inside of you. The spirit vs. the flesh. The spirit wants to go soulwinning but the flesh wants to sleep. The spirit wants to go to Church but the flesh wants to stay home. The spirit wants to wake up early and read the Bible but the flesh wants to sleep in. There’s this dichotomy inside of us. The spirit vs. the flesh. Sometimes it’s referred to as the outward man versus the inward man. Sometimes it’s referred to as the spirit versus the flesh. Sometimes it’s the new man versus the old man.
Ephesians 4:22 “22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;”. The former conversation is your lifestyle. 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”. This is just like putting clothes on each day. Put on the new man. Why don’t you learn something and apply something? Like Paul said “grow in knowledge and grace”. “be renewed with the spirit of your mind”. Then he says this “24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”. The new man is righteous and holy. The new man doesn’t sin. There’s the new man and the old man.
There is an internal struggle within us. Paul talks about this battle. Paul is making a point about this and how often we lose this battle. In Romans 8 he talks about how to have victory through the spirit and how to win this battle. But here he’s just making a point and he really draws it out because he wants to make sure we understand that inside of you is the new man after salvation. When you got saved, a new man was born. A new man that loves God, that loves the word of God, that loves the people of God, that loves the preaching of God’s word, that wants to do right. But you still have this old man that sins, that’s lazy, that’s undisciplined. And there’s this internal struggle between the new and the old, between the spirit and the flesh, between the inward man and the outward man.
Other than the Lord Jesus Christ, Paul the Apostle might be the greatest Christian who ever lived. And notice what he says in Romans 7:15 “15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.”. What does that mean? It means that he ends up doing things that he tells people not to do. He says that he has rules and then he breaks his own rules. That’s why it’s foolish for people to say that they will keep God’s commandments to get to heaven when they can’t even fully keep their own. You tell your kids not to do something and then you end up doing the same thing. Paul says there are things he teaches and preaches against and then he is guilty of. You preach for 5 weeks against anger but then you lose your temper sometimes also. He also says here there are things that he would do or wants to but doesn’t end up doing them. The things that he hates he ends up doing.
Romans 7:16 “16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.”. Here’s what he’s saying. When you feel guilty for skipping Wednesday night Church, it’s not your flesh but your spirit. This shows the law is good. “17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.”. Your spiritual man wants to do right but your old man’s there with you. “for I delight in the law of God after the inward man”.
“19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:”. See, we set off to good but often fall. It’s the sin of the flesh preventing us and fighting against us. But our inward man wants to do right. “23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.”. The word “members” there means bodies. He says there’s this fight in my body warring against the law of my mind. He says my mind has been renewed but yet I’m being brought into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
Then he says this “24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.”. Here’s what Jesus said. “the spirit truly is willing but the flesh is weak”. See, there’s this inward struggle. Sometimes people ask me about this as they want to do right and keep messing up. They are afraid they aren’t saved. And I smile and tell them that shows they are saved. If there is no internal struggle it’s because you’re not even saved. The spirit inside of you wants to go to church, live for God, read the Bible, etc…
Now some of you backslidden people are feeling good and thinking “It’s just my flesh”. Romans 7 is not meant to make you feel better if you are not serving God. It’s meant to help you identify with this. We can all identify with Paul sometimes. He’s saying “You’re living the defeated Christian life but you can live the victorious Christian life”. Paul says “walk in the spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”.
Why do you need the new man? When you hit the age of accountability, your spirit dies and needs regenerated. When is this? At salvation you get quickened or born again. What is the new man? It’s the regenerated, divine nature inside of you. It connects you to God. It loves everything spiritual. It loves the people of God. I love the house of God. It loves the word of God. And it doesn’t sin. There is also the who of the new man. The dichotomy inside of us. There’s 2 of you. You have the flesh and spirit. The inner and outward man. The spiritual man and the flesh. The new man and the old man. You say well who wins? Why do some live for God and some don’t?
Understand that there is this war inside of you. Romans 7:23 “23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.”. There’s a spiritual battle or war inside of you. Paul talked about how we don’t war after the flesh but our weapons of warfare are mighty through God. There’s the old man and the new man inside of you. There’s the flesh and the spirit. There’s the inward man and the outward man. Who wins? Is it a boxing or wrestling match? Whichever side is stronger wins. Some people strengthen their inner man and weaker the outward man.
Romans 7:15-17 “15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. 16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. 17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.”. The Bible talks about if any will come after Jesus then they need to deny themselves. Paul said “20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”. You say, “Who will win the battle between the flesh or spirit tomorrow?”. Either you get up and feed the spiritual man, open the Bible or you feed the flesh. You turn on the radio and listen to worldly music or you sing hymns of God. If you weaken the old man, the new man will win. But if you strengthen the old man then it will win.
This is a daily battle. It’s never over. You can decide to force yourself to read the Bible and go soulwinning and pray and come to church even when you don’t feel like it. You can decide to strengthen the inner man. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. You need to strengthen the inner man. You need to say “I die daily.”. You need to say “I am crucified with Christ.”.
There’s a story of an old preacher named Lester Roloff. They tell the story that he would get into the shower every morning and turn the shower to the coldest setting to tell his flesh that it wasn’t in charge. Look, some of us need to get up tomorrow and tell the flesh that it isn’t in charge. We need to decide to kill off the flesh tomorrow. Starve it. Weaken it. Deny yourself. Take up the cross and the spirit will win. Because inside of you there’s this inner struggle and that’s never going to go away till the day of Christ.
“he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”. But until this day of the return of Jesus, this wretched man will fight you. You have to fight against the old man and strengthen the new man. Feed the spirit and deny the flesh. Starve the outward man and the inward man will prevail. This is the only way to live the victorious Christian life.
Let’s pray.