The born again man! When the fullness of the revelation of grace comes, one will understand the truths of the spirit, soul, and body of the born again man. How the perfection of God is applied to man will be clear. How a believer can experience where sin has no dominion every day. The strength of union with Christ has the power to bring every believer living in the abundant life.
We have covered the spirit, soul, and body of the 1st and second Adam. Lesson 2 and 3 covered the spirit, soul, and body of the fallen man. Now we begin to share the spirit soul and body of the born again man. In this chart we see life in the spirit of man; joining back Spirit to spirit with God. The soul is renewed and begins the life time process of being renewed. The man dies to the sin nature and waits for the final redemption when the mortal body will put on immortality. This lesson will deal with the born again man spirit. Note 2 Corinthians 5:18-19, the Father was in Christ Jesus not imputing men their trespasses! The Father’s heart is for the believer to be completely set free from sin; His provision has made it possible. The gospel is the word of reconciliation; repentance and remission of sins in fully complete in Christ Jesus.
The born again man’s spirit is made an alive spirit; the mind of Christ is given to the born again man. Spirit to spirit connected to God. Perfected once for all in the spirit of man. The will of man yielded to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit takes residence in the spirit of man.
John 4:23 "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
Man is connected back to God the Father Spirit to spirit. The Father Himself is seeking for those who will be reunited Spirit to spirit. Until the second Adam came and bore the punishment for sin, Spirit to spirit connection was not possible.
1 Corinthians 2:16 For "who has known the mind of the LOR D that he may instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ.
The word of God divides between the spirit, soul and body of man. When we are born again we are given the mind of Christ. However, that is a work done in our spirit. Our soul needs to be renewed by submitting to the word of God. There is the perfected work in our spirit, there is the process that begins in our soul, and then the final redemption of our body.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
Here is the bible definition is the new man in our spirit. If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. We have become a newly created being perfected in our spirit with a soul that needs retrained and renewed. The perfection is with the Spirit to spirit connection! However, much like a newborn babe coming into the world there is a process that brings that baby from crawling, to walking, to running. The work done in our spirit is saved to the uttermost; however it does not negate the fact the soul must go through the process of maturity.
Hebrews 10:12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. 14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.
Jesus Christ made a once and for all time sacrifice for sins; it is a finished work. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. The one offering perfected forever the believer. Tradition come down and let the word of God be exalted.
Hebrews 12:23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect,
We have been brought to Mt. Zion where we are registered in heaven. We have been seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. It not a seating we are waiting for it is a done work of Calvary ’s cross. Those who have been justified by faith in Jesus Christ have been given a spirit which has been made perfect by God the Father. He is the Father of spirits!
Hebrews 10:9 then He said, "Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God." He takes away the first that He may establish the second. 10 By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11 And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
Can you see the character of God in this passage and His desire toward you? By the will of the Father, Jesus sanctified us by the offering of His body. Sanctified once for all by His precious sacrifice. May the object of your faith ever be in Jesus Christ!
1 John 3:8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 3:9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.
Only with rightly dividing scripture between the spirit, soul, and body of man can we understand these verses. Jesus came and destroyed the work of satan! He did not fail, it is completed! Those who are born of the imperishable seed cannot sin. This is a truth only in our spirit. The same writer in the same letter earlier 1 John 2:1-3 said when the believer sinned he was to come to His advocate Jesus Christ. John was speaking to dealing with sin in the soul in chapter two and in chapter three speaking of the perfection of the work done in the believer’s spirit.
Romans 7:1 Or do you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives? 2 For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. 3 So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man.
The law has dominion over a man as long as he lives. Remember our class illustration of the law, the unbeliever/ believer, and Jesus Christ. Like a husband and wife relationship if the woman marries another man while her husband lives she is called an adulteress. If her husband dies she is free to marry another.
Romans 7:4 Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another; to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God. 5 For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death. 6 But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.
The law has dominion over the man as long as he lives. However, if the man dies to the law he is now free to be married to Jesus Christ. We become dead to the law through the body of Jesus Christ. Our union with Jesus brings empowerment to live for God in the newness of the spirit. Note carefully here, sinful passions are aroused by the law! Bringing the believer back to serving the law after conversion is the sure way to give sin strength in the believers life. Much more on this in future lessons.
Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. 28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. 30 For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. 31 "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.“ 32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
Married to Jesus! The mystery of Christ and the church is the truth we need to come away with. Jesus loved the church gave Himself for her. He is doing the sanctifying. He is doing the cleansing of her. He is doing the washing of the water by the word. He is presenting her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing. He is presenting her as holy and without blemish. Jesus nourishes and cherishes His bride the church! We are flesh of His flesh and bone of His bone. This is the mystery Paul was preaching! Next lesson the soul and body of the born again man.
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