Replacing the Old Sinful Man

Providing complete deliverance from the tyranny of sin required a threefold provision of God. First of all, He had to deal with our sins—the sinful acts we have all committed. Because Jesus paid the full penalty for our sins on the cross, God can forgive us without compromising His own justice. His first provision, therefore, is forgiveness.

Then, God also had to deal with the corrupt nature within us that caused us to go on committing those sinful acts. His provision was execution—to put that sinful nature to death. The good news is that the execution took place more than nineteen centuries ago, when Jesus died on the cross.

That not the end, however. God’s purpose is to replace the old, sinful man with a new man of His own creating. Paul explained this provision in the book of Ephesians, saying:

“Put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man... and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and... put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22–24)

We should not assume, however, that the old man will passively accept his sentence of execution. On the contrary, he will struggle—fiercely, at times—to regain his control over us. This explains Paul’s words of warning in Colossians 3:3, where he said, “For you died.” Then, in verse 5, he said, “Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth.” We must stand in faith that the death of our old man is an accomplished fact, and we must actively resist his attempts to regain control over us.