The New Man Replaces the Old Man

Ephesians 2 tells us that on the cross Christ created one new man, the corporate man of God’s new creation. In carrying out God’s purpose, this man replaces the man created in Genesis 1 who became the old man due to taking in death.

In Genesis 2 God told man not to eat the tree of knowledge of good and evil “for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” But Adam ate of this tree and suffered death, first spiritually by being cast out of the garden of Eden and away from the tree of life, and eventually he and all men suffered physical death.

By believing into Jesus Christ we have the element of the new man inside of us but we still have the fallen flesh with the element of the old man. Therefore, we need to “put off, as regards your former manner of life, the old man, which is being corrupted according to the lusts of the deceit” (Eph. 4:22).

To “put off” is not enough. We also “put on the new man, which was created according to God in righteousness and holiness of the reality” (4:24). This righteousness and holiness are characteristics of New Jerusalem. To put on the new man, with these attributes, is to enter more into the new creation and to inwardly experience something of New Jerusalem.

Photo courtesy of NASA.

Posted by Don on May 15, 2024

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2024/05/15/the-new-man-replaces-the-old-man/