In Romans 6 we read that the Old Man is dead to those who have been born of the Spirit in an initial grace.
An initial grace?
Yes. The beginning of our walk is freedom from the bondage of Egypt. This is equivalent to being saved FROM the world. But saved from is different from being saved to. Saved to what?
We are saved from Egypt into a wilderness walk. Welcome to Romans 7. Here we see that the wilderness walk is a walk in transition between the Old Man and the New Man. But the issue of sin is still not dealt with. Paul become more alarmed in this phase of his walk than before...why? Well, because we have been made more sensitive to sin...the fact that our flesh nature continues to live AFTER regeneration by the Spirit is distressing. He says it is now "sin in me" that affects his behaviour. That sin comes from a sin factory called "the outer man".
The only way to be free from sin in the outer man is to be crucified with Christ.
But haven't we already been crucified with Christ in an initial grace? Well, no. A SAMPLE of grace is not the same as the full measure of grace. A taste is not the same as a full partaking.
Why do we only get a sample? A sample of grace is free but the full measure of grace costs us everything. During the wilderness walk we carry our own cross as we are LED by the Spirit. But to enter into the Promised Land we will need to be crucified..divided in ourselves...with one part being dead and the other part made alive through the resurrection life of Christ.
It is only as the outer man is crucified that we are free to enter into the Promised Land...which is the spiritual walk described in Romans 8. it is here that the New Man is put on...as a covering for the now liberated inner man. The New Man is a covering that gives us the grace to walk as Jesus walked...without sin. Putting on Christ means putting on His perfection.
An initial grace?
Yes. The beginning of our walk is freedom from the bondage of Egypt. This is equivalent to being saved FROM the world. But saved from is different from being saved to. Saved to what?
We are saved from Egypt into a wilderness walk. Welcome to Romans 7. Here we see that the wilderness walk is a walk in transition between the Old Man and the New Man. But the issue of sin is still not dealt with. Paul become more alarmed in this phase of his walk than before...why? Well, because we have been made more sensitive to sin...the fact that our flesh nature continues to live AFTER regeneration by the Spirit is distressing. He says it is now "sin in me" that affects his behaviour. That sin comes from a sin factory called "the outer man".
The only way to be free from sin in the outer man is to be crucified with Christ.
But haven't we already been crucified with Christ in an initial grace? Well, no. A SAMPLE of grace is not the same as the full measure of grace. A taste is not the same as a full partaking.
Why do we only get a sample? A sample of grace is free but the full measure of grace costs us everything. During the wilderness walk we carry our own cross as we are LED by the Spirit. But to enter into the Promised Land we will need to be crucified..divided in ourselves...with one part being dead and the other part made alive through the resurrection life of Christ.
It is only as the outer man is crucified that we are free to enter into the Promised Land...which is the spiritual walk described in Romans 8. it is here that the New Man is put on...as a covering for the now liberated inner man. The New Man is a covering that gives us the grace to walk as Jesus walked...without sin. Putting on Christ means putting on His perfection.
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