Yes! The new life without the new mind is soon recaptured and brought underthe old bondage. These are in facr worse off than before since there is no longer an "innocense" about the evil that is being done.
Hi Episkopos,
I think this is where we will differ in our views.
I don't believe one can
have the new life without the new mind being a part of it.
I've seen us approaching this passage for some time now . . .
Romans 8:5-14 LITV
(5) For the ones that are according to flesh mind the things of the flesh. And the ones according to Spirit mind the things of the Spirit.
(6) For the mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace;
(7) because the mind of the flesh is enmity towards God; for it is not being subjected to the Law of God, for neither can it be.
(8) And those being in the flesh are not able to please God.
(9)
But you are not in flesh, but in Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone has not the Spirit of Christ, this one is not His.
(10)
But if Christ is in you, the body indeed is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
(11)
But if the Spirit of the One having raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the One having raised the Christ from the dead will also make your mortal bodies live through the indwelling of His Spirit in you.
(12) So, then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to flesh,
(13) for if you live according to flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the practices of the body, you will live.
(14)
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
This passage equates being led by the Spirit of God with being the children of God.
This is not a matter of being regenerated, but living according to flesh. You are in spirit, not flesh, if the Spirit of God lives in you.
A conditional prophetic passage . . . the condition is not maintaining good behavior. The condition is not "becoming sanctified". The condition is being indwelt by the Spirit.
This passages teaches us that its a matter of our new creature, not it's works.
The key issue is "If Christ is in you", not, "If you continue in good works".
This idea that the "old life" can have power over the "new life" is, I believe, a deception of the flesh. You see, the only way the flesh can get us to give in to its lusts is to deceived us.
Ephesians 4:20-24 LITV
(20) But you have not so learned Christ,
(21) if indeed you heard Him and were taught in Him, as the truth is in Jesus.
(22) For you have put off the old man, as regards the former behavior, having been corrupted according to the deceitful lusts,
(23) and to be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
(24) and to put on the new man, which according to God was created in righteousness and true holiness.
God made you a new person,
patterned after God Himself, created in
righteousness and
true holiness.
Take a few minutes and meditate on that one.
Back to Romans:
Romans 6:17-18 LITV
(17) But thanks be to God that you were slaves of sin, but you obeyed from the heart the form of doctrine to which you were delivered.
(18) And having been set free from sin, you were enslaved to righteousness.
We were slaves to sin, now we are slaves to righteousness.
Consider what Paul is saying here. Before, our old nature could only sin. Even what we considered good was still sin, since it was Godless, faithless, and at the end of the day, self-serving.
But now, our new nature, created in the same pattern as God Himself, is is righteous, and truly holy. Truly holy!
Live out that nature, and not the old nature.
The old nature is not repaired, restored, improved in any way. It continues to be corrupt to the core. But the new nature - the new nature is the part that loves God, loves His Word, and delights in serving God.
Just as the old nature only sins, the new nature only does righteousness. That's how it was made.
But as for any power the old nature has over the new? Scripture answers that best:
(Young's Literal Translation says it best)
Romans 6:5-7 YLT
(5) For, if we have become planted together to the likeness of his death, so also we shall be of the rising again;
(6) this knowing, that our old man was crucified with him , that the body of the sin may be made useless, for our no longer serving the sin;
(7) for he who hath died hath been set free from the sin.
Having died with Jesus, we have been set free from sin, having been separated from our flesh nature. That's what happened as we were given a new nature.
The old nature has no more power over us. We simply become deceived, thinking that we actually want these things, or that we need them, or that we can't control, but none of those things are true.
Test me on this. Is there any sin that you cannot refuse to commit? No, there is is not.
We continue to sin, since were in the battle of control for our body parts with our old nature, however, we always have more power when we use it. The only times we don't use it are when we are deceived, as I understand things.
Regarding forgiveness, Has Jesus died and paid for all of your sins? Have your received His forgiveness? Do you need to become re-reconciled to God? Or do you simply thank Him for His forgiveness which He has already given, and stop sinning, and get back to walking in the Spirit?
Remember . . . if you have sinned, stop. Having stopped, no stain remains.
Love in Christ,
Mark
