In the church as the one new man we should not live according to the vanity of the mind but according to the spirit of the mind; we need to put on the new man by allowing our spirit to direct and govern us and by living according to our spirit.
In Eph. 2:15-16, we see that Christ created in Himself on the cross the one new man out of two peoples – the Jews and the Gentiles; He tore down the middle wall of partition, He nailed all the ordinances on the cross, and He made peace between us in Himself.
Christ is our peace, and in Himself, on the cross, He created the corporate one new man; all men who believe into Jesus Christ, whether Gentile or Jews, are part of the one new man in Christ.
We are one in Christ, for in Him we have peace. However, if each one of us lives according to their culture, that is, according to their background, nationality, traditions, customs, and ordinances, then the one new man cannot come into being.
On one hand, Christ created the one new man in Himself and He terminated all the ordinances and things that separated us on the cross.
On the other hand, we today need to put off the old man with its old way of living and everything about it and put on the new man by being renewed in the spirit of our mind.
Paul was a pattern in this respect. In Phil. 4 he listed so many things of his culture in which he could boast; he said that he could have confidence in the flesh in so many respects, for he had many achievements and attainments in his culture according to his natural being.
He was circumcised on the eighth day, of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, he was a pharisee knowing it best, and as to zeal, he was persecuting the church in his service to God.
As to the law, he was blameless, for he had the righteousness given by the keeping of the law. However, all these things – no matter how spiritual and high they were, he put aside, even counted as loss and dung, on account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ.
Paul put aside and repudiated all things of his culture on account of Christ; he simply wanted to gain Christ, pursue Christ, obtain Christ, and enjoy Christ, and all other things he put aside, for they were counterfeits of Christ, even a great hindrance in his quest to gain Christ.
We need to do the same today; we want to gain Christ, enjoy Christ, experience Christ, and be filled with Christ, so we put off the old man with its former manner of life, and we put on the new man by being renewed in the spirit of the mind and walking according to the spirit of the mind.
We Put on the New Man Practically by Walking According to the Spirit of the Mind
Hallelujah, Christ made peace through His death on the cross, He tore down the middle wall of partition, and He created in Himself one new man! Praise the Lord!
When we believe into the Lord Jesus, we receive His life, the life of the one new man; in baptism, we put off the old man and we also put on the new man (Eph. 4:22-24; Rom. 6:6, 4).
The old man was crucified with Christ and buried, and through baptism, we declare this and apply this to our experience.
On one hand, through baptism we’re put into Christ, the death of Christ, the Body of Christ, and the Triune God; on the other hand, through baptism, we put off our old man and we put on the new man.
The putting off of the old man and the putting on of the new man are accomplished facts; now we need to experience these facts and realize them by being renewed in the spirit of our mind (Eph. 4:23).
The way for us to put off the old man (Eph. 4:22) and to put on the new man (v. 24) is by being renewed in the spirit of the mind (v. 23). For us to put off the old man is for us to deny and renounce our old self by applying the cross to the self (Matt. 16:24).
This is on the negative side. On the positive side, to put on the new man is to live Christ and magnify Him through the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ (Phil. 1:19-21).
To put on the new man is to apply what Christ has accomplished in creating the new man (Eph. 2:15; 4:24).
In this bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ – this is the all-inclusive Spirit – everything is included; here we have the Spirit, Christ’s death, His resurrection, the new man, and everything we need.
We need to be filled with the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ every day so that we may live Christ and magnify Him. Amen!
Our spirit is mingled with the divine Spirit; this mingled spirit needs to spread into our mind to become the spirit of our mind – it is by this spirit of the mind that we should live for the one new man.
When our mingled spirit spreads in our mind, it renews our mind and causes us to live by the spirit of the mind, thus having the living of the one new man.
Then all our living will be by the spirit, and whatever we do will be according to the spirit. As we are renewed in the spirit of the mind, we put on the new man.
This is our need today: we need to exercise our spirit and set our mind on the spirit so that we may be renewed in the spirit of the mind; then, we can simply live according to the spirit of the mind.
We need to walk according to the mingled spirit that is spreading into our mind and filling it.
Day by day, in our walk, we need to walk according to the spirit of the mind, that is, according to the mingled spirit that fills and saturates our mind.
In this way, our daily walk will be the walk of the one new man, for we will walk in the spirit of the mind – this is the secret of the church life.
What is the secret of the church life? It is for us to walk in the spirit of our mind.
What we need is not the improvement of behavior or the polishing of our character; what we need is to walk according to the spirit who spreads into our mind to renew our mind and become the spirit of the mind.
This is a practical way for us to live the life of the new man in our daily living, and this is the secret of the church life.
Lord Jesus, we want to experience and realize the putting off of the old man and the putting on of the new man in our experience today. We give ourselves to You, dear Lord, to be renewed in the spirit of our mind. May the Spirit in our spirit spread into our mind to renew our mind and become the spirit of our mind. Amen, Lord, we put on the new man so that we may live Christ and magnify Him through the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ! We want to walk according to the spirit of the mind so that we may have the living of the one new man. Amen, dear Lord, may our mingled spirit spread into our mind more today, and may we live according to the spirit of the mind for the one new man!
The way to Put on the New Man is for our Spirit to become the Spirit of our Mind so that we may Live According to the spirit of the mind
Where is the new man today? The new man is in our spirit, and the way for us to put on the new man is for our spirit to become the spirit of our mind (Eph. 2:22; 4:23).
The way for us to put the new man is for our spirit – which is mingled with the Spirit, and in which are found God, God’s dwelling place, and the new man – to become the spirit of our mind.
The dwelling place of God is in our spirit and in the church; practically speaking, we put on the new man when we live according to the spirit of our mind.
The reality of the church is in our spirit; the reality of the one new man is in our spirit. We simply need to set our mind on our spirit by paying attention to our spirit.
We shouldn’t pay attention that much to right or wrong; our whole attention should be on our spirit, where Christ lives.
For the spirit to become the spirit of our mind means that our spirit spreads into our mind to direct, control, possess, dominate, and overrule our mind (see 1 Cor. 2:15-16; 2 Cor. 2:13; 10:4-5).
When the mingled spirit directs our mind, our whole being is under the control of our spirit.
How much we put the new man depends on how much our spirit directs our being (1 Cor. 2:15); when our spirit dominates and directs us, there is no ground for things such as culture, opinions, or ordinances.
When our whole being is directed, dominated, controlled, and governed by our spirit, there’s no room for our way or our opinions.
Amen, the more the mingled spirit penetrates, saturates, and possesses our mind, the more we let Christ’s mind become our mind (Phil. 2:5; 1 Cor. 2:16; Rom. 12:2).
When we believed in the Lord Jesus, the life-giving Spirit came into our spirit, and He brought with Him the new man as a finished product.
Now in our experience, we need to allow the new man to saturate and spread into every part of our being; this spreading is both the putting on of the new man and the renewing of our being.
May we not live according to the vanity of the mind but according to the spirit of the mind.
When we live according to the spirit of the mind, we have the secret of having the church life filled with the Triune God.
When we live according to the spirit of the mind, we will have a church life filled with the character of God, the aroma of Christ, and the oneness of the Spirit (Eph. 4:3-4, 17-18, 23-24).
The key to the daily living of the corporate one new man is to live according to the spirit of our mind.
The more we love the Lord and exercise our spirit in prayer to read the Word day by day, our mind will be filled with the mingled spirit.
In this way, our mind is changed, for it is renewed by the eliminating of the old concepts concerning the things of the human life, and it is made new again by the teaching of the Holy Scriptures and the enlightening of the Holy Spirit (Psa. 119:105, 130; 2 Tim. 3:15-17; Deut. 17:18-20).
The way for us to be renewed is by the teaching of the Holy Scriptures and by the enlightening of the Holy Spirit.
When we pray and read the Word of God, reading the word with the exercise of our spirit to pray the Word of God back to Him, we receive the teaching of the Holy Scriptures and we are enlightened by the Holy Spirit; this causes us to be renewed in the spirit of the mind.
The only possibility of God’s purpose being fulfilled in this age and have the one new man in reality is if we would all be willing to be renewed in the spirit of our mind and walk according to the spirit of our mind.
Lord Jesus, we come to Your word with the exercise of our spirit to receive the teaching of the Holy Scriptures and be enlightened of the Holy Spirit. Amen, Lord, we love You and we exercise our spirit in prayer and in reading the Word day by day! May our mind be filled and saturated with the mingled spirit so that the old concepts would be removed and eliminated, and we would be renewed in the spirit of the mind! Amen, Lord Jesus, we don’t want to live according to the vanity of the mind but according to the spirit of our mind so that we may have the daily living of the corporate one new man! Yes, Lord, gain such a living in the church life so that the church would be filled with the character of God, the aroma of Christ, and the oneness of the Spirit!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Sources of inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message by Ed Marks for this week, and portions from, Life-study of Ephesians, msgs. 47, 94 (Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, The All-Inclusive, Extensive Christ Replacing Culture for the One New Man (2020 Thanksgiving Conference), week 4, Being Renewed Day by Day with the Fresh Supply of the Resurrection Life to Replace Our Culture and to Become the One New Man in Reality by Becoming as New as the New Jerusalem.
- Hymns on this topic:
– Now we Thy new creation are- / New spirit and new heart; / We’re daily from the old renewed, / New life Thou dost impart. (Hymns #16)
– By the cross discern the spirit, / With the mind by light renewed, / All emotion consecrated, / And the will in love subdued. (Hymns #748)
– Lord, teach me how to exercise / My spirit now to contact Thee, / That in Thy Spirit I may walk / And live by Thy reality. (Hymns #493)
About aGodMan
