9.72 But I discipline my body and bring it to subjection
If dying to self in the New Covenant is to have faith in Jesus (to see yourself crucified with Him), then where is the role of discipline? It sounds too simple, you may say. If we don’t have to put our old nature under, then why does Paul talk about disciplining his body? Many people still want to wrestle within themselves.
Let us refer to the verse where Paul talks about disciplining his body, to read it in its context.
(1 Cor 9:26-27)
Therefore I RUN thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I FIGHT: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
Paul talks about running not with uncertainty, but the certainty of faith. When the Bible talks about running a race, it refers to the race of faith.
(2 Tim 4:7)
Fight the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
(Hebrews 12:1-12)
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…
Paul talks about fighting not as one who beats the air, but as one who disciplines his body. What fight is Paul referring to? It is the fight of faith.
(1 Tim 6:12)
Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
What is Paul’s motivation to want to be disciplined to run the race and to fight the fight of faith? It is his faith in Jesus – the author and finisher of faith.
When we believe our new identity in Christ and when we believe our calling in Christ, we experience a sense of discipline to want to finish the race. But when we lack faith, and we try to discipline ourselves to make up for that lack of faith, we wont get anywhere.
Today, when we talk about discipline, know that there is a powerful discipline that comes through faith. This is the faith that caused Paul to labor more abundantly than the rest. Faith is a powerful force.
9.71 Set your mind on the things of the Spirit
We have said that the spiritual battlefield for the believer is really in the mind. Do we align our minds with the finished work of Christ or do we not? Do we see our identity in Christ or do we not?
The finished work of Christ is a reality in the spirit realm. Your true identity in Christ is a reality in the spirit realm. Jesus has given us His Spirit in the spiritual realm. But we have a choice to make with our minds.
We can both set our mind on the things of the Spirit and live on the basis of the reality of the spirit realm, or we can walk according to the flesh in the natural realm.
We can look at the finished work in the spirit realm instead of looking at circumstances in the natural realm. We can see our true identity in the spirit realm, or we can see the carnal man in the natural realm. We can draw for the power of the Spirit in the spirit realm, or we can labor in our human strength in the natural realm. We can draw from the zoe life of God in the spirit realm, or we can experience death in the natural realm.
The following verse tells us how we should live our lives in the New Covenant.
(Romans 8:5-6)
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
We are to live according to the Spirit by setting our minds on the things of the Spirit. When we do so, we will experience life and peace.
When we walk in the Spirit according to our new identity, we shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Fulfilling the lust of the flesh happens to those who set their minds on the things of the flesh.
(Gal 5:16-17)
I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another…
This is a powerful verse to reinforce to us that dying to self is not about wrestling with self. It is about yielding to the Spirit. We do not wrestle with darkness; we simply turn on the light to dispel darkness. The key is to walk by faith in the Spirit.
9.70 Be transformed by the renewing of your mind
The spiritual battlefield for the believer is really in the mind. Do we align our minds with the finished work of Christ or do we not? Do we see our identity in Christ or do we not?
The following verse talks about spiritual warfare. It talks about pulling down strongholds in our minds, casting down arguments and every thing that comes against the knowledge of God. It talks about bringing EVERY THOUGHT into captivity to the obedience of Christ. Our every thought should be aligned with the finished work of Christ.
(2 Cor 10:4-5)
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…
Now that is a journey. The first step is to know that “IT IS FINISHED!” Some have not even come to that place. Thereafter, we can start to read the Word to discover what has changed since the finished work! It is a journey to renew our minds with the truths of the New Covenant.
Romans 12:2 says that we are not to be conformed to the world, but be TRANSFORMED by the RENEWING OF YOUR MIND. Transformation starts from the mind. When the mind is renewed, we will know the will of God.
(Rom 12:1-2)
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
In the same passage, Romans 12:1 says that we are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice for the purposes of God. The way that we can do it is first, to have the renewing of our mind.
The spirit is born again with the seed of Christ and the union of the Holy Spirit. The mind is to be renewed by the truths of Christ. Then the body is presented as a living sacrifice. This is divine order.
9.69 Be renewed in the spirit of your mind
The last lesson, we said that the choice is for the believer to either walk by faith according to his new nature in Christ, or to walk in the memory of the old man (who was crucified with Christ).
How we behave does not change the reality. But knowing the reality will change how we behave. Let us share a powerful passage to illustrate the point.
(Eph 3:20-24)
But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the OLD MAN which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and BE RENEWED in the spirit of your mind, and that you PUT ON THE NEW MAN which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
First of all the passage tells us that we should put off the old man. The old man has been crucified with Jesus. He no longer exists. He is dead. He is the old man. We have to put off the memory & the consciousness of that old man.
Secondly, it tells us that we are to put on the new man (the new creation) which was [past tense] created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. Now the new man is the real you. It is the new you. It is created according to God. The real you is righteous and holy. We are to live in the reality of the new man.
How do we do that? Why is there a struggle in some Christians between the new identity versus the old identity? The struggle is one of faith – to believe our new identity and to walk in that consciousness.
The passage tells us that we are to be “renewed in the spirit of your mind”. When our mind is conscious of our new identity, the verse tells us that we can then put on the new man, or to walk in the consciousness of the new man.
Once again, the verse tells us that the challenge is not to put down the old man, it is to believe that the old man is dead, and to walk by faith in the new man. It is a fight of faith. The renewal of our minds to the truths of the New Covenant is an ongoing process. Tomorrow, we will share another verse that talks about the renewal of our minds.
9.68 Therefore reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin
Some may ask, “If my body is holy, then why do I still sin?” The body still has its fives senses, and its desires. The Bible calls it the lust of the flesh. But that is not your true nature. Your true nature is created according to God in righteousness and holiness.
The sinner is enslaved to the lusts of the flesh, and it becomes part of his nature. But the believer is no longer a slave to sin but to righteousness. The believer has to choice and the God-given ability to walk according to the Spirit.
The believer can choose to walk in his real nature (the new creation) or he can still choose to walk in the memory of the old nature (the old man). God gives us a choice. Conversely in the same manner, a sinner has a choice to either do good or bad, but he remains a sinner.
So what is the challenge in the New Covenant? It is not to fight against the sin-nature. It is to believe (faith) that we are a new creation in Christ, so as to walk by faith in that reality. It is a choice and a state of mind. It is a consciousness that comes through faith.
The Bible uses words like, “RECKON yourselves to be dead indeed to sin.” The word RECKON speaks of a consciousness that comes through faith.
The Bible also tells us that we have a choice to walk by faith. It uses terms like, “DO NOT let sin reign…” and “DO NOT present…”
(Rom 6:10-13)
For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, RECKON YOURSELVES to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Therefore DO NOT let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And DO NOT present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but PRESENT YOURSELVES to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
The body is the channel and the instrument that can be used for good or bad. When we reckon (conscious) that we are a new creation, we are able to present our members as instruments of righteousness to God.
So what is the secret and the key? It is faith – to believe our new identity in Christ. When we do so, we will start to walk in the new man.
9.67 Is your body sinful or holy?
If you asked a Christian, “Is your body sinful or holy?” they will probably tell you that the body is sinful. They will likely tell you that the sin nature is in the body, which is why they have to beat their bodies to keep it under. There are Christian groups that even practice inflicting their bodies.
But what do you think? For a while, I wondered if the born again experience only impacted our spirit, while the sin nature is still retained in the body. Have you asked such questions?
The Bible tells us that our “body of sin” has been done away with. This happened when we were united in death with Jesus. Our old man (the old nature) was crucified with Christ that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.
(Gal 2:19-20)
For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.
Doesn’t that change the way we view our body? It is no longer the body of sin! In fact, another verse tells us that our “body” is the temple of the Holy Spirit. If the body is sinful, then how can the Holy Spirit indwell our body?
(1 Cor 6:19)
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
Let us go one step further by cross-referencing another verse that talks about us being the temple of the Holy Spirit. Now it says that the temple of God is Holy, which temple you are.
(1 Cor 3:16)
Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
Since the temple is our body, and the temple is holy, it actually means that our bodies are holy to God. It is not sinful. We do not inflict our bodies. We respect our bodies and we present our bodies as vessels of honor to the Lord.
9.66 It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me
In the last lesson, we said that the answer to the question of dying to self is found not in our actions but in a Person – Jesus. A lot of people focus on their effort to put the flesh under and they fail. But when we come face to face to Jesus, the journey truly begins.
Let us share a very powerful verse in the Bible.
(Gal 2:19-20)
For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
The first point is that we have died to the law that we might live to God. Many people still see themselves as sinners trying to keep the law to attain to die to self. But the Bible says that it is not the answer. In fact, we have died to the law. We do not live for the law or on the basis of the law. We do not die to self by our efforts.
So what is the answer? The Bible says that we have been crucified with Christ. That old man died with Christ. And we have been resurrected into newness of life with Christ. This is why Paul says that, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” He is conscious that the old man is dead and he is a new creation.
He does not have to struggle with that which is dead; as long as he lives on the basis of the new creation. Sure he is still in the body and he is still in the flesh. He is not in heaven yet. But though he is still in the flesh, he lives by faith in the Son of God.
Likewise, how do we live as a new creation in Christ? By faith! By faith in the Son of God! So the Christian life is not one where a believer struggles with the old man. The old man has died. It is a struggle or fight of faith – where the believer struggles with believing his identity as a new creation in Christ. It is a struggle of believing that Christ lives in the believer.
So the key to dying to self is not to kill that old man. It is to believe that the old man is already dead because of Christ. It is to start walking by faith on the basis of the finished work of the cross. When we walk by faith, we will experience resurrection power. We will find that it is no longer we who live, but Christ lives is us and through us.
9.65 The answer is found in a person - Jesus
Earlier, we shared that the sin problem came not through our actions, but through Adam. The act of sin is a consequence of the sin problem. Today, we will show you the contrasting verse – which tells us that the solution is not found in our actions, but through Christ. And when we have the solution in Christ, we will bear fruit of the Spirit.
Through Adam came sin and condemnation. Through Jesus came the gift of righteousness and justification.
(Romans 5:18-19)
Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.
Paul contrasts between the power of sin through Adam versus the power of grace through Jesus. Sin is powerful. Through one man’s offense many died. But grace is more powerful. Paul says that “MUCH MORE” the grace of God and the gift [of righteousness] by that grace abound to many. So if the problem was powerful, the solution in Christ is even more powerful.
(Romans 5:15)
For if by the one man’s offense many died, MUCH MORE the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.
What will happen to those who receive the grace of Jesus? – those who receive salvation, receive the gift of righteousness, receive empowerment by the Spirit, live on the basis of Hid grace? Paul says that they will reign in life.
They will reign over sin, over Satan, over problems and circumstances. They will walk in dominion. They will walk in newness of life, instead of the memory of the old man. They will be dead to self through Christ by faith.
(Romans 5:17)
For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will REIGN IN LIFE through the One, Jesus Christ.
So as we discuss on the topic of dying to self, remember to approach it correctly. If we are looking for the answer through our actions (like many do), we will be in a constant state of struggle with little success. But if we understand that the answer is found in Jesus, and we put our faith in Him, we will start walking in that reality.
9.64 Jesus condemned sin in the flesh
Yesterday, we talked about the sin problem faced by Paul and us. The solution could not be found in trying by self-effort to die to self. The solution is to be delivered from the body of death. The answer is found in a Person – Jesus!
Paul declares that the person who could deliver him from the body of death is Jesus. Jesus is the answer for us.
(Romans 7:24-25)
O wretched man that I am! WHO will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through JESUS CHRIST our Lord!
How did Jesus do it? He came down to this earth as a man to dies on the cross and to condemn sin in the flesh. He came to deal with the root problem of sin nature. He paid the price for sin and He took the condemnation for sin.
He washed away our sins and He gave us His righteousness. Because we have been made righteous, He is able to put His Spirit in us. While His righteousness is the new wine skin, The Holy Spirit is our new wine – the power behind the New Covenant believer. And when we walk according to the power and leading of the Spirit, we find the power to walk in righteousness.
(Romans 8:3-4)
For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He CONDEMNED SIN IN THE FLESH, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
So how do we die to self? How do we die to the old man? We do so by believing in Jesus, be receiving Him. When we believe in Him, we are united in His death and resurrection. Our old man was crucified with Him that the BODY OF SIN may be done away with. This means that the sinful nature has been done away with in Christ.
(Romans 6:5-6)
For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our OLD MAN WAS CRUCIFIED with Him, that the BODY OF SIN might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.
The key in faith – believing what Jesus has accomplished. And to believe that we were crucified with Him, and that we are resurrected in Him. We are to walk by faith in that reality.
9.63 Through one man sin entered the world
Before we can deal with dying to self – or dying to the sin nature, we need to understand how that sin nature came about. Many people think that we are sinners because we sin. But the Bible tells us that we sin because we are sinners. How did we become a sinner? It was not through our actions. We were born with the sin nature.
Sin entered the world through Adam. Because all of us were in Adam when he sinned, therefore sin spread to all men. We didn’t have a choice. We were born with the sin nature because we were in Adam. We sin because we were born sinners.
(Romans 5:12-14)
Therefore, just as THROUGH ONE MAN SIN ENTERED THE WORLD, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned…
Can the sinner overcome the sinful nature through his own effort? This is the question of “dying to self”. There was a man in the Bible who did better and tried harder than the rest. He was a determined man who tried to keep God’s laws perfectly. If anyone could have succeeded it would be him. But he failed. This man is Paul.
Paul wanted to do good and to keep God’s laws. But he could not because of the sinful nature dwelling in his flesh. The evil that he willed not to do, that he practiced. He was in a dilemma. He was struggling within himself to his best ability but did not find the victory. Have we experienced the same? Finally he cried, “Who will deliver me from this body of death?”
(Romans 7:14-20, 24)
For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but SIN THAT DWELLS IN ME. For I know that in me (that is, in MY FLESH) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but SIN THAT DWELLS IN ME.
O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?
The solution is not in struggling with that sinful nature. The solution is to be delivered from that sinful nature. He asked, “Who will deliver me…” The answer is found in a Person. We shall continue tomorrow. 9.62 Dying to self the New Covenant way
Today, we move on to discuss another popular topic - dying to self. We will contrast between the approaches under the Old Covenant vs. the New Covenant.
I have been a Christian for the last 28 years. The impression I got growing up in church is that the Christian is a sinner and the sin nature is in his body. As a result, he needs to put his sinful nature under – he needs to die to self.
How does he do that? He tries to keep God’s laws. He denies himself through fasting and prayer. In some extreme cases, they even beat themselves and kneel on rocks. He keeps the demands of God almost legalistically – his Bible study, his evangelism efforts, his church attendance, etc.
Don’t get me wrong, a lot of these things are good i.e. prayer, studying the Bible, sharing your faith, etc. But there is a better way to accomplish these under the New Covenant. There is a different source, and a different cause-effect relationship. We want to share from the New Covenant which is built on better promises.
What we have described above is really dying to self under the Old Covenant way. God knew that the people were sinners. But the people did not know it. That sinful nature came from Adam. So God gave them the law to keep, in order to prove if they could overcome that sinful nature through their self-effort in keeping the law.
They had to put that sinful nature under, and strive hard to keep the law of God. But they failed. The law gave its verdict that no man could die to the sinful nature of self. There has to be another was. God would send His Son Jesus to deliver mankind from that sinful nature.
Today, most people are still trying to approach God the old way. They still believe they are sinners trying to be righteous, and they still fail. People get burnt out, discouraged, and some even give up because the Christian life is impossible.
Let’s be frank, have you felt that way before? Can you identify with what I have described? I went through that journey for many years until I realized that God had provided a better way after the cross. The finished work of Jesus changed everything.
For the next few lessons, we will explore this topic through the Word of God.
9.61 Salvation through belief in the truth of the Gospel
Today, let us share more verses to further reinforce the truth on “obedience of faith” under the New Covenant.
As mentioned, the key in the New Covenant is about right believing, which results in right living. The key is to belief in the truth of the Gospel. Under the Old Covenant, they had to keep the law perfectly in order to attain to righteousness. Nobody attained to it. The law pronounced a verdict that all had sinned. They used the blood of animals to cover their sins until Christ came.
Then Jesus kept the law perfectly. He imputes righteousness to those who belief in Him. Today, the issue is whether we believe in what Christ has done on our behalf. We receive salvation through the obedience of faith – through faith in Him.
The following verse in Romans tells us that salvation is received by “belief in the truth” of the Gospel of grace that Paul presented. If salvation comes through right believing (in contrast to works of the law), then you can imagine how important the “obedience of faith” is.
(Romans 6:17-18)
But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and BELIEF IN THE TRUTH, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Another verse below talks about the righteousness of God that comes by faith. It says that in Christ, what matters is faith working through love. It is not about doing things under the law (circumcision or uncircumcision). To the Galatians, Paul said that they started out their race in faith, but the departed from “obeying the truth” by reverting to law.
(Galatians 5:5-7)
For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love. You ran well. Who hindered you from OBEYING THE TRUTH?
Paul again equated “obeying the truth” to the “obedience of faith” in Jesus. Today, how do we live our Christian lives? Are we law centered? Do we focus on obeying the do’s and don’ts of Christianity? Or are we Christ centered; and our focus is on believing in Him? When we believe in Him, and we walk according to His leading, God is truly pleased with our obedience of faith.
