What I have perceived in the Christian
religion is that, people are not taking the spiritual life, the inner/inward
man, the new creation literally, they have not been able to make a clear
distinction between the life which is in accordance to the flesh, the outward
man and the life of the new, inward man even though we should be training
ourselves to seeing the invisible, Because we have been duly admonished saying;
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet
the inward man is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16).
And so, the multi-million dollar question is
how is the inward man being renewed day by day? What is its source of sustenance
and development? Remember, that we are without excuse when it comes to
understanding spiritual things for we have been duly instructed saying; “For
since the creation of the world His (God’s) invisible attributes are clearly
seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and
Godhead, so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20).
Therefore, how to nourish and renew the new
man is not a secret because, “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but
those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that
we may do all the words of this law” (Deuteronomy 29:29).
To have a clear understanding of how to
renew, sustain and develop the new inward man one has to deal with the source,
the nature of what constitutes the new man which according to the scriptures is
true righteousness and holiness for which we have been admonished saying; “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” (Ephesians
4:23-24).
True righteousness and holiness therefore, are
the main and fundamental source of the new inward man and to renew, sustain and
develop the new inward man one has to focus on nourishing and exercising true
righteousness and holiness.
With regards to righteousness it is
imperative to note that, there are three aspects of righteousness and it is
only by practicing the true righteousness will we be living the life worthy of
our calling because, man’s own righteousness is like filthy rags before God and
by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in the sight of God.
Therefore, the act of righteousness that
will resonate in us to walk worthy of our calling is Jesus Christ Himself our
righteousness and the act of righteousness He executed on our behalf. It is
also imperative to note that it is this act of righteousness that produces
holiness as we have been instructed saying; “I speak in human terms because of
the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of
uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present
your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness” (Romans 6:19).
To confirm the fact that it is the act of
true righteousness that produce holiness this is what we find written in the
scriptures; “Then Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram, and the
bread that is in the basket, by the door of the tabernacle of meeting. They
shall eat those things with which the atonement was made, to consecrate and to
sanctify them; but an outsider shall not eat them, because they are holy”
(Exodus 29:32-33).
Remember that the Old Testament was a copy
and shadow of the reality therefore, just as Aaron and his sons had to eat
those things with which the atonement was made to consecrate and sanctify them,
in like manner in order for us to be consecrated and sanctified we must partake
of the things with which our atonement was made which in this case is the body
and blood of Jesus Christ.
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With brotherly love
Lucius Joseph
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