The New creation man does NOT FALL SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD, and that is what you are dear believer in Jesus Christ. It was the Old Man, Adam, the sin nature that was nailed to the Cross. When God says, all fall short of the glory–He is speaking of the Old man. The Old Man was crucified with Christ that the body of sin might be destroyed, done away with, rendered inoperable.
It was the Old man that did not measure up to God’s holy standard but the New man does.
Before you believed in Jesus the Old man that you were may have been a ‘good’ person or an ‘evil’ person. You may have been a law breaker or a model citizen. It matters not what you did or did not do previous to faith in Jesus, you were lost and ruled by an inner life called Sin. Sin was your nature whether you were a “good” sinner or a “wicked” sinner.
You may have tried to measure up to God’s glory…you know, “do unto others as you would have them do to you”. You tried to live by the Golden Rule. A good person you were. But God’s verdict of you at that time is clear. You and I were enemies of God, ruled by Satan himself, doing the will of the flesh and the mind and were by NATURE children of wrath.
When we were children of wrath we were totally controlled by that inner nature of Sin. If we were disposed to be “good sinners”, then we were probably proud of the fact that we were “good” people. I hear them on talk back radio all the time. They phone in to criticise all the “bad sinners” who just do not seem to be able to keep out of trouble like they can.
If we were one of those “bad sinners,” we had complete disregard for the Law. We had our reasons for our rebellion of course. But who cares, “I will live the way I want to and no one is going to stop me!” These types may join with other proud sinners in gangs and pubs and make fun of the “good sinners”.
But both groups have the same master as their inner nature. He is called the Deceiver, the Serpent, the spirit of the air, Lucifer, the Devil, the Accuser, an angel of light and many more titles.
Rom 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Rom 3:24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
Now I want you to see that God did not simply forgive “you” of all your sins when you believed in Jesus. He did not forgive the Old you that was in union with the Devil. On the contrary, He put that you to death!! That old you is dead and buried and God does not want that Old nature serving Him. “You are a new creation, old things have passed away, all things have become new”. It is not a nice little saying, it is a present tense FACT about you.
We imagine that the person we were before faith in Jesus Christ is still the person we are after faith has come. We think that we are forgiven of all our past sins and now we are that same person who now believes in Jesus. But we are not the same person anymore!
God put that old you to death in Christ. When He died, you died with Him.
When you first believed in Jesus it was a very real death to you. I am speaking of the “old man” that you were.
Rom 6:5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,
Rom 6:6 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.
But at that same moment when you were born again through faith in Jesus Christ, the sin nature(the Devil joined with your spirit)was cleansed out of you. You were purged of the Old nature and given a New nature made in the image of God. Your old nature was circumcised, cut out, cut off and flung into the ground. Your old heart was removed and replaced with a New heart. You do not have two hearts or natures. You have become a sharer in His divine nature.
That Old you has died. The New you is Christ in you, joined as one person with you in your spirit. Just as you were unaware that Satan was your inner life before you believed, now most of us are unaware that Jesus is our inner life and even our heart. There is no sin nature in a believer. He has been cast out. Christ is your only life now.
Believing this is the power of the gospel.
There is no sin in Jesus Christ and He has become your new nature. You know what that means don’t you? There is no sin in you!!
Jesus has joined Himself to your spirit- your heart. He is your holiness. He is your righteousness. He is your wisdom and strength and praise and all things. Jesus is your very life. You are pure and holy and blameless before God in love all because of the work of Jesus. His sacrifice FULLY pleased the Father. Every accusation that was against you has been met by the power and holiness in the precious blood of the Lamb of God- Jesus.
To the pure all things are pure. All things about you are pure because The Pure One is your inner life–He is your heart! He is not just with you inside somewhere in a room. He is you!
But when we do not believe that we have such a heart now in Christ Jesus, then all things are defiled.
Tit 1:15 To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled.
Nothing is pure to the one who still believes that he has a sin nature to put under. Nothing is pure to the one who rejects the Grace of God and instead is trying their hardest to be holy.
Unfortunately most of us are taught that we have two natures within us, the Old and the new. This is unbelief and a misunderstanding that we all have to wade through. Out of this understanding comes self accusation in an effort to make the heart pure for God. We are not seeing that we already have a pure heart as a free gift from God.
Jesus is your pure heart- accept Him as your heart today.
Not believing that you have been cleansed and are pure in heart sets you up to try to become pure. This is the whole realm of Romans 7. Trying to be pure will only revive Sin’s power over you -although Sin cannot come back into you, he/it begins to rule you again.
The one who is trying to be pure will find life very hard. He will be hard on himself and hard on others. Accusing himself when he fails, boasting when he succeeds, falling into pits of despair, rising to great heights of success, all this occurs and characterizes us when we try to be pure for God.
Jesus said
Mat 11:28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Mat 11:29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Mat 11:30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
The New pure heart that you have is the new you. You are full of His glory and full of His person. It is a heart at rest in the heart of God. It is a heart that has nothing to prove for it has full assurance of the Father’s approval. Bold statement?
The other option is to reject yourself, call yourself a sinner, see yourself as defiled. Trying constantly to get God’s approval when you already have it is seeking to establish your own righteousness. You died. That Old you that you were used to live that way, and think that way. But the New man that you are now does not. He is FULLY ACCEPTED by the Father through faith alone in the Lord Jesus- in you.
Accept your new Heart for He has accepted you.
Grace be with your Spirit!
