The Old You vs. The New You

We’re still talking about the topic of discipleship and growing in our walk with God. Spiritual growth isn’t automatic, it’s a process. 

Many of us who are believers find ourselves in this position: We’ve accepted God’s forgiveness. We believe that Jesus paid our penalty by dying on the cross, and we believe that he rose from the dead to conquer death forever. We admit that we’ve sinned, but we also know that when we asked God for his forgiveness he wiped those sins off of our records.

But we still struggle! We still lose our temper. We still have bouts of jealousy and bitterness. We still say things that hurt people. We still struggle with impure thoughts. And so there are times when we either doubt our salvation or we just accept the fact that we’re bad at being Christians. 

Before we go any further, let’s discuss some theology. When we talk about discipleship or spiritual growth or spiritual maturity, we’re talking about the theological topic known as “sanctification.” When we accept Christ’s forgiveness and are “justified” (made right with God) we are also “sanctified,” or “made holy,” in that the sacrifice of Jesus wiped away our sins once and for all. Positionally, our sins are forgiven, we are perfect, our sins are no more, and we are made right with God. We are holy (see Hebrews 10:10). 

Practically, however, we are far from what we’d consider “holy.” That’s because there is another aspect of sanctification, a practical side. In actuality, we are far from perfect, and so the Christian enters into the process of living up to practically, through the power of the Holy Spirit (see 1 Thessalonians 4:3, 7-8), what God declares us to be positionally. Sanctification, then, is our lifelong process of becoming in reality what we are positionally: holy. 

Holiness isn’t something you can obtain on your own; this can only be done by the power of God. God accepts us just as we are, but he loves us way too much to leave us that way. You want to stop struggling with the same sins over and over? You want to become more and more like Christ? Let’s look at Romans 6…

In Romans 6:6, Paul states that our “old sinful selves” were crucified with Christ so that “the body ruled by sin might be done away with” (NIV). Our “old self” is everything we were before we accepted Christ. That “old person” had a very powerful master, sin. Even when you were good, even when you were at your best, you still had no power when it came to sin. 

But when you accepted Christ, that “old you” died with Christ (see Galatians 2:20). You died to your master, sin. The “old you” that was a slave to sin no longer exists! 

There is now a “new you,” and the new you is no longer controlled by sin. You no longer have to sin. You don’t have to live under sin’s control. You have been “set free from the power of sin” (Romans 6:7, NLT). You may still struggle with sin, that’s obvious. But now you can say no to sin, you don’t have to be controlled by sin. You are dead to sin!

When Jesus died, your old self died, and when Jesus rose, you rose, because you are now a brand new person! You are a forgiven, justified, brand new person who is free from sin’s power and who no longer has to sin! You were a sinner, now you’re a child of God! That’s who you are! At the very core of your being, you are a child of God. 

Your old self that was a slave to sin is dead. You are a new person, a child of God, made right with God, and you no longer have to do anything that sin tells you to do. You are free! 

But how does that knowledge help us? 

Paul answers that question in Romans 6:11, and it is such an important verse that I’ll just print it here: “So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (ESV). 

That word “consider” could also be translated as “count,” “reckon,” or “accept this as fact.” So, accept this as fact: your old self is dead, you’re a new person, and you are free from the control of sin and free to be all that God wants you to be! These are facts. Notice that God never tells us to become dead to sin. He says that we are dead to sin, and now we just have to believe it and claim it. 

You are dead to sin! You are alive in Christ! This isn’t just some abstract theological truth. Accept this truth about you! You no longer have to sin! 

Now that you understand that you are dead to sin, and now that you have believed and claimed that truth for you personally, offer yourself to God. Let him live through you in all his power, in all his love, in all his glory. You’ve already made the one-time, once and for all surrender of your life to God. Now choose to make daily, moment by moment decisions to yield to him. 

Look at Romans 6:13 – Do not let any part of your body become a tool of wickedness, to be used for sinning. Instead, give yourselves completely to God since you have been given new life. And use your whole body as a tool to do what is right for the glory of God (NLT).

You are dead to sin, so don’t let it control you, don’t offer any part of your body to your old master, sin. Instead, offer every single part of yourself to God. Give God your hands, your feet, your eyes, your mind, your mouth, every single part of your being. Sin wants to use those parts, but you can choose to give those parts to God. 

The Christian life is about allowing Christ to change us, it’s about surrendering to God and allowing him to change our desires to match his, to give us his strength when we are weak, to change us into the man or woman he has called us to be. 

Most of us go through life as if we’re trying to crank a lawnmower, and it won’t crank. You pull that rope over and over to start the engine, your arm feels like it’s about to fall off. You give it fresh gasoline, adjust the throttle, spray WD-40 into the carburetor, pull the rope again and again and it just will not crank. Then you discover that the spark plug is disconnected. I’m not saying that I ever did that, it’s just hypothetical, of course. 

We try and try in our own feeble power to live the way we think we should. And when we fail, we’re miserable. But you are connected to unimaginable power! You have the unlimited power of the Holy Spirit inside of you, available to you to change you completely from the inside out. Don’t give in to the lie that you just can’t change. It is true that you can’t change yourself in your own power. So stop trying to live that way. Allow the Spirit of God to lead you step by step. And when you fail, accept his forgiveness and mercy. 

When you face temptation, follow Mufasa’s advice to Simba in the “Lion King,” “remember who are you are.” You are a brand new person, you are a child of the King, and you are free from the power of sin. Then, when you’re tempted, exercise some faith, forget how you feel, and say out loud, “I’m a brand new person. I don’t have to do that. I’m dead to that.” And then trust the Holy Spirit to give you all the power you need to live for him! 

Series Navigation

<< The Key is SurrenderTime for a Check-Up >>