There are a lot of people who use terminology about their old man being dead but also say that he resurrects every morning. This is because they continue to identify with their fallen, sinful nature. That is detrimental to Christian growth.
The Scripture says in Proverbs 23:7, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” If you think you’re still dead in trespasses and sins—and that you’ve also got a new nature—then you’re as good as schizophrenic. It’s just a matter of time until that old nature dominates you because that’s who you think you are. But that’s not the case for a born-again child of God.
You don’t have a part of you that’s separated from God. If you’re born again, your nature has been completely changed! The only thing compelling you to still live the way you did before you were born again is the fact that you haven’t renewed your mind.
When I first started ministering, I spent some time ministering in the local jails. I recall talking with one of the men through the bars. I was saying, “If I had the power to free you, and I just opened the door and said, ‘You’re free!’ you’d be free. But that doesn’t mean you’d be free. You’d have to believe you were free and then act on it by getting off your bunk and walking out the door.”
A similar thing happened when Abraham Lincoln announced the liberation of slaves in 1863. The Confederate states didn’t think it applied to them, so they didn’t even tell their slaves about the Emancipation Proclamation. Then, on June 19, 1865, Texas slaves heard from Union soldiers that they had been freed over two years earlier. Imagine how they must’ve felt hearing that they had been freed all along—they just didn’t know it.
This same concept applies to us. Jesus has totally set us free. When we were born again, the old man died with Christ. Born-again believers do not have a sinful nature (Rom. 6:6). We’ve been freed! But if you somehow or another still believe that you are by nature a sinner, then you’ll still let that sin nature influence you.
It is because the old man is dead in the believer that Paul can give the exhortation in Romans 6:12: “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.” The word therefore means it’s referring to the previous things that were said—which is that your old man is dead. And because you are no longer enslaved to the old man, you can do what Romans 6:13 says:
Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
Jesus only died once for sin, and you only die once to your old sin nature. The Bible says your old man is dead, and he does not rise every morning. If you really understood that it’s not your nature to live in sin anymore, then you would be free from sin.
God gives you His nature when you are born again, and you become a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17). As you renew your mind to the truth, your old man’s programming gets updated and your new nature compels you to live a holy life, just like your old sinful nature compelled you to live a sinful life.
Man, this is really simple, but that’s exactly what the Bible says. These are some of the most foundational and liberating things that you could ever learn. And I’m not saying that because it’s my teaching. It’s just the truth!
If you’ve been blessed by this teaching, I encourage you to visit awmi.net, where you’ll find a wealth of free resources to help you grow in your walk with the Lord. Also, if you’re in need of prayer, just call my helpline at 719-635-1111 to speak to one of my trained prayer ministers. They will stand in agreement with you for God’s perfect will in your life.
We love you!
Andrew and Jamie Wommack