by Lee C. Turner

We were crucified with Christ, buried with him and resurrected with him. This can be called our co-crucifixion, co-burial and co-resurrection with Christ. The old man (unregenerate spirit) was crucified and replaced by the new man (regenerate spirit). A person only has one nature or spirit. He is either in Adam or in Christ, an old man or a new man. The believer has an exchanged life. He exchanges his old life for Christ’s new life which gives him the power to live consistently with who he is.

Imagine there is an evil badman in a black suit named old nature, and he is riding a wild black horse named the flesh. The black horse called the flesh says, “Let’s go sin!” Because the badman old nature had an inborn tendency to sin, he kicked his horse, the flesh, with his spurs and yelled, “Whoopee, let’s go!” However, the law had judged that the badman, old nature, must die for his sins. The sheriff and his posse caught up with him and shot him dead; and his horse, the flesh, was given to a brand new master. His new owner was a good man dressed in a white suit named new nature who was intrinsically righteous and hated sin. One day his black horse called the flesh said, “Let’s go sin!” But the new nature pulled the horse’s head back with the reins and said, “No! We are not going to sin; you are under my control now, and it’s inconsistent with who I am.”

Before conversion, when the flesh lusted after sin, the old nature didn’t resist because it was intrinsically evil. The flesh and the old nature both delighted in sin. However, at conversion, the old nature died with Christ (Romans 6:6) and the believer was given a new nature that is complete and perfect in Christ (Colossians 2:10). A battle now rages because the new nature will not want to follow the flesh into sin (Galatians 5:17). The flesh will still try to entice the believer to sin, but through his new nature he has the power to say, “No!” (1 John 4:4).