The practical spiritual benefits of our having already ‘died’ as to our ‘independent Old Man’ are maintained by FAITH in the foundational Truths we’ve discussed in Part 1. Our Faith in these truths is expressed by our Continual Renunciation and Denying of the Impulses of the “Mind of The Flesh.”

The “work of God” for us over our lifetime is always to “BELIEVE On [trust in] Him [Christ] whom God has sent.” (John 6:29) and by extension trust in the power of Christ’s Cross that bore our Old Man’s death with Christ… then to give birth to our New Life based upon our union with “Christ, who IS our Life” [Col. 3:4).

We must remain ever-mindful of the TRUTHS and in continual agreement with the will and work of indwelling “Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:2a). Thus, Paul wrote of the importance of our mindset.

⁵ For they that are after [live in accord with] the Flesh do MIND the things of the Flesh;

but they that are after [live in accord with] the Spirit [are MINDING] the things of the Spirit.  ⁶ For to be carnally [fleshly] MINDED is death; but to be spiritually MINDED is life and peace. Rom. 8:5-6

Only a “new creation” person, such as we are in union with Christ, is equipped to choose daily effectively Count Themselves as being DEAD TO their Old self-interest that was often… pandered to by the temptations of Sinful Flesh. Even the fleshly impulse toward the false religiosity of manmade religious systems is one of the Devil’s most common panderings seen among believers. We must realize that in Christ we Have Died To The False Religious Desires of the ‘Mind of the Flesh.’ It is “the Flesh” in man that wants to be regarded as ‘spiritual’ when they participate in the liturgy, ritual, and rites of the man-controlled religious organizations apostate Christendom. Neither are we a tool of “the Flesh” to sow discord, hurt, and confusion among the brethren… but we do stand for the truth of God in Christ as seen in the Bible rightly divided. Historically many have died, being burned at the stake at the hand of man’s religion rather than deny the precious Bible truths that we stand upon; e.g., John Huss, William Tyndale, and so many others died for the cause … that we might have our Bible in our own language.

We know that the “Old Man” with his mindset of “the Flesh” absolutely cannot obey God, nor does he want to (Eph. 4:17-32). Every person is naturally born sinful, because we all were born in the line of fallen Adam and we all carry the curse of “Sin in the flesh” (Rom. 8:3).

¹² Wherefore, as by one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned Romans 5:12 

⁸So then They That Are In [living in union with] The Flesh Cannot Please God. Romans 8:8

Since we have believed to receive Christ, our sinful Old Man “IS crucified with Christ,” we thereby are set free from the dominion of ‘Sin in the flesh.’

³ Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized [reset] into Jesus Christ were Baptized [placed] Into His Death? Romans 6:3 (There’s No Water in this baptism! 1Cor 12:13 says we were baptized into His “One BODY.”)

⁶ Knowing this, that our Old Man IS Crucified With Him, [so] that the body of sin might be destroyed [Grk. kartargeo, Old English for ‘nullified ‘or ‘made of no effect’), [so] that henceforth we should not serve sin. Rom. 6:6

Having died as to our Old Self with Christ, we now exist in a state of both death and Life.

• Our Old, sinful Self has DIED with Christ and remains ‘forever dead,’ and
• the life we continue to live is described as the very life of “Christ who IS our life” (Col. 3:4).

Henceforth, Our One True Life Is the Eternal Life of Christ. Therefore “the life [we] now live in the body” is to be for Christ’s Sake and His Gospel, rather than for our own sake. The Self-centeredness of our “Old Man” is no longer our real person – He died with Christ at the Cross.

‘Dying to self’ does not mean we become dull of mind or emotionless. Rather we embark on a spiritual journey whereby we begin to learn to yield to Christ’s mind, emotion, and will to then be expressed though our soul’s faculties – our mind, emotion, and will. Man being created in His “image” means we were created with the faculties of “the spirit of man” (Zech. 12:1b) and also of our soul by which Christ may indwell and renew us in spirit and soul, so as to then become expressed through ... our mind, emotion, and will.

We do not attempt to serve God in ways that do not suit our spontaneously occurring God-given talent or temperament. Neither does it mean we need redouble our efforts to obey any man’s or Israel’s religious “LAW,” nor do we punish ourselves in an effort to appear spiritual. For Paul wrote;

¹⁴ For Sin shall NOT have dominion over you: for ye are NOT under The Law, but under grace. Rom. 6:14

Paul’s grace-gospel affords us the joy of knowing our ALL sins are Forever Forgiven - forgiven freely by and through the Lord sacrificial death for us. Our only work was to “believe.” This pure grace-gospel then affords us time on earth to grow under the new paradigm of 100% pure grace. During this time, we have on earth We have the assurance that God our Father is the One who is working IN US to make all things new and in accord with His perfect will

¹³ For IT IS GOD [by His Spirit in you] WHICH WORKETH IN YOU both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Philippians 2:13   ⁶ Being confident of this very thing, that he [God our Father] which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ [the day of His appearing at the Rapture to take us to heaven]: Philippians 1:6 (KJV)

Having declared the truth of our liberation from the power of “Sin in the flesh,” Paul provides us practical instruction for our daily living;

² Set your Affection on things Above [in the heavenlies], not on things on the earth. ³ For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

⁵ Mortify [deny] therefore your [body] members [the impulses of flesh] which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence [desires], and covetousness, which is idolatry: ⁶ For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
⁷ In the which ye also walked some time, when ye [in past time] lived in them. Colossians 3:2-7 (KJV)

This means that our efforts in walking in accord with the indwelling “Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” while on this earth will not be futile. For “the Spirit” who indwells us leads us in “the path of righteousness,” and this will have a heavenly, eternal, lasting effect (1 Cor. 3:10-13, 2Tim. 2:12).

Jesus of Nazareth told His Jewish disciples; “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himSELF and take up his cross and follow me” (Matt. 16:24; Luk 9:23). With the Nation of Israel having rejected Christ and His kingdom when He came, Israel will not be able to do this until they receive the resurrected “Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” into their “spirit of man” to be their new life in the coming kingdom on earth. But today we of “His body, the body of Christ” follow Him by walking in accord with “His Spirit” in us (Gal. 5:16, 18, 25).

We today already have Christ’s indwelling “Spirit of life” and we are destined to dwell “eternal in the heavens” (2Cor. 5:1b). We are not destined for the kingdom to come on earth as Israel one day will. Rather, we of “the body of Christ” are destined to “reign with Him” (2Tim. 2:12), with Christ, dwelling “eternal in the heavens,” while Israel’s believing remnant will one day reign with Christ on earth (Rev. 5:10, 20:6)

Jesus to His Jewish disciples: “For whoever would save his life [Gk. psuche, his self-soul] will lose it, but whoever loses his life [self-soul life] for my sake and the gospel’s Will Save It [a renewed soul]” (Mark 8:35).

We as a self-soul must deny our religious impulse to appease God in our own strength, and instead Trust The Cross-Work of Christ and “walk in the spirit.” He must lead, and we must daily recognize His leadership and our dependence upon Him if we are to live a righteous life as an expression of His life in us.

¹⁶ This I say then, Walk in [under the influence of] the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust [desires] of the flesh. ¹⁸ But if [since] ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. ²⁵ If [since] we live [have life] in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Galatians 5:16, 18, 25 (KJV)

We must stop attempting to save and change ourselves by our own strength; instead we must trust that His Cross-work and His way is sufficient. We trust that God is always at work in us by His Spirit... teaching us how to live by the truth of Christ as our ALL. We must be willing to give up our fleshly religious desires and instead follow the indwelling Christ in accord with the written “word of truth.”