Overcoming and killing the old man:
Let us not forget that in order to never die we need to eat of the Tree of Life and who is allowed to do that other than overcomers?
"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches;
To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God" Rev 2:7
Jesus became an overcomer before he physically died on the cross.
| Joh 16:33 | These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. |
He overcame the all the temptations of the man, Jesus.
Why would it be different for us? Has not God provided all that is needed for each of us to overcome
now [rather than in some future afterlife]? Whether or not we use what He has provided is always up to us.
| Ro 8:13 | For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. |
The mortifying is the killing of the old man. That is the overcoming process, I believe, which each of us must complete in order to eat from the Tree of Life. What must be overcome by us is not the sin itself, but the things within us which when followed will lead us back to sin again:
"For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world" I
John 2:16
No man can crucify himself...
Who was it that crucified Jesus? He did not do it himself, but he allowed it to be done...
"No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father."
John 10:18
Even so, as we yield ourselves to the Holy Spirit with us, the Holy Spirit will guide and strengthen the new man of us to kill the old man of us. The power to overcome is the Holy Spirit in us. This is why Apostle Paul admonishes us:
"Quench not the Spirit." I Thess 5:19
And the Baptist says:
| Joh 3:30 | He must increase, but I must decrease. |
The new man is to be increasing as the old man is dying.
And there are battles within us...
"From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?"
James 4:1
The battles rage within each of us to sin or not to sin.
The power of God never loses,
...but we have authority over God within us. That is what men call "free will".
We can keep hold of our reins [effectively giving them to the old man] or we can surrender to God [giving the reins to the Holy Spirit within us].
Leading ourselves, we will lose. The Holy Spirit leading us, we will win.
How many battles must we fight? How about until all of those things which would lead us to sin have been finally overcome? When and if that is done, then the old man would be dead and could we not then with Jesus say..?
"And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father..."
John 17:11 When Jesus prayed that prayer, he had not yet gone to the cross, but he had overcome the last temptation of his own old man [man of fleshly desires as per those listed above in I
John 2:16].
Are still in our own little world of temptations? When and if we have overcome the last adversary of our new man by the power of the Holy Spirit, would we not be where Jesus was even if we were still on planet Earth? Jesus was certainly still on planet Earth when he prayed that prayer [John 17:11], but he had already overcome his last temptation... even though he still had to suffer and die on the cross. Was Jesus not then an overcomer before he died?
