The New Person

. . . He is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. —2 Corinthians 5:17

The day you received Jesus as Lord and Savior, you became a new creature. Spiritually you were born again; in your spirit you were made new. You became a new creation, a new species of being that never existed before. For most of your Christian life, you will be slowly discovering who God made you at the new birth. As you find out who you are now and start to identify with your new nature, you will start to change into a brand-new person. This is accomplished, not by your efforts, but by faith in the Word and in the promises that tell you who you are. Old things have passed away, and all things have become new! Your old nature, with its old habits, has passed away; those old habits are dead and gone. Until you know this, you will identify with your old nature and your old thought life, and you will live like the old being. Put off the old creature—allow him to be put to death in your mind once and for all, and believe who God declares you to be, what He has made you. You are a new creature, born of God.

Pastor Tom Kehres

Put on the Promises

Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. —2 Peter 1:4

God has placed within your hands many exceeding great and precious promises: promises of health, wealth, victory, power, peace, joy; promises of deliverance and total freedom. These promises have a purpose beyond the ideas of Gee, I wish I could have them, or Someday these will be mine. They have already been given to you so you can partake, or take part, in the divine nature of God. When you were born again and re-created, your old, sinful nature was replaced with the divine nature of God. Your very makeup contains the same traits as those of almighty God: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance (Galatians 5:22–23). You have God-potential and God-ability in you because Christ is in you. But you can go your whole life and never take advantage of this new, wonderful nature. How do you hook up to or connect to this new you? Through the precious promises of God. As you believe the promises, you will not only put on the new man and the new nature, but you will also put off the old man and escape the old nature. Do not struggle or battle with the old nature and old faults, but put on the new man in your thought life and the old will leave at the same time. Put on righteousness, and you will sin not! Put on health, and sickness will flee; put on the divine nature of God, and the old, corrupt nature will disappear. It is your responsibility to put on the new nature by spending time in the promises of God. Partake of, and start to live in, your divine nature today!

Pastor Tom Kehres

Picture This!

And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him. —Colossians 3:10

Here is how the new man is put on: through the knowledge of God and after the image of Him who created him. Who is it that created the new creation? It was God Himself. As you read and meditate on the Word of God, it will start to paint a picture of who you have been made into. You will start to see yourself as righteous, holy, born of God, more than a conqueror, powerful, victorious; as He is, so are you. The words of the Bible will paint pictures in your imagination of who you really are now. Soon you will discover that you are the person who never gets sick, who is never discouraged, who is always on top, who rules and reigns in Christ (Romans 5:17). When you think this way, you will be this way and live this way: “As [a man] thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7 nkjv). If you think you are weak, if you think you are a sinner, if you see yourself as the same old creature, you will live that way. But if you think you are strong in the Lord, if you think you are righteous, if you think you are the new creature, you will live that way! Notice that these are all truths from the Word of God; you are basing your thoughts on God’s unchanging and effectual Word. You need to start to paint the picture of who God, through His grace and mercy, has made you to be, according to the eternal truth of His Word. Put on the new man, who is after the image of God.

Pastor Tom Kehres

Like Father, Like Son

Put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. —Ephesians 4:24

This is your responsibility! You must “put on” the new man. Where are you going to put him on? In the spirit of your mind (Ephesians 4:23). You must allow the Word of God to daily change or daily cleanse your mind from old-man thoughts. This new man—who you are—is born of the Word of God, is as He is, is after God, created in righteousness and true holiness. You were born after God! You should take after God just like a child in the natural takes after his parents. You were created not to become righteous and holy, but in righteousness and true holiness. That is who you are! Anything in your life that is not in line with righteousness and holiness is abnormal to you. Sin is abnormal to you. Sickness is abnormal and not part of you. Anger, impatience, unforgiveness, offense—not part of your new nature. That is not who you are now! Do not claim the old man and his traits, but put them off (Ephesians 4:22). Renew your mind to who you are now by the blood of Jesus and the grace of God, and put on the new man, who is made in the image of Christ. This is a daily process; it will take time invested in the Word of God. But start today! Put off the old man and put on the new man, who is created after God.

Pastor Tom Kehres