Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.   — Romans 6:6

This is something that every Christian must know!  The old man is crucified with Christ.  The old man is not being crucified, is not in the process of dying; he is dead!  We have been taught in the body of Christ to “die to self,” but in order to be dying, you must still be alive!  You (the old man) are not alive; the old man you were is dead and has passed away!  Until you “know” this, you will be fighting with the old man, struggling against the old man, acting like the old man.  Know this:  he is dead!  He was crucified with Christ!  You are no longer an angry man, an insecure person, a failure trying to become a success.  The angry man is dead; the insecure person is gone; the failure has been made a success!  You now have God’s life and God’s divine nature in you–-you are a new spiritual creature.  Do not identify and associate with the old man.  He is crucified with Christ.  There is now a new man in town–-one who no longer will serve sin, one who is able to serve God!

Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.  — John 3:7

When you received Jesus as Lord and Savior, the Bible declares you to be “born again.”  Jesus told Nicodemus that you must be born again.  Nicodemus did not understand how you could go back into your mother’s womb and be born once more.  He was thinking about a physical rebirth; Jesus was talking about a spiritual rebirth.  Man is a spirit being; he has a soul and lives in a physical body.  The spirit of man, or the real man, can be born from death to life (Ephesians 2:1) by making a decision to make Jesus his Lord.  When this happens, he then becomes born of the Spirit and born of God (John 1:13; 3:6).  His spirit is instantly born into the image and likeness of God Himself, with authority and dominion to rule on this earth (John 1:12; Ephesians 4:24).  He can then see the kingdom of God (John 3:3), and enter into the kingdom of God (John 3:5).  This brings a whole new lifestyle and a new position to a person.  He can now choose and claim what is legally his, because he has been born into the family of God.  You are either born again or you are not--there is nothing in between.  Going to church will not save you, being good will not save you, your denomination will not get you into the kingdom.  You, personally, must be born again.  You must understand that Jesus freely paid the price for your deliverance from death to life and confess Him as your Lord and Savior (Romans 10:9, 10).  You must be born again!

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:  old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.   — 2 Corinthians 5:17

Big changes came to you when you were born again and born of God.  You are no longer the person you used to be.  Although you look the same in the natural and think the same in your soul, you were totally recreated in your spirit.  You are a new creature, or a new species of being which never existed before.  You will now spend the rest of your life discovering who you have become by the grace of God!  Notice in this verse that old things have passed away.  Along with the new birth there was a death that took place.  The old person that you used to be “passed away.”  The sinner, the weak person, the person subject to sin, sickness, demons, fear, and worry has passed away, and all things are become new and all things are of God (2 Cor. 5:18a).  You have been born into a kingdom and into an inheritance that are of God.  You are now His child and have the ability to grow up to be like Him.  Dominion and authority have been restored to you, the same as Adam had before his fall.  You are not who you used to be.  You are a new creature, not becoming a new creature, not struggling to be a new creature – you are a new creature!  As you renew your soul (your mind, will, and emotions) to the Word of God, the “new you” will start to come out of the inside of you.  You will one day be totally transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2)-–you will slowly become in your soul who you really are in your spirit because of the new birth and the renewing of your mind.

But God commendeth [shows and clearly proves] his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

— Romans 5:8, 9

While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  Jesus went to the cross for us and shed His blood when we did not deserve it.  He did it through the unconditional love He had for us.  Notice, it was while we were sinners.  You were a sinner, but because of His death, you are no longer a sinner.  The sinner died or passed away, and you are now justified by the Blood!  Is it possible to be justified, yet believe I am still a sinner?  A failure?  Unrighteous?  Because of lack of knowledge, many Christians, even though born again, claim to be “a sinner saved by grace.”  They choose to believe that who they really are is based on their performance, rather than basing who they really are on the Blood.  You are now justified, or can live “just as if you never sinned.”  Here’s where your delegated right to “choose and become” comes in.  You must believe who the Word says you are–-and you can.  You are not a recovering alcoholic, an angry man, a non-practicing drug addict, or a sickly person.  The alcoholic, the angry man, the drug addict, the sickly person died the day you were born again.  That person has passed away and you have become new –-justified by the Blood.  But you have been given the right to choose–-the sinner or the saint, the sick or the healed, the bound or the free.  You can be a new creation, justified by the Blood, and still claim and believe you are the old sinner you were!  What you believe, you will get.  Choose to grow up to be what the Word says you are, simply by believing the promises provided by the Blood.  The choice is yours!