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When Does One Become a New Man in Christ?
When Does One Become a New Man in Christ?
One who is in Christ has been born again and is a new creation, “…created in Christ Jesus for good works…” (Eph. 2.10). Paul wrote, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Cor. 5.17).
What exactly is the old that has passed away? The Bible teaches, “We know that our oldself was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin” (Rom. 6.6) and “…to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires… and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4.22, 24), and finally, “Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator” (Col. 3.9-10). Simply put, at the point of being born again, the old man of sin is to be put to death, and we are to be clothed with the new man of righteousness. In fact, the characteristics of the new man are evidence of one who has been born of God. This person practices righteousness (1 John 2.29), does not continue in sin (1 John 3.9; 5.18), loves God and his brethren (1 John 4.7), believes that Jesus is the Christ (1 John 5.1), and overcomes the world by his faith (1 John 5.4).
To this point, all Bible students agree. However, it is generally thought that when one believes in Jesus he is born again, put into Christ, and has become a new man. Is this biblical?
First, how is one “born again”? Jesus taught, “…Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3.3). Specifically speaking, “unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3.5). For a man to be “born of water and the spirit” he must obey Jesus by being baptized in His name. Notice the parallels: “he saved us, not because of worksdone by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3.5) and “that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word” (Eph. 5.26). To deny these passages is to deny the obvious; that in baptism we have our sins washed away (Acts 22.16; cf. 2.38).
Additionally, Peter taught that we are born again by our obedience to the truth: “Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God…” (1 Peter 1.22-23). The very fact that baptism is a command of God makes it both important and essential to our salvation (Matt. 28.18-20; Acts 2.38; 10.47-48). Otherwise, to refuse to obey Jesus is to refuse to obey the truth, something that is essential to being born again.
The Bible says, “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1.12-13). Notice that faith is involved in being born of God. However, we cannot look to John 1.12-13 as the “be all and end all” of being born again. Though the one who believes is given the right (authority) to become a child of God, he must now exercise that right by being “born of water and the Spirit” (John 3.5) or “born… of God” (John 1.13). Interestingly, Paul taught that “for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Gal. 3.26-27). Therefore, to be a child of God, one who is born again must by faith obey Jesus by being immersed in His name. Only then can it be said that this person is “in Christ”, has “put on Christ”, and is “born of water and the spirit”. Simply put, a mere mental faith in Jesus does not constitute being put into Christ and putting Him on; only baptism can do that! Therefore, one cannot be “in Christ” until he is baptized into Christ – something a mere mental faith cannot accomplish. Jesus stated, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16.16). Faith and baptism together save us and cause us to be born again!
Secondly, when one observes when the old is to be put away and the new man adopted, he cannot escape the obvious conclusion: that baptism is the point at which this transformation takes place.
Paul taught, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our oldself was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin” (Rom. 6.3-6).
This destroys the notion that one becomes a new creation in Christ Jesus upon faith alone. Paul expressly states that one rises out of the watery grave of baptism to “walk in newness of life”. It is only after we have been baptized in His name for the forgiveness of our sins that we can confidently say, “We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.”
Do not misunderstand. Faith is certainly involved, but it is not at the point of initial faith, but only when faith culminates in obedience to water baptism in the name of Jesus that we receive the forgiveness of our sins (see Acts 2.38; 22.16).
Finally, if one is honest with the Bible he cannot believe that at the point of faith one is born again, put into Christ and is a new man. It stands in direct opposition to the symbolism baptism professes and the words of the inspired writers. In waterbaptism a death, burial, and resurrection is pictured. The old man who is dead to Christ dies to sin (crucified to the world, Gal. 6.14), is buried with Christ, then rises out of the water to “walk in newness of life” just as our Lord and Savior arose. This new man is now alive in Christ and dead to sin. For one to claim that faith alone saves, he accepts a false concept of faith-only as if it corresponds to the born-again symbolism that only baptism can. Additionally, if one accepts that salvation happens at the point of faith and then decides to be baptized simply because he believes it is important to do so, then he is being baptized as a new-man-alive-in-Christ and yet he must as a new man die to sin, be buried, and then rise to “walk in newness of life”. Who dies to sin if they are already a new man in Christ? They should have already died to sin! Who is buried if they are a new man in Christ? We do not bury people who are alive, but people who are dead. Who rises to “walk in newness of life” if they are supposedly already a new man by faith alone? These things only happen at the point of baptism and not before! To claim otherwise is to be dishonest with God’s word; it is a misapplication of biblical faith and a holding to a doctrine of man.
Becoming a new creature in Christ Jesus is the purpose of the gospel and the result of being born again. Have you been born again and put on the new man? BG
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