When we speak of the new man, we mean a people who have an entirely and radically new conception both of the powers and function of the human personality. A people ‘renewed in the spirit of their minds’. Whereas they previously thought in terms of self-sufficiency and self-effort, now they use the same language about themselves as the Saviour on earth about Himself when he said, ‘The Son can do nothing of Himself’ and Paul who wrote of himself ‘who am nothing’ and the disciples to whom Jesus said, ‘Apart from Me, you can do nothing’.
They have had a divine revelation
They have had a divine revelation of the created helplessness and nothingness of the human self. Through faith we have been joined to a dead and buried Christ, so far as our new selves are concerned. Meaning that the new man is – Christ and I made one – and in that union He is the all, and I the nothing. He is the Vine and I the branch.
For all essential purposes, the new man is Christ. ‘Christ who is our life’, ‘Christ is all and in all’. As Paul states in Gal 2:20, ‘I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live’, ‘yet not I, but Christ lives in me’. The I which has been crucified with Christ is the old egocentric self. Our new ‘risen from the dead in Christ’ selves is the same so far as our organs and faculties are concerned but ‘renewed in the Spirit of our minds’.
Paul says ‘Reckon yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God. Yield yourselves unto God as alive from the dead. This renewed ‘I’ has a pure heart (Acts 15:8, 1 Pet 1:22), a purified soul (1 Pet 1:22), a pure mind (2 Pet 3:1), a dedicated body (Rom 6:13, 12:1), the temple of the Holy Ghost. The real ‘I’ is Christ in me. Taking us back to the beginning.
God Himself, He alone is the All
God Himself, He alone is the All – the eternal life, light, love, wisdom, power, holiness. And He can only make creatures to contain Him. Receivers, containers, manifestors of Himself. We, the pinnacle of His creation, intelligent creatures with faculties like Himself with whom He can have fellowship and who can be His sons.
When God redeems man from his false, deceived, imagined life of self-centeredness. He can only redeem him by ridding him of this false attitude and restoring him to the true function of his humanity to be the recipient and container of the living God. And this takes place in our faith-union with Christ in His death – so our death and resurrection.
Taken from The Deep Things of God by Norman Grubb
Nothing But You Our complete surrender of ourselves to the Lord Often hinges upon some particular thing. God waits for it, He must have it, For all of ourselves we must bring. Lord I want nothing for myself. I want all for You, I want to joy in that thrill. I will be what You will for I want Nothing outside Your will. Not until we take the place of a servant Can He take His place as Lord. He is not calling us to devote ourselves To the carrying of His Sword. He is asking us to yield ourselves Unconditionally to His will For He can only truly operate. When the heart is still. By the late Andrew Feakin (passed away 16th March 2019)
Do you feel the wind of change? Calling you higher, calling you deeper? I am the Lord your God, who called you before the foundation of the world, to be a called out one. Though you do not feel worthy – yet you are made worthy through My Son who bled and died for you. This is why you receive My Words. This is why you knock and you seek and why the door is open to you. I am detaching you from all that hinders. I am breaking you free from all shackles that you may go out in My name to preach the gospel to the poor, to heal the sick, to cast out demons, to raise the dead, to cleanse the unclean. You shall go out in My power and bring My Kingdom here. And it shall not be for fame or fortunes as some may do – but shall only be for My Glory and for a demonstration of My power. Fix your eyes on Me. Have a steely eyed determination to follow Me. It will cost you everything – but everything you will gain.