A great many nursery rhymes have historical significance. As just one example there is , “Mary, Mary quite contrary, how does your garden grow….” I am told that this Mary was Mary Queen of Scots, and she was in some ways very contrary. She was a Christian-persecuting Roman Catholic, her husband was unfaithful to her, and she had family problems galore. There are other explanations to the meaning of that rhyme, but that seems nearest to the truth. As to the origin of “It’s raining, it’s pouring,” the internet offered no explanations whatsoever. I wonder who “the old man” was who bumped his head? Could he have anything to do with the “old man” who is found here in our Scripture this morning? Probably not.
To the best of my knowledge I have never preached or taught a lesson on “the old man,” even though I have referred to it, or him, a great many times. But here it is this morning, just begging for an explanation. A few minutes ago, we read from Ephesians 4, and it spoke of this “old man” helping us to identify him. “This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind… Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But ye have not so learned Christ; If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” In Ephesians Paul identifies this “old man” with the sin-nature that is seen in the unregenerated Gentiles.
He also points out this nefarious same character in Colossians 3:5-10 – “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.”
I don’t know for a fact that any of our ladies have been infected with the women’s liberation philosophies. But I wonder sometimes if it ever bothers you that the Bible almost always speaks in a male context. Rather than saying, “him and her” or “his and hers,” it usually just says “him.” Don’t be offended in this, because the Word of God also says that “there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” And I’m sure that you don’t really want the Bible to be talking about any of you as “the old woman.” Be content with such things as ye have – and don’t have – ladies.
Here Paul says that our “old man” is crucified with Christ that the body of sin might be destroyed. It’s the same “old man” that lies in the heart of Christian ladies as well as in Christian man. What exactly does that term mean?
And he is our “old man,” because that is the kind of person we were when we were first born. The “old man” is a sinner and rebel before the Lord, and that is the way we come into this world. Before anyone becomes a saint of God through grace, he or she was characterized by that “old man.” In the sight of God, the beauty that Adam first possessed has become old, corrupted, ugly and deteriorated. There is the stench of coming death on its breath. There is no medicine that can heal this disease – the “old man” never changes – and never can. The only thing that can be done with it is to kill it. “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; Now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds.”
The “old man” also suggests that there is a “new man” – or if you like a “new woman” – a “new creature.” But Paul’s point is that this “new man” is not natural – it is supernatural – the special creation of God. “If any man be in Christ, he is a NEW creature: OLD things are passed away; behold, all things are become NEW.” The “new man” is that part of the sinner which is regenerated or born again by the grace of God. And as such every “new creature” is two men – the old man and a new man in Christ – together. I Corinthians 15 is the great chapter on the resurrection and some of the things coming up for the Christian. The basis of our resurrection is the resurrection of Christ; and the basis of our eternal life is Him. And Paul calls our Saviour – “the second Adam” – the replacement and correction of the first Adam It says, “And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.”
So who is the “old man”? He is that decrepit creature that Adam created when he sinned against God. The “old man” is the human nature that spiritually died, and the human soul that became accursed. Or to put it another way – the “old man” is our “sin nature.” Sin comes out of that “old man” even when it is Christians that sin. When I John 5:18 says, “whosoever is born of God sinneth not,” it is not saying that true Christians never sin, but that our new nature in Christ never sins.
Mark says, “And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull. And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not. And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take. And it was the third hour, and they crucified him.” Basically, Christ’s crucifixion was nothing more than the nailing of Jesus to the cross and raising it upright. Of course it eventually resulted in death, and it’s purpose was death, but the crucifixion itself was simply that He was nailed to the cross..
But here are some addition things to keep it mind – Crucifixion was an execution – it was not just a death, but it was a penal death – it was a punishment. And Galatians 3:13 reminds us of that – “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.” Secondly it was a very painful and lingering death. That was the intention of the Romans in using that form of execution. The nails caused some loss of blood, but they essentially plugged the wounds that they caused. It would take a very long time to bleed to death in a crucifixion. Death caused by crucifixion was more from exposure and internal trauma on the heart and lungs than from the rusty nails. Crucifixion was a form of torture, a statement and sign to all the onlookers. It may be that there has never been a more painful form of death devised by the depraved human mind. A third thing to remember, at least in the case of Christ, was His crucifixion was completely voluntary. As the hymn says, “He could have called ten thousand angels to destroy the world” and rescue him. He had power enough to knock down the mob that came to arrest Him, proving that He could have broken every hammer, every nail and every arm that wanted to crucify Him. But Jesus chose to permit the crucifixion, because it was necessary for the salvation of His elect.
And when Christ was crucified, our “old man” was crucified with Him on that cross. In making that last statement, I declared the truth, but I stated it differently from our text. Let me repeat it and listen carefully: “When Christ was crucified, our “old man” WAS crucified with Him.” Now please notice the strange way that Paul expressed it: “Our old man IS crucified with him.” Paul didn’t say that our sin natures were crucified, but that they are crucified – they are being crucified. I think that there is a very special point being made in this.
Our “old man” is not dead – just crucified and dying. Remember that there were two other men crucified with Christ that day. And even though one of them eventually repented, initially, they both hated Christ as much as the priests. As the crowd and especially the Sadducees were taunting and cursing the Lord, “the thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.” And Mark says “And one of the malefactors which were hanged RAILED on him.” The word “railed” is “blaspheme” in Greek. The point is that it’s possible to be crucified and still to remain obstinate, wicked and blasphemous.
When Christ went to the cross, He was carrying a load that no man on earth can begin to imagine. He carried the sins of everyone of His elect. As we have said many times, He didn’t die potentially saving those who might repent and trust Him. Christ died on the cross actually and specifically bearing the sins of many. Furthermore, as He hung there suspended between heaven and earth, he bore the “old man” of every one of those who had been chosen to salvation. Unfortunately, there are a great many Christians, who still continue on in their various pet sins, despite the crucifixion of their “old man.”
The Lord never intended to save us from sin in order that we might go on in our sin and enjoying sin. Salvation is not merely about going to Heaven when we die. The Lord has redeemed us from sin in order that we might serve Him and glorify Him right here and now. Peter puts it this way: “Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.”
Your “old man,” and my “old man,” were taken up with Christ upon the cross in order that they might die. We can say that it is a guaranteed death – but it is not instantaneous, and this part of the Lord’s ministry was not complete when He said, “It is finished.” This is where the rest of the chapter becomes involved. Verse 11 – “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.” Crucifixion is not a synonym for death – it is only a means to that death. It is up to the Christian to consider our “old man” to be dead and to live as though sin has no more claim upon us.
I read of a theology class where the professor asked his students to describe the best means to mortify sin. To “mortify” is to kill. What is the best way to mortify sin in a person’s life? One may said, “To meditate on death.” Another suggested that it was better to meditate on judgment. Another said that is shouldn’t be simply judgment, but the judgment of Hell. When we contemplate what the judgment of sin will do to the wicked, we should be frightened silly. A fourth man suggested that perhaps to meditate on the joys of Heaven would induce people not to sin. But it was decided that the fifth suggestion that was the best – meditate on the blood and sufferings of Christ in His battle against sin.
“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.” Are you thinking this morning that this is too elementary a lesson for you? Are you bored? Of course, I would never encourage such thinking, even if it was true. And in this case it is true. When Paul introduced this verse by saying, “knowing this,” he was suggesting that this is elemental theology. Wasn’t he telling his readers that they should have already been aware that our old man is crucified with Christ? As a Christian you are aware of that, aren’t you?
Are you aware of the strength of the word “destroyed?” “That the body of sin might be DESTROYED.” Christ died on the cross not to merely subdue your sin nature, but to annihilate it – to deprive it of life. Our old man cannot be rehabilitated or improved – it has to be destroyed.
“That henceforth we should not serve sin.” Haven’t we suffered enough under the pain of our sins to see that coming back to it is foolishness? Sin never gives anyone real pleasure or solid satisfaction – everything that it offers is false. It destroys our peace – peace with God and inner peace. It darkens our righteous soul. Lot was a righteous man, who apparently had not learned that his “old man” had been crucified with Christ. His lust for the things of the world cost him his wife, his daughters, his property, his uncle and virtually everything good that he had ever possessed. He is a type, a picture, of what Paul was encouraging us to avoid.
We have not been redeemed from sin, in order to enjoy the pleasures of sin for the remaining season. We have been redeemed and crucified in order to be freed from our “old man” and his sin. We have been “crucified with Christ: nevertheless we live; yet not us, but Christ liveth in us: and the life which we now live in the flesh we live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved us, and gave himself for us.”
Have you died with Christ? Does your baptism tell the world that you are a child of God by faith in Christ Jesus? Are you a new creature in Christ?