STINKING OLD MAN
Rom. 6:6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.
One of the worst smells I have ever smelled was a rotting carcass of a cow that had drowned in a flood near Slidell. Parris and I were going fishing at some lake when we came across the horribly swollen body of the dead cow, whew, it was the foulest smell I have ever experienced. I think of that cow when I think of the foul odor that seems to hang around supposed Christians that just can’t seem to walk away from their old ways. They may take on many of the Christian practices and even some of the lifestyle, but that foul smell is still following them around. We don’t have to live that way anymore. We have not only been forgiven by Christ, but sanctification is part of what was purchased for us by Jesus Christ. We can actually live a Christ like life by the sanctifying power of His Spirit. Here is something A.B. Simpson has to say about that stinking old man.
“What becomes of our old nature when we are sanctified? Many people are unduly concerned to know if it can be killed outright and seem to desire a sort of certificate of its death and burial. It is enough to know that it is outside and Christ is in us. It may show itself again, and even knock at the door and plead for admittance, but it is forever outside while we abide in Him. Should we step out of Him and into sin we might find the old corpse in the ghastly cemetery, and its foul aroma might yet embrace and overcome us once more. But he that abides in him does not sin and cannot sin while he so abides.
Let us therefore abide and let us not be anxious to escape the hold of eternal vigilance and ceaseless abiding. Our paths are made and we are given strength to pursue them; let us then walk in them. God has provided for us a full sanctification. Since He has given us His own holiness, is it strange that he should require us to be holy, even as He is holy? Let us then put on our beautiful garments and prepare to walk in white with Him.”
Not too many people talk about holiness today, it’s not one of the favorite sermons you will hear in the popular churches of our day. You are more likely to hear a message of so called grace (cheap grace or what Luther called antinomianism) or a talk on having your best life now. That is a shame, without holiness, the Bible teaches, no one will see The Lord. By grace we are considered holy by The Lord, it is the sanctifying work of His word and the Holy Spirit that actually makes us holy. So if some funny, horrid smell keeps following you around, maybe that stinking old man is knocking at your door.
3 thoughts on “STINKING OLD MAN”
There is a good bit of cheap grace and you are right, people don’t hear much teaching on holiness. Good Blog
Abide in Him- He has become our righteousness and in Him we are holy. True Holiness is when the branch manifests only the life of the Vine itself. One step out of that and we find dead religious works of the flesh that are a stink in God’s own nostrils. Yet He chooses to glorify Himself and bear Godly fruit through these frail vessels. He is most happy when He looks at His own children and sees Jesus manifest in their lives.
Oh My Goodness, Not The Stinking Old Man??? Jesus Said In Revelation 3:20 “Behold! I Stand At The Door And Knock. If You Hear My Voice And Open The Door, I Will Come In, And We Will Share A Meal Together As Friends. Thank You Lord, That We Can Answer To You At A Table For Two, Amen.