“And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.” – Colossians 3:10
LIGHT FOR NOW: The divine nature changes your identity instantly, but the renewing of your mind is a lifelong journey. The new man must continually learn who he has become in Christ.
One of the greatest mistakes believers make is assuming that because they have received a new nature, spiritual growth will happen automatically. While the new birth is instantaneous, the renewing of the mind is progressive. This is why Paul writes: “And have put on the new man…” Notice the tense. He does not say you are trying to become the new man; he says you have put on the new man. This happened at salvation. The old man was crucified with Christ. The new man was created in Christ. This new man is the real you. He is the one born of God; the one who partakes of the divine nature. Paul then says this new man is: “Renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him”. The word “renewed” comes from the Greek word anakainoō, meaning to be made new again, to be continually renovated or refreshed.
Notice that Paul is not speaking about renewing your spirit. Your spirit was made new the moment you were born again. He is referring to the continual renewal of your understanding. The divine nature within you is perfect; but your thinking still needs to align with that reality. This is why many believers live below their spiritual inheritance. Not because they lack God’s life; but because they lack the knowledge of what they have received. Hosea declared: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge”. Not because they lacked God’s promises; but because they lacked the revelation of those promises.
The same principle applies today. A believer may possess divine life and yet think like the old man. He may still see himself as defeated, unworthy, powerless, and condemned. Yet none of these reflect his true identity in Christ. This is why Scripture continually calls believers to renew their minds through the Word of God. The Word is like a mirror. James tells us that when we look into it, we discover who we truly are.
As we continue looking into that mirror, our thinking changes, our speech changes, our decisions change, and our conduct changes. Not because we are pretending, but because our lives are gradually coming into agreement with our true identity. Paul says this renewal is “after the image of him that created him”. Who is that image? Ultimately, it is Christ. The believer is being renewed into an ever-clearer understanding of Christ, because Christ is both the Creator of the new man and the perfect expression of the divine nature.
The more you know Christ, the more you understand yourself. The more you behold His character, the more your own life begins to reflect Him. This is why spiritual maturity is not measured merely by how long someone has been saved. It is measured by how much his mind has been renewed by the truth. The divine nature does not need improvement; it needs expression. And that expression becomes possible as the believer’s mind is continually renewed by God’s Word. Never underestimate the importance of daily meditation on Scripture. Every truth you receive dismantles an old way of thinking and strengthens your awareness of who you are in Christ. The new creation lives best when the renewed mind agrees with the recreated spirit.
INSTRUCTION: Spend time today reading God’s Word, not merely for information but for transformation. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you see yourself as God sees you.
CONFESSION: Father, thank You for making me a new creation in Christ. Renew my mind daily through Your Word so that my thoughts, words, and actions reflect the divine nature You have placed within me. Help me to grow continually in the knowledge of Christ, in Jesus’ name, Amen. Glory!
For More Light; get the message, “Now we are in Christ” by Dr. John Linus
QUOTE: The new birth changes your nature in a moment; the Word renews your mind for a lifetime.
DAILY BIBLE READING: MORNING: COLOSSIANS CHAPTER 3; EVENING: ROMANS CHAPTER 12:1-8
LIGHT FROM THE WORD 