“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 is expressed through the new man. The believer no longer lives from the identity of the old creation but from the life of the new creation in Christ.
One of the greatest revelations in the New Testament is that the believer is not merely an improved version of the old man; He is a new man. Paul writes: “And have put on the new man…” Notice once again the certainty of the language. He does not say, “Try to become the new man”. Nor does he say, “Gradually create a new man”. He says, “Have put on the new man”. This is the believer’s present identity. The old man speaks of who we were in Adam; the new man speaks of who we now are in Christ. The old man was governed by sin; the new man is governed by righteousness. The old man was spiritually dead; the new man possesses the very life of God. The old man belonged to the old creation; the new man belongs to the new creation. This is the practical meaning of being a partaker of the divine nature.
Paul then says that the new man: “Is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him”. The word “renewed” comes from the Greek word anakainoo, meaning to make new in quality, to renovate, or to cause continual renewal. This renewal is not referring to the recreation of the human spirit; that occurred at the new birth. Rather, it speaks of the continual renewal of the believer’s understanding. Our spirit has been made new instantly. Our minds are being renewed progressively. This is why Paul emphasizes knowledge.
The divine nature within us is perfect. But our thinking must continually be brought into agreement with who we already are in Christ. Many believers still think like the old man while possessing the life of the new man. They continue to define themselves by their past, their failures, their fears, their limitations. But the Word of God continually corrects those false identities. It reminds us that we are now accepted, forgiven, righteous, holy, beloved, and complete in Christ.
As this knowledge fills our hearts, our conduct begins to align with our identity. This is why transformation always begins with revelation. You cannot consistently live beyond what you believe about yourself. If you believe you are still a slave to sin, you will often live like one. But when you know that you are a new creation, empowered by the life of God, your behaviour increasingly reflects that reality. Paul also says that this renewal is “after the image of him that created him”.
Who is that image? Ultimately, it is Christ. The Father is continually conforming believers to the image of His Son. The divine nature restores in us what sin had distorted. Not merely outward morality; but inward fellowship with God, holy desires, righteous affections, and Christlike character. This is why Christianity is never about pretending to be someone else. It is about discovering who God has already made you in Christ and living from that reality.
Every day the Holy Spirit uses the Word to remove old patterns of thinking and replace them with the mind of Christ. As partakers of the divine nature, never define yourself by yesterday’s failures. Define yourself by God’s present work in Christ. You are not the old man struggling to become new. You are the new man learning to live according to the divine life already within you. Hallelujah!
INSTRUCTION: Today, reject every thought that contradicts your identity in Christ. Fill your mind with God’s Word and consciously live as the new creation He has made you.
CONFESSION: Father, thank You that I have put on the new man through Jesus Christ. Thank You for making me a new creation and for continually renewing my mind by Your Word. Help me to see myself as You see me and to live each day according to the divine nature You have placed within me, in Jesus’ name, Amen. Glory!
For More Light; get the message, “Now we are in Christ” by Dr. John Linus
QUOTE: The Christian life is not becoming someone new; it is learning to live as the new person God has already made you in Christ.
DAILY BIBLE READING: MORNING: COLOSSIANS CHAPTER 3; EVENING: ROMANS CHAPTER 12:1-8
LIGHT FROM THE WORD 