The Berean Expositor
Volume 42 - Page 44 of 259
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the lie, that is, whatever is not "after Christ". Christ must be foundation and top stone of
this erection, even as He is the Alpha, Omega and Amen of the purpose of the ages.
The new creation.
The glorious truth given to the Apostle to make known with such fervour is no mere
negation. It does not find its full expression in "putting off" merely, but is only fully
expressed when "put off" is succeeded by "put on". But, just as the old man which has
become corrupt implies the creation of Adam at the beginning, so the new man which is
to be put on necessitates a new creation. There are two ways whereby this new creation
could be attained. Either by an instantaneous act without previous preparation, or by a
process beginning here and now in this present life and reaching its consummation in that
instantaneous change "in the twinkling of an eye" when this mortal shall put on
immortality.
This latter method appears to be the one that describes the work of God. Having said
so much, it is necessary to draw attention to just exactly what phase of the new creative
work belongs to this present life, and what belongs to the life to come. It will be found
upon examination that the Lord begins the work here in connection with the mind,
reserving until the day of redemption and resurrection His work in connection with the
body. The body of the saintliest believer is just as mortal as it was before his conversion.
Paul had to acknowledge that while the inward man was renewed day by day, the
outward man was perishing. This perishing and mortal body is indeed allowed to feel the
earnest of the risen life, and many times the earthen vessel is "cast down but not
destroyed", thereby bearing about in the body the "dying of the Lord Jesus" that the life
also of Jesus might be made manifest in "our mortal flesh". That is a precious truth, but
the flesh is "mortal flesh" just the same. Therefore, seeing these two phases of the new
creation and their appointed times, we observe the order in Eph. 4: where the first step
is indicated by the words, "And to be renewed in the spirit of your mind" (Eph. 4: 23).
The new creation begins within. Its present sphere is the mind. The body is not changed
until the resurrection. The due observance of this sequence is an important factor in the
interpretation of the epistle to the Philippians.
"The mind of Christ" (Phil. 2:).
"The body of His glory" (Phil. 3:).
Ananeoo ("to be renewed") does not occur elsewhere in the N.T. Two words are
employed to express the idea of newness--kainos and neos. Kainos looks backward, it
excludes the old and the past. Neos looks forward, and suggests youth. The two words
come together in Col. 3: 10:--
"And having put on the new man (neos) being renewed (anakainoo)."
In other words, we have put on the new, young, rejuvenate man, fresh, vigorous,
prime, with all the glorious future stretching out in its limitless possibilities by the grace
of God, and have been renewed with a life that standing beside the empty tomb looks
back at a past, dead, buried, excluded, finished. Neos turns our faces toward Christ, the
last Adam, kainos looks back to the first Adam. The one says "life has begun", the other
"that life has finished". Thus we have the reverse and the obverse of this blessed truth.