1. “Partakers of the divine nature” (2 Pet. 1:4).
Our old man is of the devil and has the devilish nature. Our new man is born of God and has the divine nature. Just as the old man with his devilish nature lives according to the desires of the flesh and of the thoughts (Eph. 2:3), the new man with his divine nature proves what is well pleasing to the Lord (5:10). When we live by the new man, we spontaneously know God’s preferences, inclinations, and tendencies, and our living has the flavor of God. The new man is out of God and partakes of God’s divine nature, so he can live out God.
2. “Led by the Spirit of God” (Rom. 8:14).
Whereas the old man obeys the aggregate evil spirit that is now operating in the sons of disobedience, the new man is led by the Spirit of God through the inward abiding of the Holy Spirit. Just as the aggregate evil spirit operates within the realm of the old man, causing the old man to follow Satan, the Holy Spirit operates in the realm of the new man, causing the new man to follow God. When we live by our old man, our living is the result of the operation of the aggregate evil spirit, over which Satan is the ruler (Eph. 2:2). Similarly, when we live by our new man, our living works out God’s good pleasure according to the operation of the Holy Spirit (Phil. 2:13). Just as the old man obeys the aggregate evil spirit and fulfills the evil will of Satan, the new man follows the leading of the Holy Spirit and fulfills the good will of God.
3. “Does not practice sin...and he cannot sin” (1 John 3:9).
The old man is born in sin, so the old man commits sin spontaneously. In contrast, the new man is born of God, so the new man does not practice sin and cannot sin. The old man is capable of sinning, but the new man is not. According to the nature of the new man, the new man does not sin and cannot sin. Therefore, if we desire to be freed from sins, we must reject the old man and live by the new man. The new man is out of God, not out of sin. Consequently, the new man is not capable of sin and can enable those who live by the life which is out of God to not sin.
4. “In righteousness and holiness of the reality” (Eph. 4:24).
The old man is deceitful above all things and is evil to the uttermost, but the new man is according to the righteousness and holiness of the reality. The old man is deceitful, but the new man is real, that is, true. The Greek word for reality contains the meaning of both “real” and “true.” The old man is evil to the uttermost, but the new man is righteous and holy. Strictly speaking, reality is God Himself, since only God is real (Rom. 3:4). Righteousness refers to God’s ways and to the principles of His working. Holiness refers to God’s nature, to God Himself. Righteousness and holiness belong to God’s reality; consequently, the Bible speaks of “righteousness and holiness of the reality.” In the new man there is the reality of God, or the God of reality. In the new man there is righteousness according to the reality of God, which refers to His ways, and holiness according to the reality of God, which refers to His nature. Since the new man was created not only with God’s life but also according to God Himself, the new man has the righteousness and holiness of His reality. Thus, if we want the reality of God and the righteousness and holiness of this reality, we must live by the new man.
5. “My laws into their mind, and on their hearts” (Heb. 8:10; see also 10:16).
In the old man there is nothing good. On the contrary, he is full of every kind of sin. In the new man, however, there is righteousness and holiness and the law of God’s holiness, righteousness, and goodness. This law is the law of the Spirit of life, which is in us as an all-powerful living law of life (Rom. 8:2). This law does not consist of dead letters; it is strong and powerful, not weak and impotent. Therefore, when we live by the new man, the law of life frees us from the law of sin and of death.
6. “We love God” (1 John 5:2).
The old man is at enmity with God, but the new man loves God. The old man is of the devil and obeys the aggregate evil spirit, so the old man is at enmity with God, but the new man is out of God and follows the Holy Spirit, so the new man loves God. We love God only when we live by the new man.
The condition of the new man and the condition of the old man are in utter contrast. The old man is of the devil and has the devil’s nature, but the new man is out of God and has God’s nature. The old man obeys the aggregate evil spirit, but the new man is led by the Holy Spirit. The old man is born in sin, belongs to sin, and cannot help but sin, but the new man is born of God, does not sin, and cannot sin. The old man is deceitful above all things and evil to the uttermost, but the new man has the righteousness and holiness of the reality. There is nothing good in the old man, but the good, righteous, and holy law of God’s life is in the new man. Finally, the old man is at enmity with God, but the new man loves God.