Protestant Reformed Thoughts

For fellow members and friends of the Protestant Reformed Churches

The Two Points of Confusion in the RPC Controversy – (3) The New Man

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Like the word salvation, me is a word that seems like it would need no further explanation. But at at the exact moment that we are saved and ingrafted into Christ by faith, the meaning of me (or man) gets complicated.

This is important to understand whenever we discuss man’s works so that after we ask, “Are you referring to someone who is already saved?” we will also ask “Who do you mean when you say man? Are you referring to the old man, the new man, or the outward man?”

My former, mistaken, view of the new man was something like this:

A man is a man is a man. Even after a man is saved, he is the same sinful man, but now he has some potential for doing good. This mostly dormant spark of good is called the “new man.” I have received this new man and now “I” need to activate it and use it. When God commands me to act in love and obedience, he is telling sinful “me” to stop being evil and choose the good instead.

This is my current view:

When a man is ingrafted into Christ, he becomes divided at his very core. The outward man – body and memory and skills – stays the same, but the heart – will, desires, motivation – is now two separate hearts. One is perfectly good and the other is perfectly evil.  (1John 3:9; Rom 7:18) When God commands me to live in love and obedience, he is not telling my old man to be less sinful; he is telling my new self to conquer my old self.

As the language of scripture implies, the “new man” or “new creature” (2Cor 5:17) is not only something I have, it is something I am. It is “me.” But my old man is also “me.” I am responsible for both. I conflict and fight with myself constantly. O wretched man that I am! See Rom 7: 14-25.

The outward man (2Cor 4:16), and our outward works, are where the old and new man meet; our outward works are influenced by both wills. The new man does truly good works that proceed from a true faith, but they become soiled, polluted, filthy rags when tainted by my sinful self.

But exactly who is this new man? The new man is the Spirit of Christ and the life of Christ in me. My new man is not a cooperator with Christ but a partaker of Christ. God did not just graciously give us the ability to do good on our own; Christ actually works in me to will and do. My old self is a partaker of Adam’s sinful flesh; my new self is a partaker of Christ. (Heb 2:11; Heb 3:14)

This means that my works, the works of the new man, are also God’s works. Noah built the ark, and God built the ark by means of Noah. God has even prepared these works for us in advance (Ephesians 2:10).

God gives us the blessings of salvation like he gives us rain. Rain is influenced by certain atmospheric conditions, yet God sovereignly gives us the rain. He does not depend on the atmosphere – because he created it and controls it. Likewise, our enjoyment of salvation is influenced by our daily repentance and obedience, yet God sovereignly gives us the blessings of salvation. He does not depend on our obedient will – because he created it and controls it by his Spirit.

We will apply these things to the questions of the controversy in the next post.

A translation note:

Several texts command the saved believer – with imperative verbs – to put on Christ in our daily walk.

  • Rom 13:14: “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ,…”
  • Gal 5:16: “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit,…”

Other texts speak of putting on the new man, but they do not use imperative verbs.

  • Eph 4:24: “And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created…”
  • Col 3:10: “And have put on the new man…”  

Most commentators assume, and I have always assumed, that putting on the new man is something believers should be constantly doing. But the above texts can be translated differently:

  • Eph 4:24: “And to have put on the new man, having been created according to God…” (Berean Literal Bible)
    • This is meant to be a more literal translation of the Greek.
  • Col 3:10: “And have been clothed with the new man…” (New English Translation)
    • Here are the translators’ notes: Though some commentators understand the participles “have put off” (v. 9) and “have been clothed” (v. 10) as imperatives (i.e., “put off!” and “put on!”), this use of participles is extremely rare in the NT and thus unlikely here. It is better to take them as having the semantic force of indicatives, and thus they give an explanation of what had happened to the Colossians at the time of their conversion—they had taken off the old man and put on the new when they trusted in Christ.

I understand these texts to mean that we (our new selves) are commanded to put on the ways of Christ outwardly because we have already been clothed inwardly with the new man – the Spirit of Christ. This is summarized in Galatians:

  • Galatians 5:25: “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”

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