Rom. 6:6 π Rom. 6:13 π Rom. 13:12; 2nd π Rom. 13:14 π Eph. 4:22 π Eph. 4:24 π Eph. 6:11 π Eph. 6:13 π Eph. 6:16 π Phlp. 2:12 π Col. 2:11 π Col. 3:5 π Col. 3:9 π Col. 3:10 π Col. 3:12
All this is fully made clear in the New Testament Epistles. "Our old man was crucified with Him" ( Rom. 6:6; top ) is said of the work of Christ at Calvary, but on the part of the one who desires this potential fact made true in his life, he is called upon to declare his attitude of choice with decisive action, both in the negative and positive positions. The Apostle appeals again and again to the redeemed believer to act decisively with his will, as the following few passages show:
| Negative | |
Positive |
| "Cast off the works of darkness." | |
"Put on the armour of light." |
| Rom. 13:12 | |
Rom. 13:12 |
| "Put away the old man." | |
"Put on the new man." |
| Eph. 4:22 | |
Eph. 4:24 |
| "Put off the old man with his doings." | |
"Put on the new man." |
| Col. 3:9 | |
Col. 3:10 |
| "Put to death your members." | |
"Present your members unto God." |
| Col. 3:5 | |
Rom. 6:13 |
| "Put off the body of the flesh." | |
"Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh." |
| Col. 2:11 | |
Rom. 13:14; top |
| See also
Eph. 6:13
,
16
"Take up the whole armour..." |
|
"Put on a heart of compassion." |
|
Col. 3:12 | |
|
"Put on the whole armour of God." | |
|
Eph. 6:11; top |
All these passages describe a decisive act of the will, not toward exterior things, but toward things in an unseen, immaterial sphere, incidentally showing the effect in the spiritual sphere of a man's volitional action. They also emphasize the effect of the decisive use of the will of man, when it acts in harmony with the liberating power of Christ. Christ has done the work on Calvary's Cross, but that work is applied in fact through the action of the believer's own will, acting as if he himself had power to "cast off" the invisible works of darkness, and finding with this action of his will, the co-working of the Spirit of God making the casting off effectual.
In saving the man, God calls him into co-action with Himself, to "work out his own salvation," for it is God Who works with and in him, to enable him to will and to do His pleasure. ( Phlp. 2:12; top )
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