Two Natures: Old & New

DAY 2

Controlled by the Indwelling Christ

Read Colossians 3:1-7; 2 Corinthians 4:6-10; 5:14-18.
Christ lives in you. Christ Himself is the new nature you’ve received. Often your first impulse it to ask Christ to give your life qualities like love, power, gentleness, and righteousness. He doesn’t give you those qualities; He is those qualities in you.
The One from whom all these characteristics flow is already living in you. If you surrender your life to His direction, He will cause His life to flow through you. Because His life is the very essence of those qualities, they flow through you as fully as His life does. Moreover, you’ll realize that He doesn’t simply give you abilities.
Christ gives you Himself—the source of all abilities.
Rather than giving you a glass of water, Christ has given you the well. Instead of giving you the characteristics you want, He has given you the source of those characteristics. That source is Christ Himself—your new nature.
Galatians 5:22-23 lists many characteristics that fill us when we’re filled with the presence of the indwelling Christ:
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

GALATIANS 5:22-23
Highlight the qualities you struggle to display in your life.
Colossians 3:1-7 tells more about your new nature. Read those verses now.
Now read Colossians 2:12-13. What comparison does Colossians 2:12 make to illustrate the meaning of “raised with Christ” in Colossians 3:1?
There are no specific words you should have used, but your answer should reflect the idea that your baptism symbolized the fact that your old life was buried with Christ and that you were resurrected into a new life with Christ. Your baptism didn’t give you your new nature. You already had Christ living in you at the time you were baptized. Your baptism was only a picture or symbol of what happened to you when you trusted Christ.
Now compare Colossians 3:3 to the verses you read in yesterday’s Scripture-reading assignment.
Which of those verses is most like Colossians 3:3?
Did you select Galatians 2:20? Do you agree that this verse is closely connected to Colossians 3:3?
In your Scripture-reading assignment for today, Paul calls you to make a personal choice as a Christian—once in Colossians 3:1, again in verse 2, and a third time in verse 5.
How does your Bible state these three choices?
Verse 1:
Verse 2:
Verse 5:
The Christian Standard Bible states those three choices this way:
• “Seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.”
• “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”
• “Put to death what belongs to your earthly nature.”
No matter how mature you become as a Christian, you’ll sometimes want to take control of your new nature and use it to do something you think should be done. But remember, you don’t use Christ. Christ uses you! You simply make a choice. You choose to let the nature of the indwelling Christ take control of your spirit, your mind, your emotions, and your body. The commands in Colossians 3:1-7 show your part in the work of the new nature. You simply concentrate on Christ. Then He’s free to make His love flow through you, using your gifts to channel His love where He wants it to go.
Two words, controller and container, have special meanings for you.
Review 2 Corinthians 5:14-18, in which the apostle Paul tells you about these two words and the special meanings they should have for you.
Depending on your Bible version, verse 14 uses the word control, rule, or compel. According to that verse, the controller of your life should be:

______________________________Christ’s role as your new nature is to be the controller.
Read 2 Corinthians 4:6-10 to identify a different figure of speech that describes your role in relation to your new nature.
What word in verse 7 describes what’s inside this container?
Your role is to be a container, and the indwelling Christ is the treasure inside the container. Because you have the indwelling Christ inside you, you’re assured of victory in your life. Verses 8-9 picture that victory as a series of four contrasts.
Which of the victories in verses 8-9 do you need most in your life right now? Or perhaps you have a greater need for another victory. Use your own words to complete the statement:
My greatest need for victory in my life right now is:
You received a new nature when you became a Christian. You’re a container for that new nature. And that new nature is Christ.
You’re a container for a new life—the life of Christ.
As a Christian, you’re no longer to control yourself. Instead, you’re to be controlled by the life of Christ. You should give Him freedom to use you. Second Corinthians 4:7 compares you to a clay pot used in Bible times to preserve a valuable document. Of course, you’re more than a clay pot. You’re a person. God doesn’t take away your dignity. Neither do you become a puppet on a string, unable to make choices. Rather, the indwelling Christ, for whom you’re the container, brings you to completeness.
Second Corinthians 4:6 is an awesome verse. Jesus Christ’s life within you reveals the very nature of God to you. You’re a container for Christ, and He’s the light that’s the very nature of God. Many people have tried to understand God but can’t because they aren’t willing to become containers for Christ. Only persons who’ve received the new nature of Christ have the capacity to know God. Don’t be alarmed or puzzled when another person feels you’re a religious fanatic. Remember that people who are walking in the dark can’t possibly see what’s evident only in the light.
Based on what you’ve learned today, what commitment would you like to make today?
Are there areas of your life you’ve been trying to control instead of surrendering control to Christ?
Is there a conscious choice you need to make about letting Christ have control of your life today?
Do you need to claim the victory Christ can give you over feelings of being spiritually crushed, forsaken, or destroyed? Pray about the commitment you’ll make today. Then record the commitment here.