01.02. Chapter II - FEEDING AND DEVELOPING THE NEW NATURE
Chapter II - FEEDING AND DEVELOPING THE NEW NATURE In our previous lesson we observed that a Christian is one who has been born again and received a new nature, a divine and holy nature from God. This is the "new man" spoken of in Colossians 3:10 which the Christian has put on. This new nature must be fed and developed if the Christian is to grow and become strong. The apostle Peter exhorts us as to this growth and development. He tells us that we should "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby." Again he says, "But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 2:2; 2 Peter 3:18). The Food
Observe that it is "the sincere milk of the word" which is the food that will cause the babe in Christ to grow. The Word of God is the only food for the new nature. The Lord Jesus Christ is the theme of that Word and He is the bread of life for the new man. "Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger . . . I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat or this bread, he shall live for ever" (John 6:35; John 6:51). The Christian must therefore feed on Christ in the Scriptures every day or else he will not grow strong and develop. The Lord said, "As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me" (John 6:57). Jesus lived in daily dependence upon the Father and so we must daily eat of Christ in true dependence for sustain ment and development of the divine life within us. The new nature can only be nourished and sustained by daily feeding upon Christ in the Scriptures. The new nature instinctively craves for the Word of God as food, and there is nothing else in the whole world that will feed and strengthen the new nature outside of the Word of God. Everything else is food for the natural man and feeds our old sinful nature.
Like the Children of Israel in Exodus 16:1-36 we need to gather up and eat fresh manna every day if we would be healthy and strong Christians. God said to Israel that He fed them with manna daily "that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live" (Deuteronomy 8:3). We also need to learn this lesson that as Christians we cannot live by material food only; we must have spiritual food for our souls and live by the words that have come from God which are found in the Holy Bible. So let us read our Bibles each day and meditate upon and digest what we read.
Breathing the Air of Prayer A newborn babe also needs air to sustain its life and likewise the newborn babe in Christ needs to breathe the air of prayer for sustainment of spiritual life. Prayer is the breath of spiritual life and indicates the presence of divine life. Prayer is the expression of dependence upon God and this dependent leaning upon God is an inborn, natural instinct of the divine nature of the Christian. Prayer, then, is the natural outflow and utterance of our new nature and necessary for its growth and development.
Prayer brings one into the presence of God and promotes communion with Him. Without communion with God, spiritual life cannot be sustained and renew ed. "They that wait upon, the Lord, shall renew their strength" (Isaiah 40:31). When we read the Bible, God talks to us and when we pray we talk to God. Both are necessary for communion, growth and development of the new nature. The Psalmist said, "Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud" (Psalms 55:17). Daniel "kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God" (Daniel 6:10). So we should also do if we would be healthy Christians; do not begin the day without reading your Bible and praying to God. If you neglect to do so, you will soon be a defeated, starving Christian. Besides regular times of prayer each day, the believer is exhorted to be "continuing instant in prayer" and to "pray without ceasing" (Romans 12:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:17). The dependent attitude of prayer should always characterize the child of God.
Walking in the Spirit
We observed in our previous talk that a Christian is indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God; He is the power for the Christian life and strengthens the new nature "Strengthened with might by his spirit in the inner man." (Ephesians 3:16). This divine Person who indwells the believer would ever put into action the desires and instincts of the new nature. He will guide us and man age all our affairs if we let Him control our lives and yield to His leading. Therefore we are exhorted to "walk in the Spirit" and to be "led of the Spirit" (Galatians 5:16; Galatians 5:18). This means submission of heart and obedience to the promptings of the Holy Spirit within us and to the Word of God. This is a vital essential of the Christian life, to do otherwise means defeat and failure in the Christian pathway. The Holy Spirit would ever encourage the believer in the desires and activities of the new nature. It is His special work to guide us into all truth and to take of the things of Christ, the living Bread and the living Word, and show them unto us (John 16:13-15). He would teach us to pray too - "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit"; "praying in the Holy Ghost" (Ephesians 6:18; Jude 1:20). Thus we must be walking in the Spirit if we desire that our new nature be fed and developed. If a believer disobeys the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, the Holy Spirit is grieved and quenched and He is not free to promote the desires of the new nature (Ephesians 4:30). He can only convict such an one of sin and lead him to self- judgment and confession of sin. Walking in the power of the ungrieved Spirit, then, is vitally essential for the Christian life.
Fellowship with Christians
"If we walk in the light, as he is the light, we have fellowship one with another" (1 John 1:7). Fellowship and companionship with other Christians are also vital for feeding and developing the divine life. The new nature desires fellowship and companionship with God and with fellow believers Association with fel low Christians draws out the new nature and strengthens the divine desires. "Two are better than one . . . for if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow" (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10). If one is weak in the faith and liable to fall, companion ship with stronger Christians will lift him up and strengthen him. "Iron sharpeneth iron; so man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend" (Proverbs 27:17). This is especially true in Christian companionship.
We are told in Hebrews 10:24-25 to "Consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together." By associating with other Christians we stir up each other unto love and good works and in attending Christian meetings our souls are fed together and built up in the faith. When two or three gather together unto the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, He is there in their midst (Matthew 18:20), and special blessings are obtained thereby which strengthen and develop the new nature. Therefore fellowship in the light with other Christians is vital for the Christian life.
Exercising the New Nature As in physical life, so in spiritual life, exercise and activity are necessary for growth and development. By exercise and use of our physical members they grow, develop and become strong. So it is also in spiritual things; as we exercise ourselves in the desires and activities of the new nature, we grow, develop and become strong in the Lord.
Young Timothy was told to "refuse profane and old wives’ fables," which only feed the old sinful nature, "and exercise thyself rather unto godliness" (1 Timothy 4:7). The Christian needs to engage in daily spiritual exercises to be in a healthy state of soul. He must train his members unto godliness. The eyes, ears, mind, tongue, heart, hands and feet should be directed in the way of godliness and exercised therein daily. The Christian should practice seeing, hearing, thinking, speaking, feeling and working for the Lord each day. The more one does so, the more natural such activities will become and the stronger one will be in these spiritual exercises of the new nature. Our eyes and ears should be on the lookout for some service to be done for the Lord, for some opportunity of witnessing for Him. The heart needs to be trained in compassion for lost souls and the Lord’s Own and in willingness to serve God and man. The mind and tongue need to be exercised in speaking for the Lord and the hands and feet trained in activities of love for Christ. Thus the new nature will be develop ed by spiritual exercises.