Christian Living

The Superiority of the New Nature

by J.W. Phillips
06/03/25
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The Superiority of the New Nature

Have you ever read the biography of some admired person, only to finish the last chapter with a sense of disappointment?

Hero books designed for an eleven-year-old won’t have this problem, but biographies portraying a person “warts and all” (to quote Churchill) will cause us to see, even when we don’t want to see, some serious moral failings. Not just idiosyncrasies and quirky peccadilloes, but offenses that are much more objectionable.

The biographies of Jesus are quite different. For the closer we look at his life, the more we see the incomparable Christ.

Simply put: No other life in no other day exhibits the beauty of soul and winsomeness of personality we find in Jesus! The wisdom of his words, the power unleashed in his documented deeds, are unmatched in the history of man.

Therefore, applause and admiration fall far short in the honor due him. Only the reverential awe that gives him life-long loyalty is sufficient as an initial response.

It is true that the Old Testament has its share of inspiring people—Moses, David, and Elijah, to name a few.

Each of these men, though, was obviously flawed: Moses with his anger, David with his lust, Elijah with his bitterness.

But there is another life in Scripture considerably higher than all of these! Read the book of Acts, the second letter to the Corinthians, and elsewhere in the New Testament, and you’ll see a life so remarkably like that of our Lord’s. This is the life of the Apostle Paul.

Indeed, so extraordinary was this life that Henry Drummond said of Paul: “Judged by his influence on human history, no single life is entitled to more admiration for what it has done, or is indeed more worthy of imitation for what it was.”

That there should be a life in the New Testament much superior to anyone’s in the Old Testament credentials the importance of the new nature.

We could extol the new nature for all its acclaimed virtues, but at best our commentary would only be theoretical were there not extensive evidence that theory actually converted to practice.

Given what we know about Paul, our commentary on this subject has been elevated to another level, one that is both historical and biographical. And amazing, too, is the fact that the very life that was in Jesus, and then in Paul, is now in us!¹

A.W. Tozer said, “The truly regenerated man is a new creature; he belongs to another order of being; he has another kind of life, another origin, another destiny.”²

The new nature possesses qualities far superior to those of even the most admired people of history. Testifying to this fact, A.J. Gordon declared, “Nothing is more striking than the breadth of application which this principle of union with Christ has in the Gospel.”³

Heaven’s higher life is in an entirely different category, not just in some respect but in every respect. When comparing each, the differences aren’t marginal but vastly greater in excellence.

But if the difference is this great, then why isn’t it obvious when we meet Christians?

Good question. And here’s the answer. There is a difference between receiving the new nature, that happens at conversion, and the releasing of the new nature, that happens when we are filled with the Spirit.

Sadly, most Christians aren’t filled with the Spirit. In fact, most know very little about the crucified life and the Spirit-filled life. These two dynamics, in tandem, produce the kind of life Paul lived.

The crucified life removes the flesh barriers that will block the new nature’s release.

The Spirit-filled life propels the new nature inward to impact the soul and outward to impact others.

Notes:
1. A.W. Tozer, And He Dwelt Among Us, (Ventura, CA. Regal, 2009), p.63.
2. A.W. Tozer, The Set of the Sail, (Camp Hill, PA., Christian Publications, 1986), p.103.
3. A.J. Gordon, In Christ, (Grand Rapids, MI., Baker Book House, 1964), p.111.