The Cross and the Old Man: God’s True Way of Deliverance

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The Cross and the Old Man: God’s True Way of Deliverance moralvaluestoday.blogspot.com

Discover how the Cross deals with the old man and brings true deliverance. Learn why sin cannot be managed but must be crucified in Christ.

The Struggle Every Christian Faces

Many Christians today live forgiven but not truly free. They rejoice in the blood of Jesus, which cleanses sins, but still battle with the old man, the sinful nature inherited from Adam.

Here’s the question: Why do I still struggle after salvation?

The Bible gives us a clear answer: forgiveness comes through the blood, but deliverance comes only through the Cross.

“For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.”
— Romans 6:6, NIV

1. Forgiveness vs. Deliverance

  • The blood of Christ deals with our sins (our wrong actions).
  • The Cross of Christ deals with the sinner (our sinful nature).

Without the Cross, we are forgiven but still prone to live in bondage. Deliverance isn’t just correction—it’s crucifixion.

2. Why the Old Man Cannot Be Improved

Self-help and human effort cannot fix the old nature. No matter how much discipline, fasting, or effort we apply, the sinful nature resists change.

  • You can’t train the old man; he must die.
  • You can’t reform Adam; he was condemned to the Cross.

“Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
— Galatians 5:24, NIV

Lesson: stop trying to polish what God has already sentenced to death.

3. God’s Sentence on the Old Man

The Cross was God’s final declaration against Adam’s race.

  • The Cross is the greatest negative—God wiped out all that was not of Him.
  • The Resurrection is the greatest positive—God brought forth a new creation in Christ.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
— 2 Corinthians 5:17, NIV

Nothing of the first Adam can enter God’s new order.

4. Reckoning Ourselves Dead

Deliverance is not achieved by trying harder, but by reckoning.

  • Paul instructs: “Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11, NIV).
  • This is faith in action—accepting what Christ has already done.

Practical Example: A believer struggling with anger doesn’t vow to “try harder.” Instead, he declares, “My old man, including this temper, was crucified with Christ. I now live by His Spirit.” Gradually, the Spirit replaces his anger with peace.

5. Deliverance is a Process, Not a Quick Fix

Missionaries like David Livingstone and Mary Slessor understood that transformation takes time.

  • They didn’t destroy African cultural practices overnight.
  • Instead, they lived among the people, patiently showing Christ’s love until transformation came.

Likewise, God works progressively in us. Daily we take up our cross (Luke 9:23). Transformation is steady and lifelong.

Lesson: Don’t rush spiritual growth—embrace the process of daily crucifixion.

6. Interrogatory & Revelational Questions

  • Am I trying to strengthen what God already crucified?
  • Do I know the difference between forgiveness (blood) and deliverance (Cross)?
  • In what areas of my life must I “reckon myself dead”?
  • Do I live as if I am still in Adam, or as one who is a new creation in Christ?

7. Lessons for the Postmodern Church

  • Self-help is not the gospel. The Cross is God’s only solution.
  • Identity matters. Freedom begins when we see ourselves in Christ’s death and resurrection.
  • Teach deliverance, not just forgiveness. Shallow preaching leads to shallow Christians.

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”
— Galatians 2:20, NIV

The Cross is the Only Path to True Deliverance

Forgiveness comes through the blood, but deliverance comes through the Cross. Our old man has been crucified with Christ, and only by reckoning this truth can we live in victory.

For the Church in Mission Strategy, this truth must be central. If we want a generation that is not just forgiven but truly free, we must teach the Cross as God’s way of deliverance.


If this teaching blessed you, share it with others so they too can walk in freedom. Leave a comment below—What area of your life do you sense God calling you to “reckon dead” at the Cross?

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