The Newly Created Man by M. A. HOLLISTER

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Jun 23, 1914

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 41, No. 24.

The Newly Created Man

By M. A. HOLLISTER

A Marvelous Transformation Is Wrought

By M. A. HOLLISTER

"CREATE in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Thy presence; and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation; and uphold me with Thy free Spirit. Then will I teach transgressors Thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto Thee." Ps. 51: 10-13.

This prayer of David may well be the burden of every one of us; and whenever we will pray it from the heart, the Lord will hear and answer, as stated in Eze. 36: 25-27: "Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them."

The effect of this answered prayer would be, that one would be in perfect harmony with all the will of God, because the Spirit of God would actuate the being, the carnal mind having given place to the mind of the Spirit, and God would be having His way entirely.

An illustration of this is seen in Saul when he was chosen by the Lord to be king over Israel. "The Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee, and thou . . . shall be turned into another man." 1 Sam. 10: 6. And verse 9 says, "It was so," for "God gave him another heart."

This is the change, then, that we all need,—"another heart," to be "changed into another man." Thus the Lord can cause us to walk in His statutes, to keep His judgments. When this change is brought about, the product of the heart will be the doing of God's will, and our life will show what spirit we are of.

Again we read, "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh," and, "By their fruits ye shall know them." In Ps. 37: 30, 31 we read: "The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment. The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide."

If the fountain be pure, the stream is sure to be. Hence the stream from this kind of heart will be life-giving. Notice Ps. 51: 13, "Then will I teach transgressors Thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto Thee." This is just the work the Lord desires every one of us to be doing.

When one attains to this exalted place, how shall he keep it? We are told in Ps. 16: 8, "I have set the Lord always before me: because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved." And in Ps. 5: 8, "Lead me, O Lord, in Thy righteousness because of those who observe me [margin]; make Thy way straight before my face."

The enemies of the Lord do observe the righteous, and Satan is called "the accuser of the brethren." But when the new heart and spirit are ours, we shall be changed—created—into another man, doing the will of God, and giving no cause for reproach.

This is just the effect that will be produced upon every one who enters into that blessed relation with the Lord known as the "new covenant relation," when the law is written in their minds, and in their hearts.

When one surrenders completely to God, and makes the petition of David to the Lord, He will give him a new heart, a new spirit, the mind of Christ, the law written within.

Thus changed into another man, he speaks wisdom, talks judgment, teaches transgressors, converts sinners; and none of his steps slide, because the Lord is always before him, his way is made straight, and His law is in his heart.

He is "without fault before the throne of God." Rev. 14: 5.