“Then He spoke a parable to them: “No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old.” (Luke 5:36 NKJV)
Salvation is not a behavioral modification but a spiritual regeneration. It is not about becoming a better person, but about becoming an entirely new person in Christ.
Salvation is not patching up, improving upon, repairing, or mending your sinful, selfish, and corrupt nature; instead, it is God removing and replacing it with a new, loving, and holy nature.
The new birth is essentially putting off the old nature and putting on the new nature by the operation of the Holy Spirit.
Colossians 3:9-10 – NKJV
9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds,
10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him.
The first man’s sin corrupted the nature of the entire human race. Sin corrupted and destroyed our nature beyond any repair. Nothing can be done to patch up, repair, or fix the corruption and damage caused by sin in human nature.
Sin is firmly embedded or engrafted in our nature from the womb. It is essentially our inheritance by birth (Psa. 51:5, 58:3). Just as it is natural for dogs to bark and pigs to wallow in the mire, it is natural for the man born with a sinful, corrupt, or depraved nature to delight and live in sin.
It is natural for an unregenerate person to think, imagine, or do evil, to flare up at any provocation, to be proud and boastful, to disdain his subordinates, to be lustful, immoral, and unfaithful, to be jealous, greedy, and covetous, and to be bitter and hateful (Rom. 7:18-20).
After the fall, God attests to man’s utter sinfulness, corruption, or bankruptcy.
Genesis 6:5-6 – NKJV
5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6 And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.
No religion, institution, organization, rehabilitation, or civilization can patch up, improve upon, repair, or fix man’s sinful and selfish nature. It is completely corrupt and evil. It can never be improved upon, modified, or made better. Therefore, it must be put off or changed through the new birth experience (Job 14:4, Jer. 13:23).
God’s plan of salvation does not entail patching up, improving upon, mending, or repairing our sin-ridden nature; instead, it involves replacing our sinful nature with His holy nature.
Therefore, born-again believers don’t retain their old, sinful, corrupt, or depraved nature after the new birth experience. The believers now have only God’s loving and holy nature in their hearts (2 Cor. 5:16-17, 2 Pet. 1:3-4, 1 John 3:8-9).
The new birth involves putting off the old, sinful nature and putting on the new, holy, and divine nature through the operation of the Holy Spirit.
The believer’s heart or nature is transformed at spiritual birth or regeneration. It is not a gradual, progressive, or ongoing spiritual process. Instead, it is an instantaneous, inward, spiritual experience.
The product of the new birth is an entirely new creation, not a reformed, refined, or remolded old creation. Paul writes, “he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.” (1 Cor. 6:17 NKJV).
The new and holy nature believers receive through spiritual birth utterly differs from the old and sinful nature they receive through natural birth. These two natures are incompatible. No one can have both at the same time!
The Lord Jesus aptly explains the incompatibility of the new nature with the old nature in one of His parables, saying, “No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old.” (Luke 5:36 NKJV).
According to this parable of Jesus, it is impossible to patch the old nature (old garment) with the new nature (new garment). You cannot have both, for they are incompatible. Either you are an old or a new creation; you cannot be a hybrid or a mixed creation.
At the new birth, the believers are clothed with the garments of salvation and covered with the robe of righteousness purchased for them by the precious blood of Jesus Christ.
Isaiah testifies, “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” (Isaiah 61:10 NKJV).
Beloved, God would not put His garment of salvation and robe of righteousness on you if you still want to hold tightly to your self-righteousness, which is like a filthy rag in God’s sight (Isa. 64:6).
It is simply an exercise in failure, futility, and frustration to seek and strive to patch up, improve upon, mend, or repair your filthy rag or garment (old, sinful life or nature).
Friend, stop striving in vain to patch up your sinful nature. Get a new, holy, and divine nature today by putting your faith in Christ Jesus and confessing and surrendering to Him as your personal Lord and Savior.
Why not receive God’s garment of salvation and robe of righteousness in the place of your old, filthy garment and robe?
It is God’s gift to you in and through Christ Jesus!
Prayer:
I believe and confess Christ Jesus today as my personal Lord and Savior. I am now a partaker of God’s loving and holy nature, in Jesus’ name. Amen.