Don’t let the old man in

Published 2:57 pm Sunday, April 11, 2021

In 2018, country music star Toby Keith, released the song, “Don’t Let the Old Man In.” It was featured during the end scene of Clint Eastwood’s movie, “The Mule.” 

Eastwood and Keith were playing golf and Toby asked Clint, “How do you remain so young and active?” It was the eve of Eastwood’s 88th birthday. Clint replied, “I don’t let the old man in.” Toby went home and wrote the now famous song. 

While it’s excellent advice for those of us who are getting a little older, it’s excellent advice on the spiritual level too!  Our old man seems to always be knocking on our door trying to bring the old temptations and manner of life back into our existence.  Don’t answer!

Consider the wisdom of Romans 6:6-23 NKJV, “knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise, you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

There are over 20 verses in the New Testament about putting off the old man and making sure “he” doesn’t come around anymore. It is clear from all these scriptures that we have the power from the finished work of the cross to walk as a new person, free from all bondage and sin. Sometimes we just need to be reminded.

2 Corinthians 5: 17-21  AMP speaks of our change and its influence on others,  “Therefore if anyone is in Christ (that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior), he is a new creature (reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit); the old things (the previous moral and spiritual condition) have passed away. Behold, new things have come (because spiritual awakening brings a new life]) But all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ (making us acceptable to Him) and gave us the ministry of reconciliation (so that by our example we might bring others to Him), that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting people’s sins against them (but canceling them). And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation (that is, restoration to favor with God). So, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us; we [as Christ’s representatives] plead with you on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God. He made Christ who knew no sin to (judicially) be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we would become the righteousness of God (that is, we would be made acceptable to Him and placed in a right relationship with Him by His gracious loving kindness). 

I love this scripture and I adore seeing people made new by the power of the blood of Jesus!

When the old man comes knocking on your door, don’t let him in. He doesn’t belong there anymore!