I Am Not the Man That I Was!
True holiness is the immediate fruit of genuine union with Christ, transforming us from our old selves to new creatures in Christ.
Thomas Brooks emphasizes that true holiness stems from a genuine union with Christ, transforming believers into new creations. He illustrates this transformation by stating that those in Christ experience a complete renewal of their identity, including a new head, heart, and spirit. Brooks powerfully conveys that holiness changes one's nature, turning a lion into a lamb and a wolf into a sheep, highlighting the profound impact of Christ's sanctification in a believer's life.
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All true holiness is the immediate fruit of genuine union with Christ. Christ is made not only wisdom, righteousness, and redemption--but He is also made sanctification to us, 1 Cor. 1:30. He who is in Christ is a new creature. He has . . . a new head, a new heart, a new lip, a new life, a new spirit, new principles, new ends. He can truly say, "I am not the man that I was! I was a lion--yet holiness has made me a lamb! I was a wolf--yet holiness has made me a sheep! I was a raven--yet holiness has made me a dove!"
Sermon Outline
- The Source of True Holiness
- The Nature of the New Creature
- The Transformation of the Heart
- From lion to lamb
- From wolf to sheep
- From raven to dove
Key Quotes
“I am not the man that I was!” — Thomas Brooks
“I was a lion--yet holiness has made me a lamb!” — Thomas Brooks
“I was a wolf--yet holiness has made me a sheep!” — Thomas Brooks
“I was a raven--yet holiness has made me a dove!” — Thomas Brooks
Application Points
- We must seek genuine union with Christ to experience true holiness.
- Holiness transforms us from the inside out, changing our hearts and lives.
- As we grow in holiness, we become more like Christ and less like our old selves.