What happened to the old Adam when we believed the gospel?
The old Adam—the old man, the sin nature we are born with—was crucified with Christ. Paul writes in Romans 6:6 that believers have full knowledge that their old man is crucified with Him. This old Adam was not merely controlled or improved; Scripture declares he was crucified.
Les teaches from Romans 6:6 that Paul is writing to believers after the Holy Spirit has begun to work in the soul and spirit, which is spiritually dead until God opens understanding. The first realization in the gospel is that Christ died for our sins. Paul says, “knowing this,” and the Greek word is epipnosis, full knowledge. That full knowledge is that our old man is crucified with Him. Les identifies the old man as the sin nature, the old Adam—the nature we are born with. It is the one Ephesians 2 describes as by nature disobedient and under the control of the sin nature. Thus, when they believed the gospel, that old Adam was crucified, crucified with Christ.
Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.