Yes — obeying Paul's gospel brings a total transformation: old Adam is put to death, and God creates a new divine nature in the believer.
At the moment of believing the gospel, God sees the believer in Christ on the cross, so old Adam is declared dead and loses his dominion (Clip 2, Clip 7). The believer then becomes a new creation in Christ, created in righteousness and true holiness, while the old Adam remains only as an experiential influence (Clip 1, Clip 6).
Romans 6:7 — This is the basis of the transformation: he that is dead is freed from old Adam's dominion.
2 Corinthians 5:17 — This states the result of the transformation: in Christ, the believer is a new creature.
Ephesians 4:22-24 — This describes the shape of the transformation: putting off the old man and putting on the new man created in righteousness and true holiness.
Paul describes the transformation as a death and a new creation. Romans 6:7 says, "For he that is dead is freed from sin." The old corrupt man is to be put off: "That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness" (Ephesians 4:22–24). In 2 Corinthians 5:17 Paul writes, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." This new life is Christ's own life lived in the believer: "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me" (Galatians 2:20). The believer is no longer to be ruled by the flesh, for "they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit" (Romans 8:5).
Les Feldick teaches that when a person believes the gospel, old Adam must be put to death — not by human effort, but by the work of God Himself (Clip 0). At the moment of belief, God sees the believer in Christ on the cross and reckons old Adam dead (Clip 2). Since he is dead, old Adam loses his control and his rule is broken; as Les puts it, "he that is dead is freed from old Adam" (Clip 7). The result is a new creation. God imparts a new divine nature that is created in righteousness and true holiness (Clips 1, 6). Practically, this should show up as a complete change in lifestyle and desire — hating what was once loved and loving what was once hated (Clip 3). Yet old Adam is still present experimentally and can influence the believer. Therefore, the believer must reckon him dead and choose not to let him reign (Clips 4, 5).
Les identifies “old Adam” with the old man, the corrupt sinful nature inherited from Adam. He connects it to Paul’s phrase in Ephesians 4:22 — the old man “which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts” (Clip 1). He also equates it with “the flesh” in Romans 8:5: “they who are after the old Adam do mind the things of old Adam” (Clip 3). Until he is put to death, old Adam reigns as a king over the person (Clip 7).
Les insists that no human religious activity can produce this transformation. “No amount of works, no amount of church memberships, no amount of baptisms, no amount of sacraments or elements or anything else you can put in here, nothing can do what Paul is teaching in justification by faith and in putting old Adam to death. Works can’t do that. It has to be the work of the Creator God Himself” (Clip 0). The believer is identified with Christ’s crucifixion, so that Paul can say, “I have been crucified with Christ… not I, but Christ liveth in me” (Clip 5).
Yes, according to Les. Although God reckons old Adam dead, he is still left as an influence in the believer’s Christian life (Clip 2). The new divine nature “cannot sin,” but “we still have the old flesh… that is still capable of tripping us up” (Clip 6). This is why Paul tells believers to “reckon yourselves to be dead indeed unto old Adam, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord” and to keep the choice “let not old Adam reign in your mortal body” (Clip 4).
Les says he looks for a complete change in lifestyle and desire in someone who has come to salvation. He describes the change this way: “The things Paul says, I once hated, now I love. And the things I once loved, I now hate” (Clip 3). This is the outworking of the new man created “in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4:24, Clip 1).
God's Work Alone
Les stresses that no human works, church membership, baptism, or sacrament can put old Adam to death; it is the work of the Creator God through justification by faith.
New Man in Righteousness
Because old Adam is dead, the believer is to put off the old corrupt man and put on the new man, a creation of God in true righteousness and holiness.
Seen in Christ
At the moment of believing the gospel, God sees the believer in Christ on the cross; old Adam is declared dead in God's mind, but remains an experiential influence.
Changed Desires
Les looks for a total change in lifestyle and desires after salvation — loving what was once hated and hating what was once loved.
Reckon and Choose
The believer must reckon old Adam dead and choose not to let him reign, because the 'let not' is a matter of choice.
Crucified With Christ
Old Adam's power over daily behavior is broken through crucifixion with Christ; the believer lives by the faithfulness of Christ.
New Creation
In Christ, the believer is a new creation with a new divine nature that cannot sin, though the old flesh still remains and can trip up even believers.
Freed From Old Adam
Death is the only way to separate from the old Adamic nature; once old Adam dies, he loses control, just as Romans 6:7 says.
Romans 6:7: For he that is dead is freed from sin.
Paul’s point is that death with Christ breaks the old Adam’s claim and mastery.
2 Corinthians 5:17: Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
This is the core statement of the transformation: being in Christ makes the believer a new creature.
Galatians 2:20: I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Paul describes the believer’s identification with Christ’s death and the exchange of life that follows.
Ephesians 4:22-24: That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
This paints the practical transformation: putting off the corrupt old man and putting on the new man created by God.
Romans 8:5: For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
This distinguishes the lost, who mind the old Adam, from the saved, who walk after the Spirit.
No. In God's mind, old Adam is dead and his dominion is broken, but Les explains that he still remains as an influence in the believer's daily experience. The believer must reckon him dead and choose not to let him reign (Clips 2, 4, 7).
Because the new divine nature cannot sin, but the old flesh is still present and capable of tripping up the believer. As Les says, the old Adam is still in force experientially even though God reckons him dead (Clips 5, 6).
By God alone. Les is emphatic that no amount of works, church membership, baptism, or sacraments can put old Adam to death. The transformation is the work of the Creator God through justification by faith (Clip 0).
Watch the Teaching: The Wages of Sin vs. the Gift of God — Romans 6:23 Explained