The Old Man Is Dead: Episode 5

Summary

Andrew Wommack teaches that, in his interpretation of Romans 6, a person’s sinful nature is put to death when they are born again. Christians may continue to struggle with sin or difficult emotions, he says, not because the old nature is still alive, but because their minds retain habits and beliefs formed before conversion. Renewing the mind with Scripture allows the new life he believes is present in a Christian’s spirit to shape their thoughts, feelings, and actions.

Main Ideas

• The “old man” is already dead: Wommack emphasizes Romans 6:6, interpreting “our old man is crucified with him” as a completed event—not something Christians must repeatedly accomplish by “dying to self.”
• Mind renewal is needed: He describes the “body of sin” as the old way of thinking, with its values and patterns. Those patterns can persist after conversion until a person learns to think in line with their new identity in Christ.
• Being freed is different from living free: He contrasts having been “freed” from sin with actually experiencing freedom. He uses the analogy of enslaved people who had been legally freed but did not know it. Similarly, Christians may continue in bondage because they do not understand what they believe God has provided.
• Identity influences behavior: Wommack argues that people tend to act according to how they see themselves. He cites Proverbs 23:7 to support the idea that a person’s thinking affects what they reproduce in life.
• Feelings do not have to dictate choices: He says Christians can feel depression, fear, discouragement, or temptation without treating those feelings as their deepest identity. He presents the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, and self-control—as qualities present in a born-again person’s spirit.
• Claims about freedom and healing: Wommack extends this teaching to sickness, poverty, depression, and other troubles, asserting that Christians have been freed from them through redemption. He says people may fail to experience that freedom because they do not know what they have received. These are his theological claims as presented in the sermon.

Personal Example and Practical Approach

Wommack recounts a period when he felt deeply discouraged while pastoring a small church. He felt mistreated and was ready to spend the evening complaining. After reading Galatians 5:22, he reminded himself that love, joy, and peace were present in his spirit, even though he did not feel them at the time. He chose to praise God and act according to what he believed Scripture said rather than follow his emotions. He says his feelings shifted after several minutes.

The approach he recommends is to:

• Learn what Scripture says about the believer’s identity and the death of the “old man.”
• Renew the mind by replacing old beliefs and habits with that understanding.
• Notice feelings without making them the final authority over behavior.
• Choose actions consistent with the person one believes oneself to be in Christ, even when those actions initially feel difficult.
• Continue reminding oneself that the old sinful nature is not one’s identity. In Wommack’s reading of Romans 6, this means reckoning oneself dead to sin, not repeatedly trying to kill the old nature.

Wommack closes by saying he will explain further in a later program and promotes a booklet and other teaching materials.

Speakers and Sources Featured

• Andrew Wommack — Main speaker and teacher.
• Promotional announcer/voice-over — Delivers ministry and program promotions.
• Biblical passages cited by Wommack: Romans 6:5–9; Galatians 5:22–23; 1 Corinthians 10:6–12; Proverbs 23:7; Deuteronomy 7:15; Exodus 23:25; 1 Peter 2:24; and Psalm 107:20.