A whiskey bottle can be emptied of its contents but still smell like whiskey. So a Christian can be emptied of the old sin nature, but still bear the residue of sin in their life. Rather than being a pure new vessel releasing the fragrance of Christ, they bear the stench of the sin that once fully controlled them.

From God's point of view, our old nature of sin has been crucified with Christ (Romans 6:6, Galatians 2:20. 5:24; Colossians 2:20; 3:3). We are no longer alive to sin. It is no longer our basic nature (essential characteristic) to sin. We no longer HAVE TO serve sin's suggestions. Our true identity is our new nature in Christ. That new nature has no interest in serving sin. Although we are new creations in Christ and are no longer identified with the old sin nature (our Adamic inheritance), we may still smell and act like Adam, the 'old man'.

The bottle needs to be renewed and washed if it is to be free of its old contents. The believer needs to be renewed, washed, cleansed and filled (fully influenced) with new contents - the new nature - the indwelling Spirit of Christ.

True Christianity is nothing less than Christ living His life through those who reckon on the fact that their old nature has been crucified with Christ. Now that our essential nature is Christ, we need to yield ourselves exclusively to those activities that are appropriate for the new nature He has given us. We present every area of our lives, every member of our body, as servants to this new master.

The Cross has put away our sin nature, but we still sin. We revert to our old programmed patterns of behavior. We respond to certain stimuli according to past conditioning. Old habitual ways of getting our needs met apart from Christ hang on as a lingering residue from the old nature. So we need to be renewed in the knowledge of the Creator (Colossians 3:10) washed in the water of the Word (Ephesians 5:26), be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18) and develop a new habit to draw on the resources of the new nature (Colossians 3:12-16).

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, THE NEW HAS COME!" (2Corinthians 5:17 NIV).

"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ.." (Colossians 3:1). Paul reminds us to DISOWN and GET RID of all the mental and behavioral wardrobe associated with the 'old man' (the old sin nature). The Spirit wars against the flesh, which is our old Adamic programming. Get rid of anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. DUMP THE OLD FILES. Boot up with a NEW OPERATING SYSTEM which runs only an NEW CREATION SOFTWARE. "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." (Colossians 3:12-13).