July 23, 2017 NEW THINGS HAVE COME
2 Corinthians 5:15,17: “and He died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. Therefore, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”
Can we-do we-grasp, do we believe, and do we understand that we are not going to be made new creations someday, but have already been made new if we are in Christ? As humans, we do tend to get ‘stuck in our ways.’ It is amazing how one can adjust to, or become comfortable even with his misery and the thought of change makes him uncomfortable! To realize and to receive the truth that God has not re-furbished us, but has made us new, requires faith in what God has said and the work of the Holy Spirit within us opening the eyes of our heart to become aware of our new identity. Our part in the process is to read and study the scriptures because it is in the scriptures that we learn of our new identity. Being made new, literally a “new species of man”, is indeed a miracle. It is incredible that our very nature can be changed by the working of God. Our salvation includes so much more than going to heaven when we die; our salvation changes us at the core. There is a problem however; it is apparent that many believes, if not most, have not discovered, or become aware of their new identity. The primary reason for this is that for many years, we have been exposed to what Peter Parris refers to as an ‘insufficient gospel.’ In other words, the ‘preaching’ we have heard, and the books we may have read, failed to present the clear teachings of what the new birth means. Many messages we hear emphasize that even as believers, we are ‘sinners,’ and that we still have a sin nature. In so many words, and with good intentions, we are told that we must be ‘more committed,’ ‘pray more,’ ‘spend more time in the word,’ ‘have more ‘quite times,’ if we are to please God and be more spiritual. It is abundantly clear in the scriptures that at salvation, we are made new. Ezekiel prophesied of the change that God would bring about in those who would come to know Jesus as Savior: Ezekiel 36:26 “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” Walking in our newness does not happen automatically, but by choosing to live by the Spirit. Romans 8:6 tells us-“For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace,” You are not in bondage to sin and the new you has no desire to sin. We can live without sinning-but if and when we sin, we confess it and continue to walk in the Spirit. In Galatians 5:16 we read-“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.” This article to be continued in the next blog, but for now, begin to walk in your new self-you are not who you use to be.
Blessings,
Buddy
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