SCRIPTURE FOR THE DAY 2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV) Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new. The word, Therefore, refers us back to vv. 14-16, where Paul tells us that all believers have died with Christ and no longer live for themselves. Our lives are no longer worldly; they are now spiritual. Our walk is different, our talk is different, our ways are different, our actions are different. Our death is that of the old sin nature which was nailed to the cross with Christ. It was buried with Him, and just as He was raised up by the Father, so are we raised up to, walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4). That new person that was raised up is what Paul refers to as the new creature/creation. To understand this new creation/creature, first we must grasp that it is a new creation/creature, something created by God. John 1:13 tells us that this new birth was brought about by the will of God. We did not inherit the new creature, nor did we decide to re-create ourselves anew, nor did God simply clean up our old nature. He created something entirely fresh and unique. The new creature is completely new, bought about from nothing, just as the whole universe was created by God from nothing. Only the creator could accomplish such a feat. Second, old things are passed away. The old refers to everything that is part of our old nature--natural pride, love of sin, reliance on works, and our former opinions, habits and passions. Most significantly, what we loved has passed away, especially the supreme love of self and with it self-righteousness, self-promotion, and self-justification. The new creature looks outwardly towards Christ instead of inwardly toward self. The old things died, nailed to the cross with our sin nature. Along with the old thing passing away, the new has come! Old dead things are replaced with new things, full of life and the glory of God. The newborn soul delights in the things of God and abhors the things of the world and the flesh. Our purposes, our feelings, our desires, and understandings are fresh and different. We see the world differently (Romans 12:2). There are new feelings toward all people, a new kind of love toward family and all friends, a new compassion never before felt for enemies, and a new love for all mankind. The things we once loved, we now detest. The sin we once held onto, we now desire to put away forever. We put off the old man with his deeds (Colossians 3:9), and put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:24). What about the Christians who continue to sin? There is a difference in continuing to sin and continuing to live in sin. No one teaches sinless perfection in this life, but the redeemed Christian is being sanctified (made holy) day by day, sinning less, hating it more each time he fails. Yes, we still sin, but unwillingly less and less frequently as we mature. Our new self hates the sin that still has hold on us. The difference is that the new creature/creation is no longer a slave to sin, as we formerly were. We are now freed from sin and it no longer has power over us (Romans 6:6-7). Now we are empowered by and for righteousness. We now have the voice to, let sin reign or to count ourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:11-12). Best of all, we now have the power to choose the latter. The new creature/creation is a wondrous thing, formed in the mind of God and created by His power and for His glory. QUOTE FOR THE DAY: Out with the old, and in with the new!
Posted on: Sun, 12 Oct 2014 03:52:09 +0000
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