Born-Again
Christian
believe and
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“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the
old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)
Notice the word “therefore.” It refers us back to
verses 14-16 where Paul tells us that all believers in Christ have died with
Him and no longer live for themselves. They live lives that are no longer
worldly.
"For the love of Christ controls us, because we
have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and
he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves
but for him who for their sake died and was raised. 16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the
flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard
him thus no longer." 2 Corinthians
5:14-15 (ESV)
Our old sin nature was nailed to the cross with Christ, and “died” with Him. 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 in 2 Corinthians 5:17 as the “new creation.”
To gain a better understanding of the new
creation, we must grasp that it is in fact a creation, something created by
God.
Jesus tells us that this new birth was brought about by the will of God.
"who were born, not of
blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of
God." John 1:13 (ESV)
We did not inherit the new nature, nor did we
decide to re-create ourselves anew. God did not simply clean up our old nature. He created something
entirely fresh and unique.
This new creation is entirely new, brought
about from nothing, just as the whole universe was created by God from nothing. Only a magnificent Creator could accomplish such
wonders.
As a consequence of this new birth, “old
things have passed away.”
.
The “old” refers to everything that had been part of our old nature – our ego, pride, love of sin, reliance on good works, our former habits, opinions, passions and propensities.
.
The “old” refers to everything that had been part of our old nature – our ego, pride, love of sin, reliance on good works, our former habits, opinions, passions and propensities.
Most of all, what worldly interests we used to
pursue have passed away, especially the love of self, self-righteousness,
self-promotion, and self-justification.
The new creature looks outwardly toward Christ instead of inwardly toward self. The old things died, nailed to the cross with
our sin nature.
Along with the old passing away, “the new has come.” Old, dead things are replaced with new things,
full of life and for the glory of God.
The newborn soul delights in the things of God and abhors the
things of the world and the flesh.
Our feelings, desires, purposes, and motivations are fresh.
We see the world differently, we comprehend daily affairs always with relevance
to God’s will and eternity.
.
Though we may have read, even memorized verses before, now we wonder at not having perceived or had deeper meanings revealed to us before.
.
The Bible seems to be a new book, with every page replete with new meanings and truths.
The whole face of nature seems to us to have changed, and
we seem to be in a new world. The heavens and the earth are filled with new
wonders, and all things seem now to
speak forth the praise and glory of God.
We now have different feelings toward people, a new kind of
warmth toward family and friends, a new compassion never before felt for
enemies, and a new love for all mankind.
The mundane things we once loved, we now detest. The sin we
once held onto, we now desire to put away with forever. We “put off the old man with his deeds” (Colossians 3:9).
We have now put on the “new self, created to be like God in true
righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:24).
But what about those Christians who continue to sin?
No one reaches sinless perfection in this life. There is a difference between continuing to sin and continuing to live in sin.
No one reaches sinless perfection in this life. There is a difference between continuing to sin and continuing to live in sin.
The redeemed Christian is holy – that is, he is separated or
sanctified for God’s purpose. At the same time, he is being made holy day by
day, sinning less and hating it more each time he fails.
The redeemed Christian still sins, but unwillingly and less
and less frequently as he matures. He is still a sinner but he is running away
from sin, unlike the unsaved sinner who runs towards sin.
This new or regenerated self hates the sin that still lays
a hold on us. The difference is that the new creation is no
longer a slave to sin, as we formerly were.
We are now free from sin and sin no longer has power over us.
"We know that our
old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might
be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one
who has died has been set free from sin." Romans 6:6 (ESV)
We now have the choice to “let sin reign” or to count ourselves “dead to sin but alive
to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11-12).
Most of all,
we are now empowered by the resurrection life of Christ to choose the latter.
The new creation is a wonderful thing, formed in the mind of God and created by
His power and for His glory.
Would you want God
to change your life?
God has made it possible for you to know Him and experience
an amazing change in your own life through a relationship with His Son, Jesus Christ, and
have eternal life.
Say the following
prayer:
“Father God, I confess I am a sinner
and my sins have separated me from You.
I am truly sorry. I now want to turn
away from my past sinful life and live a new life pleasing to You.
Please forgive me, and help me avoid
sinning again.
I believe that Your son, Jesus Christ
died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer.
I invite Jesus to become the Lord of
my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Thank You that
according to Your Word, I am now born again.
Please send your Holy Spirit to help
me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. I promise to study
Your Word – the Bible.
Use me for Your glory.
In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.”
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“I AM NEW CREATION”
Dave Bilbrough
Dave Bilbrough
lyrics
I am a new creation
No more in condemnation
Here in the grace of God I stand
My heart is overflowing
My life just keeps on going
Here in the grace of God I stand
And i will praise you Lord
I will sing of all that you have done
A joy that knows no limit
And lightness in my spirit
Here in the grace of God I stand
I am a new creationNo more in condemnation
Here in the grace of God I stand
My heart is overflowing
My life just keeps on going
Here in the grace of God I stand
And i will praise you Lord
I will sing of all that you have done
A joy that knows no limit
And lightness in my spirit
Here in the grace of God I stand
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