Life Ministries

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come.”

“All Things New” – Part 3

    Last week I began a new blog entitled “All Things New”… It was just the introduction, but we soon found out that the Bible has a lot to say about “new” things. God’s Word is a book of old things that happened centuries ago, but the unique thing is that these old things become “new” to us when we become Christians. The Apostle Paul explains in his letter to Timothy; “All scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness” and that’s exactly what it does. It teaches us things we never knew or understood before. It rebukes us for the things we did…and do…wrong. It corrects our thinking and certainly trains us in the way of righteousness. Paul also tells us in the Book of Hebrews that “the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit…joints and marrow.” This is why it’s “new” you see…because it’s “living and active!”  It’s not just an old book that sits on the coffee table.

    We also learned that Christians walk in “newness of life.” Those who are in Christ have a new heart; live by new rules; have a new view of life and life after life. Upon becoming a Christian we have new principles to live by; a new path to walk; and a new leader to follow. “Behold, old things have passed away, and all things become new.” Today, I want to look at what it means to be a “new creation.”
    Let’s begin at the beginning by looking at the biblical account of creation from Genesis 1:1-4 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (This is where it must start.) “In the beginning God”…If you don’t believe that, you are not going to understand anything about life at all. “Those who come to Him must first believe that He exists” (Hebrews 11:6) It starts with believing God exists, but we also then must believe that “God created.” It wasn’t a big bang. We didn’t come from pollywogs! We did not evolve from monkeys! We were created by God. The Bible says that He formed us and knew us in our mother’s womb.” (Jeremiah 1:5)
    “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said; “Let there be light” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness.”
    Did you catch some of the parallels here?  The words “formless”, “empty”, and “darkness” are also words that describe us before becoming new creations in Christ. The word “formless” in the Hebrew is also translated “confused.” I would be the first to admit to you that before becoming a Christian, I was definitely confused…( and the pastor’s wife just nodded…)  I was blinded to the Bible and spiritual things, and I lived only for self. We are all the same before Jesus comes into our lives. It also says that the “Holy Spirit was hovering”…That’s what he still does, the Holy Spirit hovers over us, convicting us of the guilt of sin and a wrong lifestyle.
    Before becoming a new creation, we also feel “empty and void.” We have within us a void that is God shaped, and we try to fill it in many ways with many different things, but it can only be filled by God. Again, the Apostle Paul tells us that we need to be “filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:19) We were formless, empty, and also in darkness. The Bible tell us that the “god of this age (Satan) has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they CAN NOT see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” It’s like having a blindfold on when it comes to the Bible and “church” stuff. The sad thing is that there are still people who sit in the pews of our churches who are still blinded by Satan. Today we might say; “They don’t have a clue!”
    During creation, God said “Let there be light”… Psalm 119:130 says; “The entrance of your words gives light; and understanding to the simple” and in the same Psalm it says “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” And also 2 Corinthians 4:6 which says “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness”, made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”
    There is an old clique that when someone became “religious” it was said that they “saw the light!” What is darkness? It’s the absence of light! So, like the creation story in Genesis, we were once formless, empty, and in darkness…but, now we are a new creation!
    What was the result of or the affects of the first creation? What happened after God created “in the beginning?” It tells us that the earth became alive! The darkness and void were filled with new life! And, the earth began producing fruit! This is also true of being a new creation in Christ. In John 15:5 Jesus said; “I am the vine, you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit”… Just as the earth became alive with new life when light came to shine upon it, so we who are in Christ come alive and bear fruit when the light of the gospel shines upon us… “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ; even when we were dead in our transgressions and sins! It is by grace you have been saved.”
    By the way, I must point out the importance of the language Paul uses in this scripture; He says “If anyone be IN Christ”…not IN church or sitting IN the pew. Just saying you are a Christian doesn’t mean you are. Just like being IN a garage doesn’t make you a car…or being IN an airplane means you can fly! (John 15:4-5 – ^“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”)
    Outward conformity like - not drinking; not cursing; and becoming a kinder gentler person doesn’t do it! Paul says we must be IN Christ. Jesus himself said; “If you are IN me and I am IN you…”
    When we are a new creation, we are new only because God has made us new! There is nothing within man that makes or can make him a new creation… Only God can do that.  Again, Jesus said; “Aside from me you can do nothing.” We must be IN the vine.
    If we are to come alive in 2013, Then we need to put ourselves in this scripture; “If I am IN Christ, and Christ is IN me, then old things have passed away, and behold! I have become NEW!  So, the next time someone says “What’s new?”…