This leads us to the second part…Ephesians
4:22- “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your
old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in
the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God
in true righteousness and holiness.”…“You put off…” You see, we have a part in
this transformation process.
When Paul writes in Ephesians, "Put on your new self" he is recognizing that we have a new nature that must eventu-ally take the place of the control and effects of the old nature still residing our lives. But remember, the Word says that if you know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we are to “reckon our old nature to be dead” – your sinful nature is DEAD, according to the scriptures. Well, if it is dead, why then is there still a battle?… Because we haven’t buried it yet!…We haven’t done Romans 12:1 yet…”offer yourselves as living sacrifices.”
So we struggle with our old nature, with
the leftover residue of our old nature still in our lives. That is why
there is still the process of
supernatural transformation taking place in our lives here on earth. A good example of this is 2 Cor.3:18 - “And
we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being
transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes
from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”When Paul writes in Ephesians, "Put on your new self" he is recognizing that we have a new nature that must eventu-ally take the place of the control and effects of the old nature still residing our lives. But remember, the Word says that if you know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we are to “reckon our old nature to be dead” – your sinful nature is DEAD, according to the scriptures. Well, if it is dead, why then is there still a battle?… Because we haven’t buried it yet!…We haven’t done Romans 12:1 yet…”offer yourselves as living sacrifices.”
2 Corinthians is clear that there is a process of transformation that takes place in the life of a believer. And it’s this process that God wants every single one of us to go through. It’s the process of aligning our physical selves with the new creation now found in our spiritual selves. Unlike the change that takes place in our spirit which is instantaneous – the change that takes place in our heart takes time….And, I say “heart” because it is the center of who we are, what we are, and what we do. You see God not only wants us to be transformed into the likeness of Christ ….He wants us to be transparent in order for the world to see the power of Christ.
Max Lucado coins a phrase that captures what I believe God’s desire is for each of us, “God loves you just the way you are, but he refuses to leave you that way”… so we have the process of being transformed.
I have to go to work, so I’ll finish tomorrow….
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