Brand NewPosted by Phil on March 21st, 2010
therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! –2 Corinthians 5:17
a brand new creation. as a follower of Christ, do you ever feel like you’re supposed to be just a better version of who you’ve always been? but this says we’re a new creation….everything that was old….is gone.
have you wondered how crabs grow? like hermit crabs go and find a new, larger shell to live in…but what about other crabs. they go through a molting process…where they appear to die, and then break out of their shell as an entirely new crab…new shell, new legs, new eye, antennae. the old is left behind, and they are literally a new creation. we are the same way.
and I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. and I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. –Ezekiel 36:26-27
a new year and new spirit. God says “I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh.” we are so much more than a better behaving version of our old selves. God has made us new…we are justified. and the Spirit is busy at work making us better…sanctifying us, becoming set apart, making us holy. it is the Spirit that is helping us adjust to being new creations. the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5 is the result of his sanctifying work.
but the problem with living with the Holy Spirit is that we can try to live without it….we can fight it. we can try really hard on our own…and sometimes accomplish some good things. but it is through the power of the Spirit that we can do great things and truly know the heart of God. Ephesians 4:30 tells us “do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you life (NLT).”
is the Spirit helping you adjust to you new status in Christ? or are you trying to be a “good Christian” all on your own? on our own…we try really hard and feel like a failure. life through the Spirit we are free to follow, love, and know God.
God, may your Spirit be more and more real in my life every day.