New Creatures
This verse has always scared me:
1 Corinthians 6:9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10) nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
Why? I am guilty of about half the things on that list! I am a sinner! I still sin. It is my nature. I love Christ and he paid my debt to sin by his death, but that does not make me sinless! Thankfully, the point of this verse is not that if you did any of the above, God is done with you, the point is that you cannot be saved and make a lifestyle of these sins. We are all guilty of these sins, and many others, and we will not see heaven, except we turn from them.
And this is what the new creature is all about.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature. The old has passed away; behold the new has come.
If we are saved, we are and are becoming, new creatures in Christ. Our love for Christ in true salvation replaces our desire to commit sin. As we grow in grace, these habits and desires to sin fall away, God’s work in our lives produces new desires, out of one big desire to do what pleases Him. The focus of our life changes from doing what we want to please ourselves into doing what God wants to please Him who has done so much for us.
You can’t fake this or achieve it by trying hard. Either your heart has been changed by Jesus and you are empowered to fight the sin in your life by the Holy Spirit, or you are not. Either the old you has passed away, or it has not. So examine your life often. Are the desires you had being replaced with new ones? Is there evidence of the Lord’s work in your life? Write them down, pray over them, thank God for the work He has done in you. Pray for more.
We are assured that if we are in Christ, we are new creatures. Let the old creature pass away. Know who you are in Christ.
Comments
Yay, New Creatures!!!
Thanks so much for sharing. Your words spoke to me. I am so thankful He chose me…. and I am His and He is mine.
blessings~
This is a good blog about becoming new creatures in Christ. All christians become new creatures when saved, but we still have to live with sin everyday. The difference is that we live with sin not in it and that difference is very apparent when we are obeying God. I know from experience that trying to things on your own will not work at all and all it does is wear you down and out. Letting God take your worries away will enhance your love, peace, comfort in Him, life, strength, and power to fight and experience God’s glory!!
This is so true. The farther we fall from Christ, the more dominant our desires to sin can become. Perhaps, even more scary is that Satan uses these stronger urges to make one feel as if they are too far or that they were never really believers, or at least not very strong ones. I must admit that I have been struggling with this very thing, but God has revealed the light at the end of this tunnel. This message really speaks, and I hope it, too, can help others see that light.
Thank you. Although I am a good person and have faith, there are times where doubt enters my mind. I am only human. However, there is something always pulling me back to the sun, to the light, towards the good. I know in this, there is a savior and hope.
Leave a Comment