A NEW CREATION
Read
2 Corinthians 5:17
Development:
Everyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life has passed; a new life has begun! And all this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ.
And God has given us the task of reconciling people with him to return them to the correct path of salvation. Because God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, no longer taking our sins into account. And children of God who are justified by the blood of Jesus Christ, our mission is to bring this wonderful message of reconciliation and salvation.
So all of us are ambassadors for Christ; God makes his call through us.
When we speak it is in the name of Christ when we teach them the truth, when we tell them repent, when we tell them God loves you, we do it speaking instead of Christ.
God made Christ, who never sinned, become sin, but not a sinner, so that he would be the perfect sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sins, so that we could be in a right relationship with God through Christ.
I reflect and respond
1. What are some of the "old" parts of you that are gone?
2. What are some of the "new" things you are becoming?
Read
Mark 2:21-22
Development:
God's forces must not be fettered by man. Life cannot be put into human moulds. Each force has a defined mode of action. Spring does not produce the same results as autumn, nor can young converts bear the same fruits as old saints.
It is impossible to coerce these forces into entering human channels. No dress fits all men. If you want to change the habits of men, start by changing their principles.
It is wise and safe to act with God. Learn the working methods of the Spirit and follow them.
There is a story of a missionary in India who saw a tree with two different fruits, if two different fruits on the same tree. An old fruit and a new fruit, when he began to study it, he realized that the new fruit came from a root of another tree that made its way through the rotten trunk of the tree, and that there both were fighting for life, but Well, as we can see from the story, the old tree lost, the same happens with the word of God.
If we put the seed of the good gospel into the heart of a system or practice, it will give rise to a tree that will begin to grow from within the old tree, taking its roots, its branches, its trunk down and replacing it with a totally new one, giving thus twelve different fruits, every month and the leaves that fall from this tree will be for the healing of the nations
Christianity establishes a new kingdom, a kingdom within men, a reign over the spiritual in man. "The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17-19).
He publishes a "new law" and gives men "a new commandment." "Love is the fulfilling of the law" (John 13:34-35).
Christianity introduces us to a “New Jerusalem”, “the Jerusalem which is the mother of us all” (Galatians 4:26). Everything in the city is new. The Temple is new; it is a spiritual temple; spiritual men "are built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit." "That! Do you not know that you are the temple of God? (1 Corinthians 6:19)
The Altar is new; “We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat” (Hebrews 13:10).
The Sacrifice is new; it is the “offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:10).
Incense is new; “the sacrifice of praise, yea, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name” (Hebrews 13:15).
The priesthood is new; “We have a great High Priest who passed into heaven for us, Jesus, the Son of God” (Hebrews 4:14-15).
The Way to the “Most Holy” is “a new and living way consecrated for us” (Hebrews 10:20).
The Cult is new; the time has come when character, and not the setting of worship, is everything. The song is new; we sing “a new song” (Psalm 96:1).
Ritualism is new; "For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision is worth anything, nor circumcision, but a new creature" (Galatians 6:15). God sustains a new relationship with us;
He is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. We turn to God and say: "Surely, You are our Father, even if Abraham ignores us, and Israel does not recognize us." "Christ is the Mediator of the new covenant" (Hebrews 8:8; 2 Corinthians 3:6).
The days have come when God has made a new covenant with man. The Spirit is new; even the Comforter, proceeding from the Father and the Son.
The gospel is new; “God has spoken to us through his Son” (Hebrews) 1:6. The wording is new; "We preach Christ crucified."
The symbolism is new; "the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." Since everything in Christianity is new, we ourselves must be new; we must be "born again." There has to be the passage from death to life.
The life we live in the flesh must be a new life. “Old things must pass away; all things must be made new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
The thoughts and words of the Christian are new. New thoughts require new expressions.
People said of Christ: "Never man hath spoken like this Man" (John 7:46). New things want new words. The eternal Son has taken our nature and has become our brother. The gospel calls this “the mystery of godliness” (1 Timothy 3:16).
God has given his Son, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. Even the gospel seems to need words here, and can only say: “God so loved” (John 3:16). The gospel takes us by the hand and leads us to the cross; and when we look at the Crucified, he unfolds the record and invites us to read: "God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son" (John 5:11-12).
We don't want old ways. We have the truth for the understanding; we have love for the heart. We have new thoughts and new words, whose expressions are like the most divine music to the soul that is looking for a Savior. "A faithful word worthy of being received by all: that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, even the principal ones."
The manifestations of the Christian are new. "There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body"
(1 Corinthians 15:44). Christianity comes from heaven. God's work must not be improved by man. Where there is true religion in man, there will be no lack of its own manifestations in a Divine life, in all the graces of the Holy Spirit, in the likeness of God.
The ritualism of the Christian is new. It has few symbols, but these are the most expressive and appropriate. It meets us at the very threshold of life with its washing of water, and water is the universal and imperishable type of purity.
It gives us, as Christians, the memorials of Christ's death. The ritualism of your spirit must be left to the moods and feelings of your own heart.
They may be content with mere outward acts of reform, but these are manifestly insufficient. This is nothing more than a new patch of cloth on an old garment. This is the world's attempt to repair human nature.
Christianity requires “a new heart and a right spirit” (Psalm 51). You must be a "partaker of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4), "a new creature in Christ Jesus 2 Corinthians 5:17)," to be a Christian. The "inner man" must have his new outfit.
You must take off the old dress and put on the new one. You must “put on Christ Jesus the Lord, and walk in Him” (Romans 13:14). Do not try to repair the old nature. Find a new one. Old habits are of no use to a new spirit, and yet we cling to them, or they cling to us.
There is often little consistency between our principles and our practice
Christ gave his answers to the disciples of John and to the Pharisees. The first had a temporary application and the second a permanent application.
Let's see, fasting was a sign of sadness; but how could these disciples grieve while Jesus was with them? it was like trying to cry in the middle of a party. Well Christians have alternating experiences. Sometimes the Spouse is with us and sometimes far away.
The other answer states that the essential difference between the new dispensation and the impossibility of confining it by the old forms and ceremonies of religion.
Now, based on this, we can say that these bottles represent religious forms, and the wine represents the religious spirit or life.
Consider: The superior energy of Christianity over Judaism. It is new wine.
Judaism in his time was wine; but Christianity is newer and also better.
But this is not the point of comparison I want to get to.
The point is that the gospel has a freshness, an expansion and a power, beyond what we will find in Judaism, dressed in this way Christianity is like new wine, which works and ferments compared to the old and acetic wine that remains cold and still.
Christianity was meant to go out into the world and spread to all nations, while Judaism was only for Jews.
The powerful and stimulating motifs of Christianity. The love and death of Christ constrain us; and the apocalypse of the eternal world becomes more impressive and influential. The burning affection that is awakened in the followers of Christ. His whole nature is elevated and enlivened by a new love and a new hope. That hope is the accompanying energy of the Holy Spirit.
The inadequacy of the old Jewish forms to the new Christian spirit. Like fasting, sacrifices, priestly exclusivity, and even Saturday. Now they are useless. However, Christianity has its own ways. Wine is not spilled on the ground, but kept in bottles: the Christian Church in its simplicity of the New Testament, the ordinances, the Lord's day, the spiritual modes of worship.
All this springs naturally from the spirit of the gospel. Life makes its own body. Verily, this law has been most seriously tampered with by men, and the energy of the gospel has suffered; his freedom has been barred and his life dead. For this reason our supreme concern must be to bring the life of the gospel to our souls.
We should avoid a superstitious attachment to mere forms, however ancient and elegant, if they are arbitrary and mechanical. We must be willing to endorse and embrace the simple, natural, and living ways of the New Testament: joining church, participating in worship, etc.
We should apply all this in our daily behavior and in our life; everything must be renewed, and new wine must be put into new wineskins.
May all our habits be determined and controlled by the indwelling spirit of piety. Things that were once pleasant to us will now be unpleasant and annoying.
Many amusements and pleasures will be instantly given up when we have the right spirit within us; while otherwise it would be vain to contend and argue against them
I reflect and respond
1. How new must one be?
2. What is the difference between adding new habits and being changed from the inside?
3. Are you like an old wineskin or a new one? Because?
Read:
Romans 12:1-2
Development
If a person wants to do what God likes, he must reject negative influences and make changes in his personality. Of course, God does not force anyone to change. Whoever decides to do so does so out of love for God and because they realize that his rules benefit us, are reasonable and show that he loves us.
(Isaiah 48:17).
“Stop conforming to this system.” “This system,” that is, the society that surrounds us, with its lifestyle, values, and customs, does not reflect God's values or ways of thinking (1 John 2:15-17). This system puts constant pressure on people to shape their behavior and personality.
If someone wants to worship God, they have to resist that influence. Otherwise, you will end up developing attitudes that are harmful to you and that are not pleasing to God (Ephesians 2:1-3; 4:17-19).
"Transform by renewing your mind." People also have to work to change their interior: their deepest feelings and inclinations. The Greek word translated “be transformed” describes a change as radical as a caterpillar undergoes when it becomes a butterfly. To worship God, the Bible says you must put on a new personality (Ephesians 4:23, 24; Colossians 3:9, 10).
“Check for yourselves what is the good, pleasing and perfect will of God”. God wants those who worship him to be totally convinced of what they believe. How can they be convinced? By studying the Bible, putting into practice what it says, and seeing for themselves the advantages of living according to God's standards.
This is how they prove that doing things God's way is best (Psalm 34:8).
Romans 12 explains what it means to worship God as he wants. Such a way of worshiping God encompasses all facets of life and requires a person to use “reasoning power” instead of being carried away by blind faith or pure emotion (Romans 12:1, 3). In this chapter there are practical tips to have Christian qualities, to get along with others and to know how to react when we are treated badly (Romans 12:9-21).
I reflect and respond:
1. What are some examples of worldly thoughts in your life?
2. How can you change the way you think?
Read
Ephesians 4:17 to Ephesians 5:2
Development:
As children of God we now enjoy a new position before God. Now we have been called to walk towards God along the path of the new life that is Christ who through the sacrifice of his blood and his life won it for us.
We can no longer walk in this world like people who do not know or who refused to know Jesus.
We cannot, They walk in the vanity of our minds (Ephesians 4:17), we cannot not have understanding and be hard of heart and pretend to be ignorant of the salvation that God gave us, (Ephesians 4:18) and in turn become insensitive to the gravity of sin (Ephesians 4:19).
Before continuing, let's stop at a few verses, Verse 17 and 23, mention the mind and the way we should think. Verse 18 mentions understanding and ignorance and verse 20 mentions that we are to learn of Christ.
Let's continue…
Salvation begins with a change of mind. That is "regret" a change of mind. The thought of the person who is not saved is "vain", "futile", "empty" and this thought does not lead to any substantial purpose for life.
The worldly cannot understand the world around him as he does not know God. (Ephesians 2:1) says that the non-believer: "is dead in his trespasses and sins."
The thinking or reasoning ability of the non-believer is "empty" because his understanding is "darkened" (Ephesians 4:18).
The unsaved cannot see life and enjoy it because they do not have the knowledge of God. He has a lot of knowledge but no wisdom. That is why in (Ephesians 4:20) it says that we “learned from Christ” and not “about Christ”.
Since you can learn about Christ without being saved. But since Christ is alive, we can learn from him. Truth and life always go together. If we have believed in God's truth, we have also received God's life.
A Christian cannot follow the pattern of the world since he has experienced the miracle of rising from the dead. His life is not empty or futile, but full of divine purposes._cc781905-5cde-3194 -bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ His mind is filled with the light of God's Word and his heart with the fullness of God's life.
The believer has given his body as an instrument of justice (Romans 6:13) and not to sin for the satisfaction of his selfish passions.
The Christian is not the same as the pagan, and that is why the urgency of the mandate: "do not walk".
We now that we have learned from Christ and not about Christ, that we get rid of the old man that was flawed, that we renew our way of thinking and that we clothe ourselves with the new man that is according to the will of God, we cannot walk with the heathens
The apostle Paul reinforces his argument with something that comes from his readers' own experience. Let us note that again he emphasizes the mind, and the perspectives of believers, in (Ephesians 4:20) he says: "but you have not so learned of Christ"
This is achieved with a personal relationship in such a way that we can get to know each other better day by day.
This "personal relationship" or "communion" is achieved through the Word of God. The more I understand God, the more I know Jesus Christ, the Son of God. And the entire Bible is the revelation of the personality of God.
The unsaved is ignorant of the things of God and of the word of God. While the believer is intelligent and has knowledge of the things of God and the Word.
In (Ephesians 4:21) we can note that we have already received the truth and that we have already received life and that is why we will walk "on the road" and we will not take steps outside of it as an example of a lost world, this new life spiritual goes deeper than that.
It results in an entirely new standing before God. The old man has died, and now "we walk in new life through Christ." This becomes the practical seal of the theory being explained (Ephesians 2:4-6).
As Christians we have not only changed our own mind. But we also change our conscience, our interior, our citizenship and now we belong to the new creation of God in Christ. Therefore the ideas, desires, intentions of the old man should not control our life no more
We have an example of this in John 11, the raising of Lazarus.
He had already died 4 days ago. (John 11:17) his body had already entered into putrefaction. But when Jesus spoke the WORDS…. Lazarus is risen. He was no longer dead, but now he was alive. But note the command of Jesus in verse 44: “untie him and let him go”. Take off the clothes of death, Lazarus no longer belongs to the domain of death, why go dressed in the garments of death for life? Now dress him in the clothes of life, in the new garments.
This is Paul's argument. We now no longer belong to the old corruption of sin, but now we belong to the new creation in Christ. Let's take off the clothes of death, and dress in the clothes of life. How do we achieve this? "(Ephesians 4:23) Renew yourselves in the Spirit of your mind."
Conversion is a crisis that leads to a process. Through Christ, once and for all, we have been given a new position in God's new creation, but day by day, by faith, we must appropriate all that Christ won on the cross and gave us.
The Word of God renews our minds day by day, according to how we surrender to him. (Romans 12:1-2). "Sanctify them in your truth, Your Word is true." (John 17:17). As we understand the Word of God, likewise gradually we will be transformed by the Holy Spirit. This transformation brings a renewal and this renewal leads to a changed life.
Physically we are what we eat. But spiritually we are the ones who think. Proverbs 23:7 says: “for what is the thought in his heart, such is he”. That is why It is very important for the believer to spend daily time with God meditating on the Word of God, reading it, memorizing it, LEARNING OF CHRIST and having that COMMUNION WITH GOD.
In the following verses we will find some advice that the Apostle Paul gives us.
It does not say that we should discard lies, and that we only speak the truth, that we control our impulses and emotions that are naturally human, that we stop stealing and now work and share what we have, that we stop being selfish and that we say what it is good for the soul of those who hear, and finally that we get rid of the bitterness of Alice because now we are good and forgiving just like Jesus. Ephesians 4:25-31
Despite this, the Apostle Paul was not content with leaving us some advice, but also gave us some practical examples, let's see.
It tells us that by renouncing all lies we are renouncing Satan who is the father of lies, because if we lie to each other we are destroying the unity of love. Ephesians 4:16, because if we are called to renew our minds, we must leave false ideas and live a life of truth, remembering at all times that Jesus is the truth.
Hence the importance that the Apostle Paul gives to not telling lies because in the process we destroy each other since each one is part of the other Ephesians 4:25
Be angry but do not sin. Apparently anger is not a sin, but if its consequences are, anger is like an avalanche that starts small and then becomes unstoppable.
It is easy for God to direct his anger, let us remember that in the Old Testament, it is mentioned several times that we have a God of anger, but of course we are talking about God, he knows everything, he can do everything, and he knows what the results of any episode in where anger is present, but we do NOT know where an attack of anger is leading us.
According to the philosopher Aristotle, "Getting angry is easy, but getting angry at the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way, is very difficult."
King Solomon in all his wisdom gave the correct answer when he said: "A soft answer appeases anger, but a harsh word makes fury rise" Proverbs 15:1
Also the Apostle Paul tells us why we should not give place to the devil. Ephesians 4:27.
Not stealing is one of the 10 commandments and in this way God creates the concept of “private property” and the concept of “respect for private property”. Let us note that stealing causes harm to others. But working also has its why, which logically is to help others.
The Apostle Paul did not want work to become a sin of "selfishness" or "pride" but wanted work to be a way of helping others. Jewish rabbis had a saying: "If you don't teach your son to work, you are teaching him to steal."
Of course the Apostle Paul also tells us about corrupted words. It teaches us that the mouth and the heart are connected. Matthew 12:24 says, "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." In short, what we say reflects what we are full of.
That is why a renewal of our hearts is super important, since what we say and how we say it will show what we are full of.
Colossians 4:6 tells us that our words must be seasoned with salt in order to know how to respond to each one, that what we say always comes from love, and not something that can ruin you, because the truth is that once you get lost it is difficult to stop and get back on the right track.
Take away the bitterness from you. Bitterness is a poison that can unleash terrible feelings that end in terrible events. This ominous feeling triggers a series of events and consequences that can be described as follows. Bitterness leads to anger. Anger leads to anger. Anger leads to shouting and gossip.
For centuries bitterness and anger have been the main causes that have taken away the good taste of a marriage, a home, a family and a church. Bitterness takes away our joy. Salvation is secure, but we can lose the joy of salvation and the blessings that the filling of the Holy Spirit brings.
For this reason, brothers, we must not forget that we must walk on the new path of our lives in Christ, he has brought us out of death and gave us life, let us do as Lazarus, let us remove the clothes of death and dress with the royal garments that God gave us by becoming his children.
I reflect and respond
1. How does God describe your old way of thinking and living?
2. Who were you created to be like? Why is it so important to keep forgiving each other?
3. What does it mean to live a life of love?
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