What’s New?
2 Corinthians 5: 17-19
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God who has reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation: KJ
It was God (personally present) in Christ reconciling and restoring to favor with Himself, not counting up and holding against [men] their trespasses [but cancelling them]and committing to us the ministry of reconciliation (of the restoration to favor).” Amplified
Man is created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26). Man is spirit, an invisible being that communicates with God the Creator. Man possesses a soul, the intellect [mind], will [choice], and emotions [feelings]. Man lives in a physical body [flesh, blood, bones] (1st Thessalonians 5:23). Your spirit, soul, and body makes up the complete package that is called a human being. Everyone born is a spirit, possesses a soul, and has a physical body.
God exists in three parts just as He created man to exist in three parts. God is: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). Adam disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden and brought a curse of sin on mankind (Genesis Chapter 3). This sin of disobedience broke the initial connection between God in heaven and man on earth. The restoration of the connection between God and man happened when God sent His Son Jesus to do penalty for our sins (John 3:16).
If we are a created spirit, having a soul, and living in a body, what happens to us when we acknowledge and ask Jesus to come and live on the inside of us? Is there any part of us that has changed? Is there any part of us that has not changed? How does this decision to have Jesus inside of us play out in the choices, decisions, actions, and lifestyles, we exhibit after we receive Him?
What happens to us when we acknowledge Christ, repent, and ask Jesus to come and live on the inside of us?
When we confess that we are a sinner and ask Jesus to forgive our sins and live on the inside of us, our sins are forgiven (Romans 3:23, 1st John 1:9, Luke 13:3, Acts 3:19, Romans 10:9, Isaiah 55:7, John 3:16-18, John 1:12). We are restored back to our right relationship with God through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. We are redeemed from Adam’s sin. We are now sons of God and joint-heirs with Christ Jesus to live out Eternity with God (1st John 3:2, Romans 8:16-17).
Is there any part of us that has changed? (Human Spirit)
Yes! God has allowed your human spirit that was dead to come alive to His consciousness (Ephesians 2:1-9). God has made alive our human spirit so that we can communicate and respond to Him. It is in the deep recesses of our spirit that He communes and communicates with us. He has forgiven us (our sins) and we are a new creation in Him appropriated by the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ has paid the penalty for our sins and we are no longer guilty. We are new creations in Him. Your spirit is the new you!
Is there any part of us that has not changed? (Soul/Body)
I wish I could say otherwise but unfortunately there are two parts of man (soul and body) that do not change when the “New Birth (Creation)” occurs. However, God has made provision for change for the soul and the body. Let us examine how God has made provision for the change in the human spirit to influence these other two parts to come into alignment with the new creation in Christ Jesus.
First of all the soul (Before receiving Jesus) has gained years of intelligence, habits, emotions, and information that still remain intact after you receive Jesus. Some of the intelligence and information may be truth and some may not be truth. Some of the habits may be good and consistent with God’s word and some may not. Some of the emotions may be healthy and some may not be. God wants us to succeed in allowing Christ Jesus to live His life in us.
So how does God expect the new creation to succeed at being new when some of the intelligence, habits, emotions, and information found in the soul are faulty? Good question! Here is how it takes place. The answer lies in these two words: New and Renew. When you receive Jesus, your spirit is made alive by God. Your spirit is the “New Creation”. When you receive Jesus, your soul is not “New” but has to be “Renewed” (Romans 12:2). How does this “renewal” take place? Jesus Christ (The Living Word) and God’s word in scripture are the agents of renewal. It is the study, knowledge, and application of God’s word that allows your soul to align with your spirit that has become a new creation. As your mind is “Renewed” with the word of God, that same word of God will find its home deep within your spirit.
When your spirit and your soul become one with the word of God, the God-life (Zoe) begins to explode in you and all things truly become new! You begin to conform to the image of Christ. This is a process. John 8:31 says “…If you continue in my word, then are you my disciples indeed”. It takes time. The word of God must begin to work mightily in you. Jesus is your Intercessor as you walk in grace, faltering, repenting, and moving forward in Him. You are covered by Christ’s blood and you grow in His grace.
Here is a piece of good news about your body. Once your spirit and soul are aligned with God’s word, your body follows in obedience. The body is going to do what the mind tells it to do. The body is a slave to the soul. So if your soul aligns with the “New Creation” in your spirit and studies God’s word, makes a decision to do God’s word, the body follows exclusively! What a mighty God we serve with a perfect plan for us to succeed! What’s New? You!
“New You” Entitlements
Entitlement #1: The Forgiveness of Sins (Past, Present, Future)
Isaiah 43:25, “I, even I, am He that blots out thy transgressions for Mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.”
Jeremiah 31:34, “And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, know the Lord: for they shall all know Me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, says the Lord: for I will for forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sins no more.”
Hebrews 8:12, “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.”
Entitlement #2: The Grace of God
Earlier I referred to the information, habits, and practices that are in place in the soul and body of all of us prior to receiving Jesus. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior and begin to obey his word, grace becomes a key issue in understanding our walk with Jesus Christ. We must understand and accept that it is God’s extension of grace to us that makes us worthy of His love and forgiveness. We cannot earn His love and grace. It is ours when we receive Jesus Christ. It is what He did on the cross in payment for our sins that entitles us to live free from sin. Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Romans 6th Chapter explains the provision of grace in the life of the believer.
“Grace is your covering while you recover.”
Entitlement #3: The Healing Power of Christ in my Spirit, Soul, & Body
· Relationships
· Finances
· Physical/Mental/Emotional Healing
· Restoration
· Freedom to spend Eternity with God
After receiving all these entitlements from our Heavenly Father, what then is our challenge in life? The challenge then becomes to allow Jesus Christ to live out His life in us. What do we do when we disobey God (sin) after receiving Jesus Christ into our hearts? How does God see us when we commit sin? Will God forgive our sin over and over and over? How do we renew our soul and body with God’s word while struggling with habits and desires? Good questions! Let’s examine each one.
How does God see us when we commit sin?
He sees us covered by the blood of our Intercessor Jesus Christ (1st John 2:2). When we accept Jesus Christ, we are in “right standing” with God. When we sin fellowship with God is broken but not right standing. When we repent, we are in right standing and fellowship with God.
What do we do when we disobey God (sin) after receiving Jesus Christ into our hearts?
1st John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1st John 2:2, “My little children I write unto you that you sin not. And if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” Prior to receiving Jesus Christ into our lives, the remedy for sin is inactive. The penalty of sin which is spiritual death (Romans 6:23) just keeps mounting. Once we receive Jesus, He becomes the remedy for sin. He took and bore our sins in His own body upon the cross (1st Peter 2:24). We are free because He was punished. When we sin, we confess, repent, and commit to “sin no more”. We resume living the life of Christ. This is possible because of the words Jesus said on the cross, “It is finished” (John 19:30). Our penalty for sin has already been paid! When we receive the “Not guilty” sentence because of Christ, the life of Christ becomes easier to live. Not because we want to continue to sin, but because our relationship with Him causes us to desire to please Him.
Will God forgive our sin over and over and over?
Jesus instructed His disciples to forgive others their trespasses seven times seventy (Matthew 18:21-22). Our God, because of the finished work Jesus accomplished on the cross receives and forgives us because of His Son’s shed blood. Confession and repentance yields forgiveness. God deals with His children because He is Father and knows each one. He does not see as man sees (1st Samuel 16:7). He sees the repentant heart in the midst of all the turmoil of life circumstances. His provision is made for all of us to abandon sin forever.
How do we renew our soul and body with God’s word while struggling with habits and desires?
Renewal of the soul and body comes by the power of the written word of God, the spoken word of God, and the Living Word made flesh who is Jesus Christ. When we read, hear, and confess God’s word, it enters our soul (mind) and finally lodges deep within our spirit. The constant “marinade” or “soaking” of God’s word in our spirits produces the life that comes from the word of God. The word of God grows powerfully and empties into the soul (mind) when it faces a trial and is needed to dispel lies, wrong emotions, and sudden negative confrontations. The word of God moves from our spirit to our soul and then the body follows orders.
Remember the body follows the soul (mind). This results in releasing habits, wrong thinking, wrong actions, and everything that displeases God (eventually). If you are born of God you have the promise of God to “stop sin” in your life. This promise comes in the form of Jesus Christ, the Living Word. Fully receive His righteousness and struggling to live for Him will cease.
It is only if the word of God has been heard and deposited by meditation in our spirits that it can arise and deliver us. This is God’s awesome and powerful way of escape for us no matter what we face. God’s word will not return void or useless in our lives (Isaiah 55:11).
God made provision for recovering your life in His presence. If you have surrendered to His love through Jesus Christ, you will not continually disobey Him. You will build a relationship with God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit that dispels the sin in your life. You are entitled to live a life free from sin! You can do it because of the sinless One, Jesus Christ!
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