"Therefore, IF anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17. I believe this new creature is not the old man renovated or refreshed, He is a new species with a new family,new values, new ambitions, with new possessions! Imagine this! Whoever you were before as a Jew, Greek, slave or free, Zulu, British, Indian, Muslim or American, Japanese or Congolese, ETC, ETC; is now dead and gone! They all died when Jesus died! This is not the law here! The "If" in, If any man is in Christ,is not a condition, It is the conclusion of the revelation of the Kingdom! Man is in Christ by God's doing! Verses 14-16 give context to verse 17! Paul said "Therefore" at the beginning of verse 17 which immediately includes verses 14-16!!! If God's faith sees every man in Christ in His death, then they were certainly in His resurrection. Jesus did not reveal a "potential" in you, He revealed the truth about you so that you may know the truth about yourself and be free indeed! So, Let us all put on our "new man" clothes and not keep putting on that "old suit" of that old dead life...They don't fit you anymore!
Exodus 34:6 And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering , and abounding in goodness and truth... In this verse IS the disposition of Messiah. The early church used this important verse to judge prophecy and conduct in the church atmosphere. There were three elders who were in charge of hearing and deciding if what was said and done in that time was in the disposition of Messiah. In this very shaky and explosive time we are living in (exciting & wonderful time I might add) it would serve us well if we would write this verse on the tablet of our heart and in every circumstance, situation we find ourselves apply it rightly and justly. By doing this, we, as the body of Christ, will start looking like the "church" the public has never seen!!!
Hmmm, I agree. It seems that if you continue to reach way back into the closet and ignore the new wardrobe it might be irreverent fi you asked for it to begin with. If we are bigger in spirit because of being a new creation in Christ, it would seem right that He would grow in us. Like it was said new wine cannot go into an old wine skin. Roland Jutras
ReplyDelete