"Newness of Life"

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe

 "Newness of Life"

    Since our spiritual enemies cannot steal or even damage the salvation of those who are "hid with Christ in God", they tempt us to neglect or ignore the truth of our Savior's powerful presence and enabling (Colossians 3:3).

   "His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue" (II Peter 1:3).

    Note the past tense of the Apostle Peter's affirmation.  Through the indwelling Holy Spirit, born again believers already possess everything required for both behavior - "life" - and character - "godliness".  We may not always walk accordingly.  The fact nevertheless abides.  God gave to us our spiritual being in Christ as a fixed and eternally abiding reality.  We are who we are, regardless of how well we respond to reality.  "Ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord.  Walk as children of light" (Ephesians 5:8).  The Apostle Paul clearly delineates our being, as opposed to our walk.  What we do may or may not reflect who we are in Christ.  It never, however, changes the blessed gift of grace whereby the Holy Spirit birthed us as a "new man, created in righteousness and true holiness"  (Ephesians 4:24).

   The importance of this truth cannot be overstated.  Failure to believe and affirm the truth of who Christ is in us and who we are in Him severely limits our capacity to think, speak, act, and relate accordingly.  Again, this is why our spiritual enemies seek to discourage our understanding and response to God's heart changing grace provided in His Son's salvation.  The carpenter who does not know he is a carpenter will not build.  The athlete who does not know he is an athlete will not compete.  The architect who does not know she is an architect will not design.  In the same manner, the born again believer who fails to know and grow in the frequently stated New Testament truth of a "new creature" will far too often live as the same sin-dominated slave to sin he was before trusting the Lord Jesus.  As Paul asked the wayward Corinthians, "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" (II Corinthians 5:17; I Corinthians 3:16).

   To know God comprises the heart of truth, reality, and salvation.  "This is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent" (John 17:3).  We must also know ourselves in the light of God's saving grace in Christ if we are to consistently and increasingly walk as earnest seekers of our Lord.  Our spiritual enemies know this and seek to discourage awareness and application of our "newness of life" in Christ (Romans 6:4).  Thus, we must "fight the good fight of faith" whereby we rejoice in the irrevocable gift that changed the very essence of who we are when the Spirit of God entered our hearts (I Timothy 6:12).  Too much is at stake for ignorance of so great a salvation, purchased by so great a sacrifice…

 "He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him."

 (II Corinthians 5:21)

"Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death?  Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

(Romans 6:3-4)

Weekly Memory Verse

  "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment."

(John 7:24)

5772