Our New Life In Christ (Series 1)

The Christian life is like a journey, and it begins at the point of salvation. When we experience the love of God and the forgiveness of our sins, a new chapter of life opens up to us and life becomes new. The Scripture puts it this way: “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature, the old is past, behold a new has come”. 2 Cor 5:17. The Apostle Paul further explains what is meant by “being a new creature in several other Scriptures including Romans chapter 6. Let me quote portions of this Scripture below:

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Romans 6 :1-4 NKJV (Emphasis mine)

The Christian life is like a journey, and it begins at the point of salvation: by believing in the finished work of Christ on the cross of Calvary, and by confessing Jesus Christ with your mouth (Romans 10). This is the starting point of the Christian’s new life. For when we give our lives to Christ, we become “new creations”. What this means is that the spirit of such a person is ”born again” (John 3:3). Of course, if a person who gives his or her life to Christ Jesus were to physically die immediately after being born again, that person would go to heaven. Similarly, if Christ were to come by appearing in the skies the day you give your life to Him, you would be raptured. For indeed … it is “by Grace are you saved through faith”… Eph. 2:8-9;

Salvation is not a reward for the good we have done, so none of us can take any credit for it. It is God himself who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus.
Eph. 2:8-9 (The Living Bible)

This is really good news. The fact however is that more often than not, we continue to live on this earth even after we give our lives to Christ. We continue to live on for a long while. So how is this “new life” in Christ experienced here on earth? The Romans 6 Scripture earlier quoted clearly explains that in this new life, we cannot continue to live in sin and be controlled by our sinful desires and passions; rather our lives must begin to align with God’s will and purpose for our lives.

To explain further, it is important to note that the spirit of a person lives in its body and this body is primarily controlled by its mind and emotions. The Scripture says “as many as believe in Christ Jesus as their Lord and Saviour and receive Him into their lives, “He gave them the power to become children of God” (John 1:12). This means each person who is born again receives a deposit of the Spirit of God in him or her; and as we go about living here on earth, it is our responsibility now to allow the Holy Spirit to direct us in all we do. This is how the apostle Paul puts it:

Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
Romans 8: 12-14 NLT

The fact that a person is born again, does not mean he or she is automatically led by the Spirit of God in all his or dealings. No. Being led by the Spirit of God is a gradual process. As earlier explained, per the Scripture in John 1 :12, we receive the power to become children of God when we receive Jesus Christ into our lives. The question then is: What happens in between the point when we receive the power to become the children of God and the time when we are classified as children of God because we are led by the Spirit of God?

Romans 8:12-13 quoted earlier makes provision for an answer to this question. It is important to note that the deposit of the Holy Spirit in our lives at our initial stages of being born again, is latent. When something is latent, it lies dormant or hidden, until circumstances are suitable for its manifestation or development. Similarly, the Holy Spirit lies dormant in our lives at our initial stages when we accept Christ into our lives. The more of God’s word we study and the more of God’s Presence we seek in prayer, the more room we give the Holy Spirit in our lives to prompt us in all our dealings.

In this way, we can by His power, say NO to the dictates of our flesh and continually yield to His promptings. As we continually say no to the dictates of our flesh, listen to, and heed God’s direction for our lives through the promptings of the Holy Spirit (which is primarily through the word of God); the more authority over our lives that we invariably yield to the Holy Spirit. In this way, we begin to live our new life in Christ Jesus.

Stay connected for a continuation of this teaching ……

God bless you!