Our New Life In Christ (Series – 2)

In our previous blog, we learnt that when we receive Christ Jesus into our lives, we receive a deposit of the Holy Spirit in us, that enables us to be transformed into the image of Christ. (John 1:12) We also learnt from Romans 6 that as many as are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God. We deduced from all these Scriptures that to get to the point of being led by the Spirit of God, we must by the power of the Holy Spirit in us, say NO to the dictates of our flesh and continually yield to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in us.

Yes. We need to heed the Holy Spirit’s direction in our lives – primarily through the word of God; for the more we yield to His promptings, the more authority over our lives we invariably yield to Him.

Prior to committing our lives to Christ Jesus, each person is primarily controlled by his natural man – what the Bible refers to as our “old man” in the book of Ephesians. I’ll quote excerpts from the Living Bible for a clearer understanding.

But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
Eph 4: 20-24 NKJV Emphasis mine

So the Scripture describes the life we lived before being born again as the ‘old man’ and also compares it to a garment which we are expected to put off or remove, once we are born again. In its stead, we are expected to put on the ‘new man’. The expression ‘put on’ again connotes that this new life is like a garment already provided for us by God that we wear. Our salvation therefore is a gift bestowed to us from God, once we are born again.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Eph 2:8-10 NKJV

Remember, that you have NOT EARNED your salvation. You received it, and like any gift you receive and value, you need to keep it! In as much as you have a part to play in maintaining this gift, it is important to realize that you cannot do it on your own. You need to be empowered to do so; and God in all His wisdom has made provision for you and me to be empowered to overcome sin.

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.
Rom 8:12-13

We recall the Scripture in John 1:12 that we receive the power to act as children of God when we believe in Christ and confess Him as Lord. Unfortunately, we see so many people who claim to have given their lives to Christ, but whose lives simply do not give credence to having “put on a new man”. Sad to say, a lot of professing born again Christians maintain their old lifestyles because they do not grow in the Christian faith. It is as if they consider being born again as their destination instead of their starting point.

We can recall that the disciples of Christ also found themselves at this point after the death of Christ. In John chapter 20, we read that as Jesus breathed on his disciples, He imparted a deposit of the Holy Spirit into them.

“Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
John 20:21-22 NKJV

So like the new born Christian, the apostles also received a deposit of God’s power. However, they were still not emboldened to testify of God’s grace and power (John 21). Later however, after Christ had ascended into heaven, we see these same previously timid disciples walking in so much authority and demonstrating the power of God wherever they went. The key to this change of life can be gleaned from Jesus’ commandment to them, quoted below:

And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
Acts 1:4-5 NKJV (Emphasis mine)

Jesus said to them to WAIT for the baptism of the Holy Spirit, for it was only then that they would receive the power needed to live this new life and be witnesses of Him.

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;
Acts 1:8 NKJV

Isn’t it common to find a lot of people who claim to have given their lives to Christ, but with nothing to show of a new life in Christ? I believe that just as Jesus said to the disciples that it is the baptism of the Holy Spirit that would empower them to be effective witnesses for Him, in much the same way does every believer need the baptism of the Holy Spirit to be an effective witness for Christ in our present day and age.

To be an effective witness for Christ, is to live a life exemplary of a disciple of Christ Jesus and also to be emboldened to share your faith in Christ with all around you. The believers in Berea were first called Christians by the people around them, because they observed that the lifestyles of these disciples resembled that of Christ Jesus. They no more lived like they used to, but clearly lived a new life in Christ
Jesus.

Why do we not see this situation in our lives today? Why do we not see a clear difference in the lifestyle of people who claim to be born again? Truly, without the baptism of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer, there is very little one can do for the Lord! The first answer to this question, I believe is because we do not WAIT ON THE LORD.

Let me recount my own life story many years ago, as a young lady in the early teens, when I gave my life to Christ. I think I confessed Christ as Lord more than once and the reason I kept doing it was because I got convicted any time I heard the Word of God being preached so powerfully. Yet I did not see any difference in my lifestyle until I learnt of the need to desire for the baptism in the Holy Spirit. I began to desire for the Holy Spirit and pray to God for it.

I was in a boarding school at that time and one day, during the compulsory afternoon siesta period, I decided to read a few Scriptures and pray for a while before taking my afternoon nap. As I was praying, I suddenly realised I was speaking in a strange language! I had received the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues (Acts 2:4). What a beautiful experience it was. I was so enthralled and excited, full of praise to God. That was the beginning of my walk with the Lord. Thereafter, I just wanted to live my life to please my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Being baptised in the Holy Spirit is an experience that every person who has confessed Christ as Lord must desire. For it is only when you are baptised in the Holy Spirit that you will be able to live a victorious Christian life. When you are baptised in the Holy Spirit, an overflowing dimension of His presence comes upon your life and empowers you to yield the members of your body to God. The reason why we are not empowered to overcome sin is because we do not nurture the desire for the Holy Spirit, nor do we wait on the Lord or even ask the Father for Him. Let’s see what Jesus said about this
below:

“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
Luke 11:9-13 NKJV (Emphasis mine)

Let’s learn to ASK the Father for an overflowing presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives and like the early disciples, also learn to WAIT upon the Lord through prayer and the study of His Word for an outpouring of this Presence. He will empower us to be victorious over sin and put away the old man!

Stay connected for a continuation of this weekly teaching……

Remain blessed!