A
New Creation in Christ Jesus
It is critical for the growth of a
new believer to understand what happened to him when he believed on the
Lord Jesus Christ. The gospel is “the power of God unto salvation” to
all who believe it (Romans 1:16). But exactly what kind of power is it
that saves a believer? Jesus taught that the man or woman who believes
in him is passed from death unto life (John 5:24). The kind of power to
do that, as we learn from the gospel, is resurrection power! It's the
same power that breathed the breath of life into Adam's nostrils
(Genesis 2:7) and the same power that made something out of nothing
when God said: “Let there be light!” (1:3). The creative power of
Omnipotent God doubles as resurrection power! It is nothing less than
the power that brought the heavens and earth into existence and raised
Jesus from the dead that passes the believer from spiritual death unto
eternal life.
The verb “passed” is the perfect
tense of the Greek metabaino
(meta=”across”
+ baino=”to
go”). It means “to pass over from one place to another.” The perfect
tense signifies a permanent transfer. Once a believer moves from
spiritual death to spiritual life, he enjoys eternal life in Christ,
never again to see death. The apostle Paul stated it like this: “Who
[God the Father] hath delivered [rescued] us from the power [authority]
of darkness, and hath translated [transported, transfered] us into the
kingdom of his dear Son” (Colossians 1:13). The verbs “passed” and
“translated” both speak of a fundamental transfer of existence from
death to life, from a kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. God
accomplishes this great creative work in response to heart-felt faith
in Jesus, not mere mental assent to a set of facts.
It is no surprise to find the new
birth in scripture associated with God's creative power. When a man is
born again, and passed from death unto life, God's creative power
performs it. As the Spirit of God, the agent of regeneration (new
birth), applies the effects of Christ's death (dead to the Law,
crucified with Christ) and resurrection (Christ liveth in me) to a
believer, a NEW MAN is created. The creative power of the gospel
changes a believer at his core. The apostle Paul said: “And that ye put
on the NEW MAN, which after God is CREATED in righteousness and true
holiness” (Ephesians 4:24). The Lord's saving grace clothes the
believer with the righteousness and holiness of Christ. Again: “And
have put on the NEW MAN, which is renewed in knowledge after the image
of him that CREATED him” (Colossians 3:10). Jesus exercises creative
power in regeneration, creating a new man fashioned in his own image
inasmuch as he now lives in the believer.
Paul also wrote these familiar words:
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new CREATURE: old things
are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians
5:17). In the context, the fact that Christ died for ALL who were
spiritually dead means ALL who are reconciled to God by the death of
his Son and made alive by the gospel are new creatures in Christ. Old
things are passed away! One of the 'old things' that passes away is the
relationship to Mosaic Law. He's no longer under its dominion because
he died to the Law and is now married to Christ (Romans 7:1-4). He now
lives under Kingdom authority where he is clothed with Christ's
righteousness and subject only to Christ. Some protest here, arguing
that a man who is no longer 'under Law' can no longer sin since “sin is
the transgression of the Law.” The problem with this objection is that
being 'dead to the Law' does NOT mean that a believer is without law to
God. He is “under the law to Christ” (1 Corinthians 9:21). The believer
who lives under the Law to Christ is under a higher standard than
Mosaic Law. When he violates the righteousness and holiness of Christ,
whether by attitude or act, he sins against his Lord. It is perfectly
conceivable that a believer could sin against Christ and still be in
compliance with Mosaic Law.
Believers are said to be “in Christ”
as well as Christ being “in them.” For those who are IN CHRIST, the
following is a spiritual principle: “For in Christ Jesus neither
circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new
CREATURE” (Galatians 6:15). The Church of Jesus Christ, the habitation
of God through the Spirit, consists of both Jews (circumcision) and
Gentiles (uncircumcision), who've been born again. In Christ Jesus, the
Jew is not advantaged; nor is the Gentile disadvantaged. The only thing
that “avails” (exerts force or power) in Christ is the fact that every
one who is in Christ has been made a new creature through the creative
power of the risen Christ. It is that level of power that avails for
the believer.
God created the heavens and the earth
for a purpose. Revelation 4:11 declares: “For thy pleasure they are and
were created.” The 'pleasure' principle applies to born again believers
as well. But we are given additional specifics: “For we are his
workmanship, CREATED in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath
before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). An
obvious observation here is that good works are the goal of
God's
creative work, not the cause of it. That's grace. But these good works
were “before ordained.” Some would cite these good works to
be a
reference to Mosaic Law. I would
agree to the extent the Ten Commandments represent a baseline
for spiritual and moral rectitude. But since we're in a context
involving the new birth with creation and resurrection power in play,
the good works are more likely to be representative of Christ's
character and conduct--the behavior of God--as the
Spirit
forms Christ-likeness in the believer's life. A believer can
learn
what these good works are by saturating his mind with
scripture,
learning of Christ from Genesis to Revelation! In like manner
as
being under the law to
Christ is a far higher standard than being under Mosaic Law, so also do
the good works that proceed from the Spirit of Christ far exceed those
of mere compliance to Mosaic Law.
The Law demands no gods other than
the true God, no sacrilege, keeping of the Sabbath, honoring of
parents, no murder, no adultery, no lying, no
stealing and no lust. But can the avoidance of evil works be considered
the doing of good works? The indwelling Holy Spirit, in contrast to the
prohibitions of the Law, enables the believer to love God and his
fellow man—the two great commandments upon which the entire Law rests.
In addition, the Spirit empowers the believer to offer unadulterated
worship, praise and thanksgiving to his Lord, avoid every form of
sacrilege, love and honor parents, respect the sanctity of life,
maintain sexual purity, speak the truth at all times, respect the
property of others and be content with what God gives him. To this
basic 'good works' profile we can add the tangibles
of Holy
Spirit fruit—JOY in the
Lord's salvation, being at PEACE with God, himself and his fellow man,
LONGSUFFERING (even-temperedness) and GENTLENESS (kindness) in
relationships with others, GOODNESS (displays of benevolence), FAITH
(life lived in confidence), MEEKNESS (operating under Christ's rule)
and
TEMPERANCE (self-control in all aspects of life).
This
is what it means
to be like Jesus, the believer's primary objective in
life!
We must always remember that the goal of the Holy Spirit in
discipleship is Christ Conformance, NOT Torah Compliance. The
same
creative power that raised Jesus from the dead and passed the believer
from death unto life is the same creative power required for true
discipleship, wherein the believer becomes more and more like Jesus in
his thought life, his attitudes and his conduct. As Paul wrote the
Ephesians: "For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and
righteousness and truth" (5:9). The practical outworking of
righteousness and good works in discipleship is the fruit of the
Spirit!
These are the kinds of good works God
predestinated a
new creature in Christ to produce—a life littered with
spiritual fruit that reflects the image of Christ (Romans
8:29). Good
works serve as light to lost men so they might glorify the Father in
heaven (Matthew 5:16; 1 Peter 2:12). Paul exhorted rich believers to be
rich in good works (1 Timothy 6:18). Paul admonished Timothy, a young
preacher, to be thoroughly furnished unto all good works (2 Timothy
3:17). Paul instructed Titus, another of his young proteges, to show a
pattern of good works (Titus 2:7). Jesus redeemed believers to
be a peculiar people, zealous of good works (2:14). Those who have
believed in God should be careful to maintain good works (3:8; 3:14).
God's people are admonished to consider one another so as to provoke
unto love and good works (Hebrews 10:24).
The source of godliness in a believer
as it manifests itself in good works is Christ living in his people
through the enabling power—the creation and resurrection power—of the
Spirit. David understood the need for God's creative power as he prayed
for restoration of fellowship after the sins of adultery and conspiracy
to commit murder. He prayed: “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and
renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10). The resurrection power
of Christ which makes the believer a new creation is the same power
required to live a godly life filled with good works. It's a
fool's
errand to believe that the letter of Mosaic Law has a single iota of
power to produce Christ-likeness. It is the Spirit of life in Christ
Jesus that avails for a believer as he now lives in his new kingdom
realm—dead to the Law and created anew IN CHRIST JESUS!
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