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Newness of Life

December 29, 2015 Leave a comment
“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
          Let’s start off this New Year by jumping into some deep bible thinking!
          First, understand that our opening scripture has to do with Christian identity.
          The world firsts ask us our name then what we do, and they go on to define us by what we do.  Yet, the bible identifies us by birth.
          At birth our spirit was filled with sin, so our identity was that of a sinner according to Romans 5:12.  Prior to meeting Christ we had one nature and it was a sin nature, which was the source of all our sinful actions.
          Now zero in on the phrase “newness of life” at the end of our scripture.
          This “newness of life” implies that there was an old life that the believer once was a part of.  This old life is later called the “old man.”
          “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin” Romans 6:6.
          What happened to your “old man” according to Romans 6:6?  The “old man” was crucified, which means it died.
          Why was the “old man” crucified?  So that the “body of sin might be destroyed.”
          Why was that “body of sin” destroyed?  So that believers “should not serve sin.”
          Before you were born, how many natures did you have?  One.  A sin nature, also called the “old man.”  That nature was crucified with Christ and you were resurrected with a new nature or “newness of life.”
          How many natures do you have now?  One!  You have the nature of Jesus Christ living in you by His Spirit so that you should not serve sin.
          Are you saying that we live in sinless perfection?  Absolutely not!  The apostle Paul who taught this “newness of life” and “new man” also taught that sin remained in his “flesh” (Romans 7:17,18).  So there is a clear biblical difference between “the flesh” and the “old man.”
          The “flesh” is the remaining sin in the members of our body, while the “old man” is dead by faith in Christ.  Therefore, the Christian has a new identity by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.  Jesus Christ is our new nature, “our life” (Colossians 3:4), or our “newness of life.”
          Dear child of God, I pray that you will tap into your identity in Christ and walk in “newness of life.”  When you do you will have no need of a New Years resolution, because your new life in Christ is all that you need to accomplish all that God desires for you.
(Published in the Marshall County Tribune)
David C. Hale, pastor
New Life Community Church
1001 Easy Street
Lewisburg, TN 37091

 

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