Monday, January 2, 2012

The New Has Come


In memory and honor of a friend who now lives in Heaven.




“So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view.Though we once regarded Christ this way, we no longer do so. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:16-17 (NIV)



Paul writes to the believers in Corinth. He addresses the presence of false teachers in the church.

In the highlighted passage, Paul instructs them that they are to view no one from a worldly stance. Believers are not to look at people as the world does. Here in the United States, our legal system operates under the idea that a person is presumed innocent until proved guilty. As I read this passage, we are to see a person as God sees them.

Paul then makes a startling statement. If anyone-a thief, a murder, one who abused the elderly or small children- comes to Christ, that person is a new person. A person described as new is changed on the inside, having a new heart.

God does the transforming; He does it because of His grace. Grace is defined as unmerited favor. We don’t deserve anything God gives us. What we do deserve is spiritual death and a place in Hades.

Praise God, He gives us a new heart, a new outlook, and a new destination for our souls.

Dear God:

Thank You for giving us new hearts and making us new people when we accepted You Son Jesus into our lives. In His name, I pray, AMEN.



4 comments:

  1. And for this I am very thankful!

    Happy New Year!
    Blessings,
    Karen

    ReplyDelete
  2. Karen;
    Happy New Year to you. When we learn that God makes ALL things new, we grow in our spiritual maturity. Our walk with God becomes more precious.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ditto what Karen said! "New hearts, new people." I love it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Rhonda;
    Thank you for your response. It excites me to hear stories of people exchanging their 'old' hearts for the 'new' hearts controlled by Christ.

    ReplyDelete

I would be honored to hear what you think about this.

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