Walking
in newness of life
Anyone
who has truly accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and has been buried with
Him through baptism into death, should no longer walk as the rest of the
Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding
darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that
is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling,
have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with
greediness.
If
indeed we have heard Him (Jesus Christ) and have been taught by Him, as the
truth is in Jesus: we are to put off, concerning our former conduct, the old
man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the
spirit of our mind, and that we put on the new man which was created according
to God, in true righteousness and holiness because, 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: 1-7; Ephesians 4: 21-24).
The
crux of the matter is, since the resurrection of Jesus Christ we should regard
no one according to the flesh, meaning that we should regard no one as just being
physical and carnal but also as being spiritual. Why? Because at the
resurrection of Jesus Christ the carnal mind which is enmity against God, for
it is not subject to the law of God nor indeed can ever be was crucified and
buried with Christ and was raised in newness of life.
With
the carnal mind man had no access to the Father except through multiple animal
sacrifices which were offered year by year and still could not make those who
approach perfect, but through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ a new and living
way was consecrated for us giving us direct access to the throne of grace And
so we have received the consolation saying; “Therefore, brethren, having
boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way
which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a
High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full
assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our
bodies washed with pure water” (Hebrews 10: 19-20).
What
has eluded the mind of most professing believers is the fact that, humanity
received from Jesus Christ a new mind and a new nature and has been reconciled
to God. For we have the consolation saying; “For if when we were enemies we
were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been
reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also
rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received
the reconciliation” (Romans 5:10-11).
It
is imperative to note that, it is not only the believer that has been
reconciled to the Father but humanity as a whole, for we have been admonished
saying; “Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through
Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that
God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their
trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation” (2
Corinthians 5:18-19).
God
in Christ reconciling the world to Him is the new life in the spirit. Man was
separated from the life of God due to sin as we have been duly admonished
saying; “Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His
ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your
iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face
from you, so that He will not hear” (Isaiah 59:1-2).
The
death of the spiritual man came as the result of Adam and Eve’s transgression,
for the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden
you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall
not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die" (Genesis
2:16-17).
But
the devil tempted Eve and said to her, “You will not surely die. For God knows
that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like
God, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:4-5).
The irony of truth is, although
Adam lived for nine hundred and thirty years physically before he died, but the
same day he ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil he died
spiritually and so, to prevent Adam and Eve from partaking of the tree of life
and eat, and live forever the Lord drove out the man from the garden and He
placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which
turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
But at the advent of Jesus Christ
we have received the assurance saying; “And you He made alive, who were dead in
trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this
world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works
in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in
the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind,
and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich
in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were
dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been
saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places
in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of
His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians
2:1-7).
This new life therefore, is the
rebirth of the sprit in man which gave man access to the Father. But how many of
us who profess to be believers are able to make a clear distinction between
living in accordance to the flesh and living in accordance to the spirit, or in
our present dilemma the difference between having faith in the wisdom of men
and having faith in the power of God.
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With brotherly love
Lucius Joseph
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