When we are in Christ by placing our Faith in His Finished Work at on the Cross, we are not better people, cleaned up people, starting over people, turning over a new leaf or our best selves…we are "new creatures"
When Jesus said "…it is finished…" (John 19:30) all had been done that needed to be done to redeem all mankind from the Garden of Eden to the End of time. The enmity (hostility, ill-will, hatred [UBS]) has been removed by The Cross (Eph 2:15-16). Christ died not only so we could come to God but that God might come to us. He died to redeem the whole man, spirit, soul, and body and God did not send His only begotten son to fix used merchandise so it will be better - Jesus died that we might be recreated.
Friberg's Greek Lexicon defines the Greek for new in this way: (1) of what was not there before new, recently made, not yet used, fresh (MT 9.17); (2) of what was not known before strange, unheard of, unusual (MK 1.27); (3) of what was not possessed before newly gained, newly acquired (MT 13.52)
Old things are passed away including not only past sin, although that is the biggest and most important, but also past hurts and past guilt (Rom. 8:1). We must forgive (Mat. 6:14-15) and move on. Christ made this possible on the Cross. When He said, "father forgive them..."(Luke 23:34), He made it possible for us to do the same.
Sin is the problem. The Cross is the answer. Always and without exception this is the case. It's time to get a Revelation of who we are in Christ, if indeed we be in Christ, and allow the Holy Ghost to transform us into the new creature that we are.
Keep your Faith properly focused upon Christ Crucified and let the old man die. Jesus said in Luke 9:23, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." This means to die to self. The Cross was an instrument of death. It was the Roman method of execution. This verse does not mean to bear your particular burden as some have wrongly taught, it means to let the old man die and let Christ live through you. In other words, you cannot truly follow Christ unless self is denied and crucified. This, as all we receive from God, is only possible by means of the Cross of Christ. "For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." (Colossians 3:3).
Read this from sermonillustrations.com, it is a good illustration.
Thank you Lord for the Cross.
Pastor Randy
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