All Things New

Mark Dunagan
01/23/11 - Sunday Evening

 

All Things New

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

One of the most refreshing promises of the Christian life is the truth that Jesus offers to all a fresh start in life. The above passage asserts that if you go through the process of getting “into Christ” (Galatians 3:26-27), the result will be an entirely new life. The same truth is found in Romans 6:4 “Therefore we have been buried with him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life”. And in another passage, we find the same concept of a new life or new start, this time Jesus spoke of this process as being “born again”, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). In all three passages a new life is mentioned and in all three there is either a connection to baptism in other passages (2 Corinthians 5:17 and Galatians 3:26-27) or a direct reference in the passage to baptism, with phrases such as “buried with him through baptism”, and “born of water”. 

Why?

I believe it is very important to remember that being born again has nothing to do with being born in the wrong the first time. We are not born again because we were born sinful or inheriting the sins of our parents or past generations (Ezekiel 18:20). The state of a child in Scripture is not pictured as a state of depravity or something to be avoided, but rather a state to be regained, “Unless you are converted and become like little children you will not enter the kingdom of God” (Matthew 18:3; 1 Corinthians 14:20). I think it is essential to remember that you and I were not born with a black mark against us, neither were we born with a nature that was incompatible with godliness or holiness. We need to be born again because while being born pure and innocent, we voluntarily became selfish and rebelled against God, “death spread to all men, because all sinned”(Romans 5:12), and in the process picked up very self-destructive habits and mental perspectives. We have all turned into something different than we were created to be, “All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6).

Becoming Like Little Children

Compare the following two passages:

• “Unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3)
• “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5)

May I suggest to you that these two passages are referring to the same event or process. Being born again is the same as becoming like a child, and being convicted by the Holy Spirit’s message is the same as humbling oneself (Matthew 18:4). The process of change or conversion is as simple as the willingness to sit down, stop arguing, and instead be taught by God’s life-changing, life-improving word (James 1:21).

Hitting the Reset Button

I find the idea of becoming like a child so encouraging, because this means that all of us, no matter how long or deep we wallowed in sin, can actually become innocent, pure, humble, teachable, and happy again. What can you actually become, through the strength Christ supplies?:

• Humble
• Honest
• Forgiving
• Kind
• Optimistic
• Happy and content, even with basic blessings. Joyful and able to rejoice at what might be considered “small” things

Overwhelmed?

Two basic temptations can face people when they are confronted with the truth of the gospel message. One is resentment, that is, resenting the idea that we could be “sinners” who are spiritually bankrupt, and that Jesus had to die for our sins. The second temptation is despair. That is, struggling with where to begin when it comes to the change that God demands. I might think that my life is so messed up that it would take me an entire lifetime to just clean up my life. Jesus actually says that we can realistically get back to the beautiful state of an innocent child.

God’s Dumpster

When it comes to cleaning up my life, prior to conversion it might look like the house of a hoarder with every room and hallway filled with junk that is stacked to the ceiling with just a narrow walkway, barely wide enough for one person. One illustration that helps me is the idea that the forgiveness bestowed upon baptism is like God bringing in a couple of dumpsters and getting rid of most of the trash. What incentives He gives us to work on what remains!:

• “Through your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson. They will be like wool” (Isaiah 1:18)
• “For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more” (Jeremiah 31:34)
• “He will tread our iniquities under foot. Yes, You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19)
• “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12)

Obviously, God does most of the heavy work, while my job is to assist Him. He forgives me completely of my jaded and reprobate past and this leaves those things in my life that I myself can pick up and remove. You or I could not in a million years remove the guilt of our sins – only the blood of Christ can forgive that, yet you are capable of removing your current sinful practice and all the bad attitudes that are associated with it (Colossians 3:5; Romans 6:11). In addition, my current job is to keep my house clean, fill it with good practices and attitudes, and refuse to allow the clutter and junk to come back (Matthew 12:43-45).

A Clean Break

Even though there are things that we need to worked on even after being baptized (2 Corinthians 7:1), the Bible does picture conversion as a definite break from our former lifestyle:

• “Consider yourselves to be dead to sin” (Romans 6:11)
• “I have been crucified with Christ” (Galatians 2:20)
• “You turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God” (1 Thess. 1:10)
• “No one who abides in Him sins” (1 John 3:6)

A Break from My Nemesis

Even Christians who know they were not born in sin, may feel they were born having a definite disadvantage toward a particular sin or category of sins. What greater incentive could I have in resisting a temptation that has owned me in the past, than the definite conviction that when I was baptized, I was born again. No sin has to own me or anyone else, “do not let sin reign in your mortal body” (Romans 6:12).“For sin shall not be your master” (6:14). We so need this encouragement from God, for while others may tell me the same thing, yet I might ignore the encouragement offered, an inside harbor the attitude, “They don’t struggle with this; they have no idea how powerful this temptation can be”, or, I might think something like, “They are a woman and have no idea what it is like to be a man”, or, “They are old, and have forgotten what it was like to be young and filled with all sorts of desires”. At the end of the day, others may help, but only God can give me the freedom and permission to abstain. When He says, “sin no more” (John 8:11), I know He is telling me the truth – I can get the upper-hand. I can master sin through Christ.

A Break from a Bad Start

It is a blessing to have great parents and it is beyond sad that a number of children in this world are born into families that mistreat them, frustrate them, discourage them or lead them astray. Yet being born again is a once-in-a-life-time-chance to walk away from a bad upbringing (1 Peter 1:18). What a relief to know anyone can break away from generationally destructive tendencies – Christians in the First Century did – they actually broke not only from a bad family upbringing, but from an entire culture that was absolutely corrupt (Ephesians 2:1-3,11).

A Break from Bad Memories

Like most memories, one cannot simply forget them completely. Paul never forgot the fact that he had persecuted Christians (1 Timothy 1:13-15), yet the new life is intended to bathe those memories in a warmer and healthier light, for example:

• “I had an unloving father, and that hurt. I am motivated to make sure my son or daughter instead has a loving father.”
• “I was a rebellious son or daughter, and now with the life I have left I will shower my parents or surviving parent with love and appreciation.”
• “I used to take advantage of people, but now resolve to serve and help as many people as I can”
• “I was very immoral. Now I counsel kids and try to save as many as possible from the pain of immorality.”
• “I used to deny God’s existence; now I proclaim it every chance I get.”

Mark Dunagan/Beaverton Church of Christ/503-644-9017
www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net