THE NEW NATURE
When Jesus saves a man He doesn't put a tag on him so the harvesting angels will know that he's destined for Heaven and let that man go on living the same life he lived before.
When Jesus saves a man he gives that man a new nature.
As many as received Him, as believed on His name, to them
He gave power to become Sons of God.
You start becoming like Jesus. And you never stop becoming like Jesus until you're perfectly like Him.
There is no tag or ticket or sticker to show you're saved. If you belong to Jesus it will show in only one way: in the way you live. You are living a life that bears the mark of God's nature. Your life is a reflection of Heaven - it's holy,
compassionate,
pure.
If there's no difference between the way you live and the way the children of this world live,
- you may understand Bible truth, as they call it, and point to a day and hour
when you got saved and think of yourself as one of the elect,
but your life proves that you're still chained to the earth.
As many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the Sons/Daughters of God.
....and when you are led by the Spirit of God;
- you walk a new road,
- your meat and drink is to do the will of Him who sent you and to accomplish His work,
- you do those things that please your Master, Jesus.
If any man be in Christ he is a new creation. old things have passed away
and behold all things have become new.
Now this I affirm and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds; they are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to their hardness of heart; they have become callous and have given themselves up to licentiousness, greedy to practice every kind of uncleanness. You did not so learn Christ!
The tragedy is that too many of us, who have been exposed to the light that is in Jesus, are living lives that resemble not Jesus, but the Gentiles.
Futile minds - always dreaming up a new scheme to find happiness and never getting anywhere.
Darkened understanding - unable to recognize truth when it shouts at you from the housetops.
Alienated from the life of God - callous, licentious, greedy.
This must not be.
Now this I affirm and testify in the Lord
that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do.
Nowhere do the apostles imply that God has an easier way for believers who were born with a weak will, for those whose daily work or family ties make it difficult to follow Jesus. Nowhere do they say,
"Never mind - God understands. He knows that your intentions are good. Just say your prayers before you go to bed and try to take communion at least five times a year, and you'll make it."
No matter what weaknesses you've been using for your cop-out, Jesus says to you,
"I am able to make you a new man - a new woman.
I am able to fill you with a love which does not come from this earth.
I will give you power from on high.
I will transfigure your life into blinding holiness.
I will flood your soul with fathomless joy. I will give you liberty in place of that old
bondage - not after you die - but now!"
"All you have to do is put off your old nature and take the new nature that I'm giving you and put it on. I'm giving you a robe of righteousness - it costs nothing! I paid for it with my blood. Take off your filthy rags and put this new robe on."
Put off your old nature, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful lusts and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
Now God isn't going to put off your old nature for you. God judged your old nature - nailed it to the Cross with His Son. It can be peeled away like dead skin. But you have to do the peeling.
And God isn't going to put that new nature on you, as if he were wrapping you in diapers. You put it on.
It doesn't come automatically. Why do you think Jesus teaches us so carefully what we have to do?
Jesus wouldn't tell you to love your neighbor, if love came automatically.
Jesus wouldn't tell you what to do about lust, if lust just automatically went away.
Jesus wouldn't command simple, clear, truthful speech if we automatically made our yes,
yes and our no, no.
We have to take this new robe and put it on!
This new robe Jesus gives us is a practical down-to-earth three-fold change in the way we deal with one another:
1. A changed tongue - it doesn't lie anymore; it speaks truth.
2. A changed heart - it doesn't let the sun go down upon its anger.
3. A changed body - it replaces laziness and every other form of stealing with work.
First, a changed tongue.
Therefore, putting away falsehood,
let everyone speak truth with his neighbor,
for we are members one of another.
"I'm sorry, I can't go with you tonight, I have a headache."
"I'm not prejudiced, I love everybody the same. Why some of my best friends are.... But...."
"I really care about you, brother, I'd do anything in the world for you.... But...."
Put away these flowery lies and speak the truth!
When we catch ourselves being tempted to flatter,
to exaggerate, to distort,
to deceive—we resist.
We put away falsehood and make our tongues submit to Him who is the Truth.
Most of us still seem to think it's a minor thing to deviate with the tongue. And for this reason our tongues have become a major stumbling block.
If you really want to experience the presence of God in your life, stop grieving the Spirit of God with that false tongue. Speak truth with your neighbor for we are members one of another.
Second, a changed heart.
And the simple mark of a God-changed heart is that it doesn't let the sun go down on its anger. It ends its anger before it ends the day. It gives itself up to the night with all anger gone - at peace with all men through Jesus. It asks for forgiveness for its wrong attitude and it forgives.
Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun
go down upon your anger and give no opportunity to the devil.
When Jesus drove the money changers out of the temple He wasn't just putting on an act. Zeal for His Father's house consumed Him.
And making a whip of chords, he drove them all with the sheep and oxen, out of the Temple; and he poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. And he told those who sold pigeons, "Take these things away, you shall not make my Father's house a house of trade."
But when Jesus went to bed that night He wasn't fuming, wishing He had busted a few heads. He had taken care of what needed to be done. His anger was gone. He lay down and went to sleep, at peace with His Father.
Some of us live in a state of constant anger. It's always there beneath the surface. One little jolt and out it comes — the build-up of days or weeks or years comes spewing out like a volcano.
But when we put on Christ the prevailing weather in our hearts is no longer anger, but love. Love is in charge and all anger must submit to love. Love says,
- "Make that thing right."
- "Go ask for forgiveness."
What's ruling your heart in your relationship with your wife, your husband, your children or parents, the people you live with, work with? Is it love?
Or is it anger?
- The wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
- The wrath of man gives the devil a wide-open door.
We are to live in God's love which swallows up that anger before the sun goes down.
Third, a changed body.
Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his hands,
so that he may be able to give to those in need.
"0, but that doesn't apply to me. I've never been a thief."
Any believer who sits around in idleness and lets someone else's work provide for him is a thief. And any believer who works and keeps it all for himself, and never disciplines himself to give, is a thief. As Malachi says, he's robbing God of what God told him to give.
If there is going to be any credence to the testimony you speak with your tongue, your body better not be lazy, or self-indulgent, or stingy. Those physical hands of yours better be servants, doing honest work, opening up and giving to those in need.
Too many of us are much better talkers than workers. And we're much better takers than givers.
But now we work — every one of us. Don't just sit around. Find something to do, and do it well — if you have to walk around picking up paper. Idle Christians are not only a bad example — they're thieves.
And we give — every one of us —to the brother or sister or family or work that needs it in a disciplined way.
If you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon (money)
who will entrust to you the true riches?
If you have not been faithful in that which is another's,
who will give you that which is your own?
A changed tongue —A changed heart.
A changed body — not after the resurrection — but right now!
If any man be in Christ he is a new creation. Old things are passed away.
Behold all things have become new.
Put off your old nature which belongs to your former manner of life
and is corrupt through deceitful lusts.
Put on the new nature created after the likeness of God
in true righteousness and holiness,
not tomorrow, not next week, but now!