RHAPSODY OF REALITIES DAILY DEVOTIONAL
AN ENTIRELY NEW LIFE .
Tuesday, January 9th .
Pastor Chris
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (2 Corinthians 5:17).
The term “born again” isn’t a religious cliché, which connotes turning over a new leaf. When you ask some Christians how they know they’re born again, some would reply, “I know I’m born again, because the bad things I used to do, I do them no more. I’ve changed my ways, and now, I behave differently.” Being born again is much more than that. What you receive when you’re born again is an entirely new life. There’s no such thing as “The bad things I used to do, I do them no more,” because the person who did those things is dead. He doesn’t exist anymore.
When you received Christ into your life, something actually happened: your spirit was recreated. You were born of the Word of God and of the Spirit of God. You now have the life, nature and character of God. And when a man has the life, nature and character of God, he can only live like God. So, being born again is actually receiving the God-nature; becoming an associate of the God-kind.
Romans 6:6 says, “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.” Your old life or nature isn’t suspended; it’s dead; you’ve come up a new man; a new species of being; one that never existed before; one without a past. In the presence of God, everything you were before you were born again, and everything you did before you were born again has no record. This isn’t a promise. This is a statement of fact in the Word.
If you’re ignorant of this, you could be struggling with your past or with the sins you committed before you were born again. This, invariably, could make you ineffective in the things of God. No; you’re not a sinner. You’re the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, because you’re born again (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Walk in the consciousness of your righteousness, and new life in Christ: “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4).
PRAYER
Dear Father, I thank you for your Word and the power therein to make me what it talks about. I live the transcendent life, walking in your glory and in the dominion of the Spirit. I live in victory, righteousness, peace and joy forever, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
FURTHER STUDY: Colossians 3:9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
DAILY SCRIPTURE READING
1-Year Bible Reading Plan: Matthew 7:7-29,
Genesis 23-24
2-Year Bible Reading Plan: Acts 7:54-60,
Nehemiah 13