New Life

In his book Finally Alive, John Piper says that evangelical churches in North America are filled with people who claim to be born again and who know the lingo of Christianity, but the best that could be said about them is that they are cultural Christians. He says these people fall into this category because they can say the words, but they have never shown any evidence in the way they live that verifies that new life described in the Bible.

This morning’s devotional reading offers the same thought:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

This is a powerful New Testament teaching. The idea is repeated over and over, from Jesus’ telling Nicodemus in John 3 that he must be born again, to Paul’s words about regeneration and new life, to John’s epistles where he says that if you claim to be a child of God but do not walk as Jesus walked, you are deceived or lying.

My devotional reading adds that salvation means becoming a totally different individual because God transforms those who believe in Him. That transformation is so dramatic that it is evident that we have been reborn and, as the above verse says, we have become new creatures.

This makes me think about the changes in my life when Christ came in. I recall thinking how differently I felt about other people, and actually loved those that I’d not previously cared about. I began thinking about God. I started to hate sin and my old life. I wanted to be in church and I wanted to worship God. None of these things were true before. I had changed in profound ways.

The reading today reminds me that salvation is more than having Christ “added” to my life. It says that according to the Word of God, “We don’t receive something new—we ourselves become new!”

Perhaps it is because this is the first day of a new month, or perhaps it is because I’ve had a good night’s sleep after four extremely busy days, but I feel renewed today. I can focus on the new life Christ has given me. I can pray for those who obviously do not have that life, and I can pray for those who think they have it but their lives give no evidence.

Even this is an assurance to me. Prior to becoming a Christian, I never prayed anything except by rote and ritual. I had no idea that I could actually talk to God and even enter into conversation with Him and sense His encouragement and guidance.

My life before Christ was not terribly evil, but it was headed downhill. I’m so thankful that God transformed my dead spirit and gave it the life of Christ. From the inside out, that amazing life is changing me so that I can reflect His image and follow Him. This is a wonderful gift, and I praise God for what He has done and is still doing in me.