“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)
How do we know that we are in Christ? When we are in Christ, we live by faith in Him, we abide in Him, and we are changed. The word for “passed away” literally means to perish. Our old ways have perished or expired. We are to live the new life.
Jesus is the one who does the work of changing us as we abide in Him. Jesus says in John 15:4 “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit on itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” The result of abiding in Christ is the presence of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control in our lives (Galatians 5:22).
These attributes are evidence of Christ’s Spirit in us. “But if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” (Romans 8:11)
I’m sure there are things in all of our lives that we are ashamed of and want to forget. We have a great promise from God: “For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:11-12)
Since I am in Christ, I know I am a new creation. My past in gone, my sins washed away. I am a new man. I should no longer live in sin. But how do we do that? “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16) Those who walk in the Spirit, set their minds on things of the Spirit (Romans 8:5).
I encourage you to ask yourself, “Am I walking in the Spirit today? Is my mind set on the things of the Spirit? Is there love and joy, peace and patience in my life?”
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