A New Creation
Psalms 92:12 AMP [12] The righteous will flourish like the date palm [long-lived, upright and useful]; They will grow like a cedar in Lebanon [majestic and stable].
Vanilla Patchouli, Sandalwood, and Cedarwood,
Sandalwood has been known for retaining its fragrance for decades, and Lebanon's cedar symbolises the righteous' flourishing and prosperity.
Mark 8:34-38 NLT [34] Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [35] If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. [36] And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? [37] Is anything worth more than your soul? [38] If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
Luke 14:26-30 NLT [26] “If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. [27] And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple. [28] “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? [29] Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. [30] They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’
This may seem like a weighty way to begin this article, but after reading about our Suffering Servant, I believe it is the best way to start. Our Saviour gave His life and took the shame, punishment, and mocking, and God the Father found it pleasing to permit Him to suffer. However, it wasn't so that we may say a prayer one day and go on living a life that does not reflect repentance of our sins and transformation. It is not to be seen as a ticket out of eternal damnation. Still, rather a freedom to be reconciled with God and walk in a True relationship with Jesus, who will, by His resurrection power that comes to live in us through the Holy Spirit, cause us to be overcomers of any hindrance that would want to ensnare us and prevent us from going all the way with Him and being filled with the fullness of God. Look at what Paul prayed:
Ephesians 3:16-20 NLT[16] I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. [17] Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. [18] And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. [19] May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. [20] Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.
This is exciting and should fill our hearts with joy, even when our minds cannot fully fathom or comprehend what such a life would look like.
Following Jesus comes with a cost. It will be challenging and lonely at times, and people may not understand you as you determine to live by His Word and follow Him. As a new believer, you may face ridicule as you start to let go of your old ways of living. Your old friends, who are accustomed to you being a certain way, might be upset that you no longer act, speak, or desire the things you once did. Despite these challenges, you must remain resolute in your commitment to follow Jesus and uphold His teachings, because these trials will persist throughout your journey. They are promised to us through the duration of our walk with Christ, and that is why Jesus exhorts us to count the cost. But that is just one part of the new life that you have entered into. You have entered into a relationship with the God of the universe, and you have been reconciled to Him and brought into a right relationship with Christ. When you are born again, you are born from above (John 3:3). This is where you are transformed, renewed, and sanctified. You are now citizens of the Kingdom of heaven, and you have been given a helper who will teach you and lead you in all things pertaining to Christ. You have become brand new!
Paul would encourage the Church at Corinth with this: 2 Corinthians 5:17-19 NLT [17]. This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! [18] And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. [19] For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.
And then comes this explicit instruction: 2 Corinthians 6:14-15, 17-18 NLT [14] Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? [15] What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? [17] Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you. [18] And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty”.
To come to Jesus, we must be willing to separate from anything that does not align with Him or His teachings. It requires embracing an entirely new way of living. This is why Jesus would ask, "Are you willing? Have you counted the cost?" This emphasizes the commitment and sacrifice required to follow Him.
A Gospel presented that does not ask you these same questions cannot promise you a brand-new life!
We get a unique insight into this from the book of Song of Songs. Three times a phrase is repeated in Chapters 2:7, 3:5, and 8:4. In each of these verses, there is a warning, “Do not stir up or awaken love until it pleases.” The first is from the bridegroom to the daughters of Jerusalem, and the other two are from the bride to the daughters of Jerusalem. To be repeated three times, we can understand that this is something to take note of. Why do I bring this up? Because often we try to get people saved. We desperately want to see them living for Jesus and experiencing what we have experienced, but Jesus said in John 6:44 AMP [44] No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him [giving him the desire to come to Me]; and I will raise him up [from the dead] on the last day. People who come to Christ driven by an emotional experience, out of pressure, or because they expect to gain something, come with impure motives. When challenges arise or life doesn’t seem to change, they frequently become disillusioned and give up, feeling let down because Christ didn’t meet their expectations. But when we just sit back, and let the Father draw their hearts we see this; [6] “Put me like a seal on your heart, Like a seal on your arm; For love is as strong as death, Jealousy is as severe and cruel as Sheol (the place of the dead). Its flashes are flashes of fire, [A most vehement flame] the very flame of the Lord! Something in them burns for Jesus, and they are sold out for Him. They don’t just believe they are a new creation because someone tells them, they know it because something in them that was dead is now alive. They were blind to spiritual things, but now they see. They were deaf to spiritual things, but now they hear. Christ has resurrected them inwardly, and the Spirit now dwells within them. Note that this bride both received a warning and issued a warning. "Do not awaken love before its time." Love is as strong as death, which is relentless and final. We need to be willing to receive this warning as the bride of Christ and, in turn, have the courage to share that warning with others. When the call to evangelise weighs heavily on our hearts, or when the growth of church numbers becomes our main focus, we must remind ourselves of this passage and encourage those around us. Once you enter this love, there is no going back; it requires everything from you. You are making a covenant of eternal devotion, and that will be tested and tried. This transformation is not something that can be brought about by any person; it must be initiated by the Lord, as He is the only one capable of seeing it through to completion. In chapter 8, we see the bride's commitment as she desires to be sealed upon her bridegroom's heart and arm. She has weighed the cost, endured suffering, persecution, and trials, and is utterly devoted to her bridegroom. Take note of Song of Solomon 8:5a AMP [5] ¶“Who is this coming up from the wilderness leaning upon her beloved?” This bride has been in the wilderness of testing, and she comes forth no longer leaning on her own strength but has learned to lean on her beloved. She gets it! She wants to be sealed upon His arm now because she knows that her own arm cannot uphold her. This is the Cross life, this is the Christ life, this is SALVATION! This is becoming a new creation. Nothing from your old life remains the same.
If you have said a sinner’s prayer and given your heart to Jesus, if you have been told that God so loved the world that he gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal Life (John 3:16), you have been told right and you have done a good thing. However, I want to inform you that those teachings, when isolated and cherry-picked for your comfort, do not present the complete picture. We read in the Suffering Servant story of Christ in Isaiah 53:3, 5, 7, 10 AMP [3] He was despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and pain and acquainted with grief; And like One from whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we did not appreciate His worth or esteem Him. [5] But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was crushed for our wickedness [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing]; The punishment [required] for our well-being fell on Him, And by His stripes (wounds) we are healed. [7] ¶He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth [to complain or defend Himself]; Like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before her shearers, So He did not open His mouth. [10] ¶Yet the Lord was willing To crush Him, causing Him to suffer; If He would give Himself as a guilt offering [an atonement for sin], He shall see His [spiritual] offspring, He shall prolong His days, And the will (good pleasure) of the Lord shall succeed and prosper in His hand.
Christ Himself went through the wilderness of sorrow, testing, and trial, and in His valley of decision, He chose not to satisfy His own will but the will of His Father for restoration between man and God. Innocent, and yet judged guilty, sinless, and took upon Himself the penalty of sin and its curse. All to break its power and make a public spectacle to the powers of the air and reveal the redemptive plan of God. Given that it was pleasing to God to have His beloved Son suffer for us out of love, it is reasonable to believe that He would also find it a pleasure to allow momentary suffering in our lives to reveal this mystery of reconciliation through the cross and it’s overcoming power by having the very One who overcame come and live in us, so that through Him, we too may overcome. The enemy can do nothing about it. His power to conquer us was taken away if we believe in the work of Christ. The consequences of our sin and the battle against the sinful nature inherent in humanity can now be overcome through Christ, and the word of God says in 1 Corinthians 2:8 AMP [8] None of the rulers of this age recognised and understood this wisdom; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
This wisdom here is the very testimony to the principalities and powers of the air that had been veiled. Ephesians 3:10 AMP [10] So now through the church the multifaceted wisdom of God [in all its countless aspects] might now be made known [revealing the mystery] to the [angelic] rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. Christ came not only for the Jews but also for the entire world, so that all who believe in Him would be saved. The Kingdom of God exists within His people, transforming them not through strict adherence to laws or outward efforts to appear righteous or earn righteousness, but through Christ’s presence inside them. This inward transformation empowers them to outwardly demonstrate His work in their lives, serving as a living testament to the divine change that has taken place within.
Philippians 1:6 AMP [6] I am convinced and confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will [continue to] perfect and complete it until the day of Christ Jesus [the time of His return]. We can be confident in this truth.
So, if you are a new creation in Christ Jesus, you may still struggle, but I want to encourage you that His grace is sufficient for you to overcome. His Word is powerful.
2 Corinthians 10:3-6 NLT [3] We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. [4] We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. [5] We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. [6] And after you have become fully obedient, we will punish everyone who remains disobedient.
You might have fallen for lies that have taken root in your thinking. You may find yourself at odds with the truth of God's Word because you've never experienced such reality. However, I assure you that the Word of God is the ultimate weapon to counter those lies. It’s the very truth that can capture those rebellious thoughts and replace them with what is true. Paul faced challenges from people questioning his authority and the way he communicated with them, which serves as a valuable lesson for us as well. While we may not be rebuking a church or dismissing their arguments against us, we can look to this example as a guide for battling the thoughts and strongholds in our minds that oppose God's Word and Authority. They must be captured and forced into obedience. Jesus said in John 8:32 NLT [32] And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Only truth can rid a lie.
Ephesians 6:10-18 NLT [10] A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. [11] Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. [12] For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. [13] Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. [14] Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. [15] For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. [16] In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. [17] Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. [18] Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
