“…if anyone is in Christ, HE IS A NEW CREATION (ktisis: a spiritual creation); old things have passed away; behold, ALL THINGS have become new.” (2 Corin. 5:17) What does this mean? Unless we know what we need to be saved from, we do not have an adequate understanding of the gospel. According to the apostle John, our greatest need is to be saved FROM PERISHING. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him SHOULD NOT PERISH (apollumi: to be lost, ruined, destroyed) but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) Without Christ we are going to perish because OUR SPIRITUAL MAN IS DEAD so, when we are born again that is when our spiritual man COMES TO LIFE and we become a new creation.
“So then, those who are in the flesh CANNOT PLEASE GOD. But you are not in the flesh but IN THE SPIRIT, if indeed the Spirit of God DWELLS IN YOU. Now if anyone DOES NOT HAVE the Spirit of Christ, HE IS NOT HIS. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but THE SPIRIT IS LIFE (or alive) BECAUSE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.” (Rom. 8:8-10) The scripture tells us “Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, HAVING BEEN BORN AGAIN, not of corruptible seed but INCORRUPTIBLE, THROUGH THE WORD OF GOD WHICH LIVES and abides forever…” (1 Peter 1:22-23)
What does it mean TOMMY, the word of God lives? Well, we know that because we know WHO the Word of God is! “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and THE WORD WAS GOD.” (John 1:1) Then in verse 14 it says, “And THE WORD BECAME FLESH and DWELT AMONG US, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of THE ONLY BEGOTTEN (monogenēs: one of a kind) OF THE FATHER, full of grace and truth.” Because the Word of God lives forever we know that we are born again and are, “…heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ.” (Rom. 8:17)
Your Personal Pastor -Bill Stockham