A new creation

One of the most amazing parts of the Christian faith is that those who are saved are “born again” or made “new creations” in Jesus Christ. I have recently been studying this through the book The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace and also through The Excellent Wife Study Guide. I hope to write more about these in another post, as I highly recommend them. One of the studies is about putting off old ways and putting on the new man (or in this case, woman).

As Christians, our old selves were crucified with Christ. This means we are no longer trapped in wrongdoing. Sin no longer has dominion over us. (See Romans 6:6,7, 14). We do not have to sin. While before conversion we were trapped in sin, now we can be free! We are to put off the old man, and put on the new man (Ephesians 4: 22, 24).

I find it an incredible blessing to think about the way God has re-created me. I was once captive to all kinds of characteristics of the old man: selfish anger, corrupt words, lying, fellowship with unfruitful deeds of darkness, filthiness, stealing, coarse joking, drunkenness, lust, malice, strife, filthy language, blasphemy and revelry (see Ephesians 4 & 5, Romans 13:12-14 and Colossians 3 for the Biblical references to these traits).

I have been completely set free from many of these, such as drunkenness. Some traits surface very occasionally, such as filthy language. Other traits of the old man, such as anxiety, are a continual struggle. While there is a moment at which I was born again, and my heart was changed from rebelling against God to loving and following him, putting off the old and putting on the new is a continual process.

The Excellent Wife book and study guide encourage readers to choose each day to put on what is good and put off what is not. For example, instead of being anxious we are to pray and give thanks (Philippians 4:6). Giving thanks is also the antidote to filthiness, foolish talking and coarse joking (Ephesians 5:4). It is wonderful that God doesn’t just tell us what to give up, he tells us what to embrace.

As I consider my “old man”, I am amazed at God’s grace to me in preparing me to be where I am now. God has brought both Dave and I in to his family, and enabled us to base our relationship upon him. As the “old man” it is doubtful that I would have wanted to marry. I was quite hostile to the idea. Now, due to the work of Christ’s death and resurrection, Dave and I are able to make this step. God's miraculous work in our lives to bring us to this point is a reminder to us that he will continue to work in our lives to help us and to glorify himself. It is a reminder that we can trust him.