NEW SELF: New Creation in Christ

“Old self” is dead, having been crucified once-for-all with Christ.

“New self” is the new life we now have in Christ: new heart, new mind, new spirit, and the Holy Spirit.

Forever forgiven.

Saved (made a new creation, through new birth in Christ) once-for-all in Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice and eternal priesthood.

All sin(s) forgiven; full fellowship now; no longer slaves to the reign of Sin (original Sin, Adam’s); now held captive by the reigning Lord of Life.

Forever are we reconciled…this is something we will reckon with daily.

As a people with new hearts/minds under a New Cov’t, we are therefore now bearing a new image (identity) that actually shapes our self awareness as Saints (no longer Sinners, in the NC sense).

LIFE & LIVING: Thru Faith in Christ

Question: “Does the Law serve ‘to correct and discipline’ Christians?”

Answer by St. John’s (abbreviated):

We are God’s children now…and hoping in Him…purifies us;

…believing in his Son Jesus Christ…is obedience.  (1Jn 3:2,3,23)

We live through Him…believing the love that God has for us

…having confidence for the day of judgment

…having no fear in love…for His perfect love casts out fear.

We love because He first loved us in Christ.  (1Jn 4:9,16-19)

We overcome the world, [flesh and devil]…by being born of God.

The victory?  Our faith…believing that Jesus is the Son of God!  (1Jn 5:4-5)

So then:  Whoever has the Son has Life! (1Jn 5:12)

We are from God!  Not as those living under the power of the evil one.  (1Jn 5:19)

My confidence:  Having faith in Christ, we know ourselves to be alive toward God and neighbor, governed by the Rule of His Spirit, even now.  (mjm)

THANKS-GIVING: For Christ, In All Things!

Rev 11:17  We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign.

This alone is reason enough for disciples of Christ to give thanks and take comfort!  His power to ultimately change all things and authority to rule over all things is wondrous, indeed.

Unfortunately, how His present reign is manifest is missed or distorted, leaving genuine followers of Christ mistaken and/or confused about their involvement in His kingdom.

Checkmate & the Cross

David Wells has written:

“Inasmuch as the Cross is eschatological, the world of evil forces is also judged.

It is as if two people were playing chess. At a certain point, one of the players rises from the table, leaving his opponent to ponder his next move. The opponent struggles with all the possibilities because he is determined to win. What he has not realized is that there are only a limited number of moves that he can make, and not one of them can change the outcome of the game. No matter what he does, he will lose.

Just so at the Cross, the outcome of the chess game between God and Satan was decided. God will certainly win. Satan, however, is presently playing out every conceivable option, imagining that somehow his rebellion will triumph. It will not.”

Voting and Politics by Piper

Despite Piper’s take on Palin’s involvement, etc (up to 2:40), I can appreciate much of what he has to say.  The shorter of the two videos says enough.  Oh, how easy it is to get caught up in temporal matters.  We do this each and every day.  No surprise then that this election distracts many of us…we tend to live that way!

Voting and Politics by Piper

Keeping Christ LORD!

Our hope well expressed by Ravi Zacharias on the Lord.

 

Another proper distinguishing Cult (of Christ) from Culture.

Centered: Christ – Cross

Paul Tripp has written:

“Focus on Christ will always result in focus on the cross. You cannot be Christ-centered without becoming cross-centered. The crucified Christ is to be the center of everything I know about myself and my world. You cannot have any real hope for flawed people in a fallen world unless there is a Redeemer to rescue us from the evil that resides both inside and outside of us. Real restoration to God’s created design requires the cross. It is the cross of Christ that alone will restore my allegiance to Christ and his rightful place at the center of everything in  my life.”

Good Little Book

Elyse Fitzpatrick (in _Because He Loves Me_): “As our time together draws to a close I want to leave you with two simple thoughts.  The first thought is that we deprive ourselves of great happiness when we shy away from the gospel.  Perhaps we don’t know exactly how to articulate how every facet of it transforms the soul, but we do know the Name.  Let me propose that you begin today to weave that name into everything you do.  Whether you’re washing the dishes, washing the car, or humbly washing the feet of your spouse, let his name pour forth from you.  Don’t worry about sounding simple; after all, the apostle Paul determined to know nothing but a crucified Jesus.  Calvin quoted Bernard when he said, “Every discussion where his name is not heard is pointless.”  Oh how many pointless, tasteless, flat conversations we’ve had–even with other believers!  How many books and songs and sermons we’ve partaken of that left us craving, weak, and hungry?  How many counseling sessions were vacuous because the focus was solely on our duties, and the gospel was never even mentioned?

 

“I’m not proposing that there’s something magical about his name, but as we think even momentarily about him, about his incarnation, sinless life, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension, the gospel becomes a powerful agent to transform us and give us hope.