Paul Said it All

It is easy to regurgitate a teaching that we may have heard over the years. However; finding a verse that is so personal, so life-changing and so very powerful is actually not easy. Of course, there were the verses that convinced me of salvation, the passages that showed me part of God's plan and will for my life. I love the Bible words, phrases and passages that caused me to have faith. There were the verses that comforted me in tragedy, and the ones that paraphrased my feelings about my Savior, Jesus Christ. Oh yes, and even those ones that pertained to trial and character.

As a teacher and student of the Word of God, I embrace the verses that allow me to see the church as Jesus does, with her flaws and errors - knowing my calling is to change that one relationship at a time.

This week the motley crew, better known as the Kingdom Bloggers is going to share a verse and its personal application.

Here is my favorite Bible verse. It is not because I understand it with with my mind; in fact I always thought I did. I was told many times from the pulpit that I was a new man, a new creation in Christ. And you probably were too.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.


It is easy to talk about the Greek, or the Hebrew understanding of being regenerated by faith. And we are! Of course we then talk about he struggle between flesh and Spirit: the thorns in our side, the Spirit and the carnal being at war, and the sin nature. It is all a very intellectual understanding, some with biblical basis, and some without. In America, we've become accustom to trying to fix ourselves: counseling, medication, self-help groups, mediation, yoga, accountability groups, there is a long list. We here dozens of sermons, have Christian media at our fingertips, and still, the message is fix ourselves. Yes, I am well aware of the preaching that says let Christ transform you. Truthfully, do you believe it? Do you believe that Christ will transform you desire to do things that are contrary to God's word?

If that is the case, then how can we possibly be a new man (or woman)? How can the old have passed away if it is still here? How can we be sick with the cancer of sin, and completely healed by the blood of Jesus?

It is much more simple than theologians make it. The new and perfect man does live within us (the old and sinful man). The problem is that the old man is carnal, is sinful and subject to death. The new man, that Spirit man is not.

Until we learn to live by the Spirit, (hear God's voice and do it.) than we will constantly be controlled by the old man.

The problem is that we have this body that is in control, and unless we yield it to Jesus, we cannot let the new man out. Paul said that old man MUST die. Or that we must die to self. Our body was never meant to be in control, it was meant to be a temple for the Spirit man, the Jesus regenerated soul!

If you remember how simple it was to get born again, then you can yield to the new man just as easily , and let him out.