"Therefore
we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was
raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in
newness of life."
Romans 6:4
Because God is the creator of all things, He can also make "all things new." This is not speaking figuratively or spiritually but literally and truly. It is possible for the newness of the life we have in Christ to wear off on us because we can quickly become dull, forgetful and unwise. If we are not actively looking to the LORD Jesus and consider Him, we can become wearied and faint in our minds (Hebrews 12:1-3). Thankfully it is not by our good performance or the willpower of our flesh where our strength lies, for the LORD is the strength of our hearts and the lifter of our heads.
Paul spoke of Jesus who was pierced, battered and bloodied on the cross where He died and was buried. He contrasted the body of Jesus dead three days with Jesus risen from the dead glorified, and His disciples were able to converse with Him, touch Him and confirm He was truly living. The difference between the dead body of Jesus and the risen Christ was stark, and this is the difference God makes in the lives of believers who are born again by faith in Him. We were once dead in sins, and having been crucified with Christ now we have been raised to new life in Him. Thus we ought to walk in newness of life, for the life of Jesus is now being lived out through us.
The marked change in God's people in Isaiah 17:7-8 illustrates this fundamental change of perspective and life from within: "In that
day a man will look to his Maker, and his eyes will have
respect for the Holy One of Israel. 8 He will not look to the altars, the work of his hands; he will not
respect what his fingers have made, nor the wooden
images nor the incense altars." God is able to change the outlook of people and what they value. The prophet spoke of a man whose habit and preference was to look to his shrines and the idolatrous works of his own hands for help and guidance--who suddenly looks to his Maker with respect and adoration. Instead of man tending to look to what he made himself, God draws our attention to our creator who made us in His image.
Coming to Jesus Christ as our Saviour doesn't merely impact part of our lives--a spiritual itch that needs scratching--but results in a transformation from the inside out. While this change is divinely enabled, we have a role to play in learning to forsake sin and to do what pleases God as is written in 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5: "It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should
avoid sexual immorality; 4 that each
of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, 5 not in passionate lust like the
heathen, who do not know God..." (NIV) Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit, and this good fruit is produced in our lives by choosing to deny oneself and willingly submit to God. Paul exhorted Romans 6:19 that as Christians used to present ourselves as slaves of uncleanness, we are to present ourselves as slaves of righteousness for holiness. Because Jesus makes all things new, He cares about all aspects of our lives--inside and out--for good.
