The next biblical truth and practical tactic deal with being made "new" in Christ. It is my prayer that He continues to make me over, according to His likeness, and that He do the same for you in 2011.
Biblical Truth
"Anyone who is in Christ is a new creation; the old has gone the new has come."
2 Corinthians 5:17
Based on this verse, and the overall message from Scripture, to be "new" you must be "in Christ." In Christ. What does this even mean? Plainly stated, it means having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We will get to more of what this means in the practical tactic below. But the biblical truth that we are equipped with today reminds us that "anyone who is in Christ is a new creation." The word "anyone" implies that anyone can be "in Christ," meaning that the ability to have a personal relationship with Jesus is available to all. Not those who clean their act up first. Not those who strive to earn favor from God. Not those who go to church every week. Not those who appear to have it all together. Anyone. By being in Christ, one is a "new creation." God changes that person from the inside out. They are no longer enemies of the Father, but adopted as children of God through the precious blood of Jesus.
So, what does this all mean? How can I have a personal relationship with Jesus? These questions bring me to explain further in our practical tactic...
Practical Tactic
To be in Christ, one must first see themselves as a sinner. Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Keyword here is "all." Just as anyone can be in Christ, as mentioned above, it is important to acknowledge that "all" are sinners. All. Each and every one of us. Because God is just, there is a price on sin. Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death." That's a heavy piece of truth to swallow on a Monday morning, don't you think? The good news is that there is hope. God, in His perfect love, made a way to save us from our sins. He knew that we could not be perfect or sinless, and therefore were far from His holiness. That is why He sent His Son, Jesus! We just celebrated Christmas, the remembrance of Christ's earthly birth. What we often fail to remember is the reason He came. He came to live a perfect life and pay the penalty for our sins on the cross! That's the good news. He is the only one who can save us from our sins. Only Jesus. How can we be saved? Like I said, it's not about religion or church or good works. It's about being in Christ. To be in Christ, we must accept the truths already provided. Here are our practical tactics related to these amazing truths...
1) Acknowledge ourselves as sinners
2) Admit our need for a Savior
3) Confess and Believe
4) Accept Jesus as Lord
I leave you with two more verses from Romans that succinctly sum up all three of these tactics. The following truths give us the "how to" answer you may be looking for...
"That if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."
Romans 10:9-10
AND
"For everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved."
Romans 10:13
Acknowledge. Confess. Believe. Be Saved. Be Made New in Christ!
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If you have trusted Christ as your Savior, we would love to hear about it in the comments. If you have not yet made this decision, be reminded that we are told in 2 Corinthians that "now is the time, now is the day of salvation." It will be the best decision you ever made!
Please share!!
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