"Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’" (John 3:5-7)
"And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life. “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." (3:14-16)
"This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" (2 Corinthians 5:17)
"For
we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was
raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also
may live new lives." (Romans 6:4)
Photo by Jonas Kaiser on Unsplash
We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ and we are raised up from the dead, (resurrected to a completely new life), by the power of the Holy Spirit within us. (Romans 3:22 & 8:11) Like Lazarus, however, we come out of the grave still tightly bound in grave clothes. (John 11:38-44) Jesus gives the command to Lazarus' family and friends to "unwrap him and let him go" (v. 44). As followers of Christ, we continue to help one another unwrap from the things that had bound us in death, but each of us has to be willing to cooperate with that process...
Some try to run away from those who would help unwind them and find themselves tripping and falling down over and over again. Some decide to hang out with the living but insist they are just fine in their grave clothes saying, "I know I'm still wrapped up in all this stuff and it's starting to really stink but, hey, I'm alive! It's all good!" The way of salvation is not reformation of the old self, it is regeneration to an entirely new life. The Word of God instructs us to stand fast in the freedom of this new life in Christ and not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. (Galatians 5:1) This is not legalism to earn God's love and salvation, it is the breaking free of bondage as the result and reality of receiving His love and salvation.
Photo by Rebecca Li on Unsplash
Jesus is the Redeemer and the Healer. In Him alone we are born again into a new and whole life. When we believe and receive Jesus Christ as our Savior, our spirit man is birthed - free of sin, disease and death. The Lord forgives all our sins, heals all our diseases and redeems us from death - it all happened on the Cross. God loads us with love and tender mercies and fills us, satisfying our every desire, with His good things. (Psalm 103:3-5)
Because of His incomprehensible love for us, Jesus willingly chose to be beaten so we could be whole. He chose to be whipped so we could be healed. He chose to die so we could live. (Isaiah 53:5, 1 Peter 2:24, 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10) He is the only one qualified to pay the penalty for sin for all mankind and He did so as the greatest act of love ever known. It is time for us to stop feeling guilty about what He did and receive the gift. He didn't do it to bind us to guilt and shame. He did it to set us free. Jesus took all of our sin and the disease and death that accompanies it. He took it all. He didn't die and rise again to refurbish our old life, like some kind of extreme makeover project. He did it to offer us a completely new one.
Strip off the grave clothes and bandages - all the things in this world we turn to for comfort, pain relief, "therapy" and healing. Let them all come off! Enjoy the good things of this world but do not hope to find healing and new life in them. Run to the only One who can provide this and receive it! (Hebrews 12:1, Psalm 62:5)
Jesus Christ, the Son of the one true living God, stands at the door of our hearts offering eternal, abundant life and peace that the world cannot give. (Revelation 3:20, John 10:10, John 14:27) This is a one on one transaction with Jesus Christ. There is no other name by which we can be saved, have eternal life and find true rest. He is the only way. (Acts 4:11-12, John 14:6, Matthew 11:28-30) Accept the free gift of the new life He is offering and find your peace in God.
Photo by Casey Horner on Unsplash
“Moses said, ‘Please. Let me see your Glory.’ God said, ‘I will make
my Goodness pass right in front of you; I’ll call out the name, God, right before you.’” (Ex 33:18-19a)
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