For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 1 Peter 1:23 NIV
In this new series, New and Improved, we will be taking a closer look at one of the central ideas and fundamental spiritual realities of the New Testament: as followers of Jesus, we are born again, made new, restored and regenerated by the Holy Spirit in order to live lives that glorify our Heavenly Father. The Bible makes it clear that this is not some achievement of our own efforts or reward for our good works, it is instead the free gift from God, purchased by Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and secured in His resurrection from the dead. In this blog, I prayerfully hope to encourage you to live out the fullness of this new life that Jesus paid for you to have.
The new life is characterized by Christ-centeredness.
When asked about the greatest commandment, Jesus answered that it is to love the Lord with all of yourself and then to love your neighbor as yourself. Living this out perfectly Himself, Jesus set for us the example of how to live a life worth living. The whole point of living out the new life is living in imitation of Jesus. We follow Him, His example. We ought to speak like Jesus, think like Jesus, and behave like Jesus. Now, I’m sure that I’m not the only one who still has some work to do when it comes to living just like Jesus, but the goal of every Christian, myself included, should be to live like Christ.
Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. 1 Peter 4:1-3 NIV
In his letter, Peter calls on believers to share the attitude of Christ in how He suffered in His body, appealing to the truth that following Christ in this way will have you “done with sin.” I love how Peter begins verse three, “you have spent enough time” living in sin. I think this is a mindset reminder that Christians should make special note of. Haven’t you tried out sin enough? Has it ever satisfied you? If it did, why do you keep going back. No, brothers and sisters, you have spent enough time in sin. It is time to live for the will of God as Christ Jesus did perfectly.
We follow Jesus and seek to live like Him, not as some effort to achieve our own righteousness, but instead as a response to the righteousness that He gives freely to us. It is not your own merit that puts you in good standing with God, but the work of Jesus. So when we follow Jesus’ example and commands, it is in response to His goodness and His rich mercy toward us. It is a response of trust in who Jesus is and the promises He makes. That void, that sin can never fill, within you is longing for Jesus, and He freely offers to make you whole. And when He does, our response is to live for Him, to build our lives centered around Jesus. He will be within everything we do, and we will increase in this Christ-likeness until the last day when He brings us home.
The Holy Spirit will help you.
So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh… But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Galatians 5:16, 22-25 NIV
The gift of salvation that God gives us freely is sealed by His own Holy Spirit within us. And the new life that we have in Christ is possible through the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5 teaches us about the work the Spirit does in and through us. That walking by the Spirit keeps us from living for sin, and that it is God’s Spirit within us that produces the fruitful and abundant life that Jesus has set ahead of us. We are not left alone to figure out how to be a good Christian. God helps you with His Word, His example, His Church, and most importantly, His Spirit. In Christ Jesus, we are born again to live a new life, and your Heavenly Father will raise you in this new life. Pray for God to help you live the life that He desires for you this week. And tune in to the series to see more from God’s Word on living the New and Improved life through Jesus.
