A CHRISTIAN MESSAGE
BY WARD PIMLEY
Pastor, Journalist, Author
“THEREFORE, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” – 2 Corinthian 5:17 ESV
“MY OLD SELF has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” – Galatians 2:20 NLT
I Am a New Christian
CONGRATULATIONS! If you have just joined the Kingdom of God through your repentance of sin and declared belief in Jesus Christ as God’s Son, who died on the cross for your sins, then welcome into the family.
You probably wonder what it means. Through this course of study, we will examine basic questions – we call them the real questions – that new Christians ask. Many of them will be yours, as well.
Here’s what you can now claim for yourself:
- I AM REGENERATED
- I AM REDEEMED
- I AM JUSTIFIED
- I AM ADOPTED
- I AM UNITED WITH CHRIST
WE ARE FALLEN CREATURES
THE FIRST ITEM we should discuss is how we got here, how we needed Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross and belief in Him to become what the Bible calls “a new creation.”
Let’s start with this: The world is a messed-up place.
If we could remake the world to meet all the wonderful qualities of love, forgiveness, mercy, grace, and tolerance – and teach those values to everyone so they all understand the new rules of the game – it would not take long before the world would degenerate into the same mess we have today.
Why is that?
Because our problems are not problems of poor government or economic poverty. They are problems of the heart. We are, by nature, rebellious men and women, disobedient to God and His word.
The first recorded action of man and woman in the Garden of Eden was to violate God’s command not to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Disobedience was our first response to God as a newly minted married couple living in Paradise.
However, God in His mercy, declared in Genesis 3:15, in what is called the Protoevangelium, promised to send a savior or redeemer, the Messiah, to reclaim us and give us life. That Messiah was Jesus.
I AM REGENERATED
JESUS TOLD US in John 3:3 that unless we are “born again,” we will not see the Kingdom of Heaven. So, what does it mean to be “born again?” and how do we accomplish that?
The transformation from death to life is a simple action on our part but one that relatively few people are willing to take. It just involves a short prayer of repentance for our sin and a declaration of belief that Jesus is (a) the Son of God, (b) that He lived a perfect life, and (c) that He died on the cross for our sins.
The difficulty most people have is that in that prayer, we are turning our lives and wills over to Someone else. We want to say, “My life, my will.” God gave us free will, so we can exercise that liberty, but He also calls us to give our wills over to Him.
When we act out our wills, we act in a manner contrary to God’s design in ways that are harmful to our health, our peace, and our self-worth. When we turn our lives over to Him in trust and obedience, He leads us in righteousness. He grants us His peace. We are bathed in His love. We have His forgiveness.
“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins. … But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved.” – Ephesians 2:1, 4-5 NIV
Being “made alive” spiritually is what it means to be “saved.” It is what it means to be “regenerated.”
Most of all, we have Heaven to look forward to as our eternal reward.
I AM REDEEMED
REDEMPTION COMES FROM the Greek word agorazo, which means “marketplace,” and exagorazo, which means “to remove from the marketplace” or “redeem” out of the marketplace. There is a third word in the Greek, lutrao, which means “freed” or to “pay a ransom.”
When this word is added to the prior words, it means we have been freed by being taken out of the marketplace of sin when someone has paid a ransom for us.
The Bible says we are not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, but with something more important, more lasting, more enduring – Christ’s blood.
We are redeemed “with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”– 1 Peter 1:19 NKJV
That means our redemption price, or salvation, was paid for by Christ’s self-sacrifice on the cross for our sake.
I AM JUSTIFIED
WHEN WE ARE “JUSTIFIED,” we are declared “righteous” by God; that is, the Creator has named us as “righteous” because He sees us through the sacrificial blood of His Son rather than the sin-filled beings we are.
“Abraham believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.” – Genesis 15:6 CSB
“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” – Romans 5:1 BSB
Our “righteousness” does not mean we are faultless or sinless, because we are not. Rather, it means God has chosen to see us as sinless because His Son has endured His wrath or anger for our sinfulness. Therefore, He can hold us as forgiven, clean, and faultless.
That is His free gift of grace.
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. … For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 3:23-24; 6:23
I AM ADOPTED
WHEN WE ARE ADOPTED by God, we become full-fledged members of His family.
The adoption by God was likened to Roman law, where the adopted son held the same privileges and property rights that would have been his if he were a natural-born son in that family. In fact, any debts or obligations he had incurred as a member of his former family are abolished as if they never existed.
As new Christians, we are welcomed into “God’s family,” with all the privileges and love that His bestows on His own Son. No, we are not divine, but we are wanted, adored, valued, and cherished.
We can take comfort from the assurance God gives us in His Word:
“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” – Romans 8:14 ESV
“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs with Christ.” — Romans 8:17-18 NKJV
“So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then God has made you an heir.” — Galatians 4:7 CSB
“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!” — 1 John 3:1 NKJV
“But to all who have received him – those who believe in his name – he has given the right to become God’s children.” – John 1:12 NET
That should be enough to convince you of God’s love for you when you draw near to Him. He blankets you, protects you, and comforts you. Those things are true whether we understand them, or accept them, or even want them. If we ignore the gift, it lies fallow; if we pick it up, it becomes ours.
As for me, I gladly and willingly accept God’s gift of love and family. I want to draw near to Him, and He has promised to draw near to me (See James 4:8).
I AM UNITED WITH CHRIST
WHAT DOES IT MEAN to be “united” with Christ? He is divine; I am human. He is self-existing; I am created. He is eternal; I have lived a short time. (I am promised life from now on, though.) How can I possibly be “one” with Him?
We can liken our relationship with Jesus Christ to the institution of marriage as God designed it to be, where a man and a woman each leave their parents and families of origin, become “one flesh,” and start a new family.
“That is why a man leaves his father and mother and unites with his wife, and they become a new family.” – Genesis 2:14 NET
Here are some verses that describe our “oneness” with Christ:
- We are crucified with Jesus. Galatians 2:20
- We died with Him. Colossians 2:20
- We are buried with Him. Romans 6:4
- We are raised with Him. Colossians 3:1
THREE MORE ITEMS FROM ROMANS 8:17:
- We will suffer with Him.
- We are glorified with Him.
- We are joint heirs with Him.
FINAL WORDS
WE CAN DRAW great comfort from God’s promises. He is unlike any human in this very important aspect: He can be trusted. He keeps His word.
“God is not man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” – Numbers 23:19 NKJV
“Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will also help you. I will also uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 NASB
“The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV
“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33 NLT
God’s promise to restore mankind cost His Son an excruciating death on the cross, which He did for us. Let’s not leave that gift sitting on the table unopened.
As a new Christian, you have opened the gift, and the gift of life is now yours!
CLOSING PRAYER
ALMIGHTY GOD, Our Lord and Creator, we thank You for Your love and Your desire to reconcile us to fellowship with You.
Give strength, courage, and direction, we pray, to these new Christians, all of whom have recently turned their eternal destiny over to Jesus Christ and now wonder what lies ahead.
We pray, O Lord, that our series of articles for new Christians and those curious about Christian beliefs will lead them faithfully to draw closer to You in their walk ahead. Spare them spiritual warfare, we pray, until they have the confidence to call on You for protection.
We know that our trials and tribulations can lead to endurance if we are patient, and that patience when it is perfected and complete, will strengthen us in our walk.
Forgive us, Lord, when we fail You. Pick us up and direct us forward on the path You have chosen for us.
In the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, we lift this prayer. AMEN
Ward's Words | BY WARD PIMLEY 