THE TRANSFORMATION THAT ACCOMPANIES THE NEW BIRTH – 2

We saw that Eph 2:1-3 describes the sinful, dire state where we were, but it is not where we are if we are Christians. In the next verses, we see our present state described, Eph 2:4-6 "But God . . . made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him . . ." And then we have Eph 2:7 "so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus." This is our future.

Having brought His children to this blessed state, God leaves them for a while in this sinful world, where they struggle and wrestle with evil. This is the time during which He sends them to proclaim the beauty of Jesus by their holy lives and witness.

You are the salt of the earth . . .

You are the light of the world . . .

If this is our purpose in this world, how are we going to go about it? How are we to be salt and light?

We say I cannot do that. I am weak. Then what is the point of the apostle Paul saying it. To ask people to do something that they cannot do is both cruel and wrong.  When the Lord of the church calls us to do this, He gives us the ability to do it. We are called to put off the old man and put on the new.

Eph 4:22 "to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires . . . and to put on the new self."

This truth is repeated again and again in scripture.

Rom 13:12-14 "The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires."

Gal 3:27 "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ."

Col 3:8-10 "But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.

Rom 12:1-2  (JB Philips) "Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within."

Jam 1:21 "Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls."

1Pet 2:1-2 "So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation."

1Pet1:14-16 "As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy.'”

What is meant by this taking off and putting on?

After spending time doing manual work, we have a shower and change into fresh clean clothes. This is what we are to do spiritually.

Putting off the filthy garments of sin we put on the garments of holiness. We must do this minute by minute. We must always be putting off and putting on.

Gal 5:16-18 "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law."

These verses show us that the battle that believers wage, they wage continually. And we can see that we are to walk by the leading and guiding of the Holy Spirit.

God has not left us here to wallow in the mud of sin but to live for His glory.

1Jn 4:4 "Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world."

Rom 6:11-14 "So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace."

It is a constant battle, but like David, we can cry out that the battle is the Lord's.

Jam 4:7-8 "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you."

1 Tim 6:11-12 "But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses."

This is the transformation that accompanies the new birth. This is what identifies the true believer from the false believer

How is it evident?

1John 3:10 "By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother."

A Christian is someone who hates sin with a holy hatred, who fights tooth and nail against the world, the flesh and the devil. Whenever they fall, they get up and continue the fight till they get to the celestial city.

This is the transformed life.

Are you a Christian in the way John describes here?