Brand new Being!

(Continuation from January 7)

Reading: Revelations 22:1-16

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Phil 4:13)

We have come to the last part of our meditations on the human excuses for holy living. We will conclude today with two excuses—

Holiness is temperamental!

"I can't help it; that's my nature!" This oft-heard excuse is both right and wrong. True we have differing temperaments—some are naturally soft while others are born tough; some over-sexed, others under-sexed; and so on. But when we are born again we become a "new creation; old things have become new" (2 Cor 5:17). Which means, a new ability is implanted within us as the seed of God by the Spirit of God to overcome the pull and push of our sinful nature (1 Jn 3:9). The infinite blessing of the New Covenant is the replacement of our stony heart with a soft heart (Ezek 36:26). This doesn't imply we will be unable to sin. Rather, God's enabling grace will give us power to overcome sin (Rom 6:14). You may get angry soon but you must also turn from it soon! (Eph 4:26). Never give up even if you fall seven times. Claim God's "exceedingly great and precious promises" given to us and cling on to His "divine power" that you may be a partaker of the "divine nature" (2 Pet 1:3,4).

Holiness is dispensational!

Liberation from the Old Testament law and life under the New Testament grace should not be misunderstood as a license to sin (Rom 6:1,2). It's folly to think that the God of the Old Testament has relaxed His demands for us in the New Testament time. The fact is that He has actually raised the standard of holiness. Even a lustful look is considered as adultery now, and an unreasonable anger is equivalent to murder (Mt 5:21,22,27,28). There are still others who hold an extremely futuristic view regarding holiness. They await the return of Christ when they would be perfected, but fail in their present respon- sibility of "cleansing themselves from all filthiness" and "perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Cor 7:1). Christ's final call to each of us is, "He who is holy, let him be holy still. And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to everyone according to his work" (Rev 22:11,12).

Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Lay aside the garments that are stained with sin,
And be washed in the blood of the Lamb!
(Rev. E. A. Hoffman)

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Character: NextJan 13