The Battle Rages on

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

You have to wonder what Paul meant by that when he wrote the 2nd letter to the Corinthian church. He himself wondered in his epistle to the Romans, 7:22-24 "For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death"

The battle is always there. Always the struggle. We will not be rid of it within the confines of these mortal coils. That's the bad news. The good news is that through Jesus and a firm relationship with Him, we can be assured that this will not be our fate through all eternity. Paul goes on to say in Romans 7:25 "Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!"

You see, it is impossible for us to save ourselves. Many people still believe that we can be perfect and satisfy God's demand for justice. Still more believe that we do not even need to repent for our sins. Both of these thoughts are incorrect according to the Biblical text. Not only are we guilty because a just and loving God demands payment, that payment is beyond our reach. But it is not beyond the reach of Jesus. He paid for our sins once and for all on the cross and when we repent of our sins and believe that in our heart, we too are saved because of our adoption in to the family of Christ.

So when Paul says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" is he wrong? No! Our spirit is born again. Not as a sinful being, but as a sinless being standing before the judgment seat of the Lord. He declares us righteous; sets us apart for holy work and we trust Him for that.

This Christmas season as we go through the celebration of Jesus' birth, remember to put that thought ahead of all. You are a new creation. Created as originally planned and even better, since now Jesus has risen from the dead and once and for all, we have no need to worry about our eternity.

Blessings All!

--El