Old Made New - New Name
Bill Morel
Do we believe we are Saints?
Growing up in church as kids, we would sing "Jesus Loves Me" all the time. We believed that was true "because the Bible tells me so." How then is it so hard for us to believe that he truly did give us a new name? I think it's because we believed what the adults taught us as children and took it as fact. After all, we had faith in them to not lead us wrong. However, as adults, we tend to overthink, over-analyze, and often over-spiritualize biblical truths because we can't fathom that it truly is as simple as the Bible says it is.
God's economy functions in ways that our minds can't understand because we only have our experiences and knowledge of this world to draw from. That's why when Matt was talking about the church in Corinth and how Paul started the letter by calling them sanctified and holy, we get confused. It sure doesn't seem like these people come close to living up to being sanctified and holy. That's just it—he was rebuking them not so they would start living better to "get back into fellowship with God" but because they were not living with the understanding of who they were. In Ephesians 4:1 Paul encourages us to "live a life worthy of our calling." This isn't about sinning less, even though that is the result. It is about understanding what the Bible says about who we are and living life out of the abundance of God's grace.
Matt brought us Romans 5, where Paul explains how sin entered the world through one man's sin, Adam. Then how sin was dealt with by the one Christ who lived a perfect life yet died on the cross for us for ALL sins. Paul goes on to explain the struggle and the consequences of sin and the need for the Law to point sin out. Then, in the end of chapter 7, he thanks God for delivering him sin. The beginning of chapter 8 makes me smile every time: "Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ."
On the day of our salvation, we are "in Christ," and at that very moment, we are given a new name, Saint. It is not a name we can achieve but one given to us simply because we chose to have faith in Christ. Often, we may not "feel" saintly, but thankfully, it isn't about our feelings. It was always about just believing that "Jesus Loves me because the Bible tells me so."
Do we believe we are Saints?
Growing up in church as kids, we would sing "Jesus Loves Me" all the time. We believed that was true "because the Bible tells me so." How then is it so hard for us to believe that he truly did give us a new name? I think it's because we believed what the adults taught us as children and took it as fact. After all, we had faith in them to not lead us wrong. However, as adults, we tend to overthink, over-analyze, and often over-spiritualize biblical truths because we can't fathom that it truly is as simple as the Bible says it is.
God's economy functions in ways that our minds can't understand because we only have our experiences and knowledge of this world to draw from. That's why when Matt was talking about the church in Corinth and how Paul started the letter by calling them sanctified and holy, we get confused. It sure doesn't seem like these people come close to living up to being sanctified and holy. That's just it—he was rebuking them not so they would start living better to "get back into fellowship with God" but because they were not living with the understanding of who they were. In Ephesians 4:1 Paul encourages us to "live a life worthy of our calling." This isn't about sinning less, even though that is the result. It is about understanding what the Bible says about who we are and living life out of the abundance of God's grace.
Matt brought us Romans 5, where Paul explains how sin entered the world through one man's sin, Adam. Then how sin was dealt with by the one Christ who lived a perfect life yet died on the cross for us for ALL sins. Paul goes on to explain the struggle and the consequences of sin and the need for the Law to point sin out. Then, in the end of chapter 7, he thanks God for delivering him sin. The beginning of chapter 8 makes me smile every time: "Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ."
On the day of our salvation, we are "in Christ," and at that very moment, we are given a new name, Saint. It is not a name we can achieve but one given to us simply because we chose to have faith in Christ. Often, we may not "feel" saintly, but thankfully, it isn't about our feelings. It was always about just believing that "Jesus Loves me because the Bible tells me so."
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