Category Archives: Walking in Newness of Life

Essays that center around the essentials of the process of sanctification. These essays are taken from the devotional book “Walking In Newness of Life: A Theological Primer for Women”, previously published under the title, “Walking in Newness of Life: Experiencing the Power of God in Resurrection by Identifying with Christ In His Death, Burial, and Resurrection.” You can see why I changed the title, my husband use to joke that the first title was in the puritan tradition.

Knowing Jesus

12 Monday Dec 2016

Posted by in Faith, Sanctification, Walking in Newness of Life

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“And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”  John 17:3

The new life that God has called Christians to walk in is an eternal life, which consists of knowing God. We cannot know God without knowing Christ. It is by faith in Jesus Christ, faith in the Gospel, i.e., the message that “…Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures…” (1 Corinthians 15:3-5) that we begin to know God and that we begin to walk in newness of life. It is through faith in Christ that we are saved from the wrath of God, restored to a right relationship with Him, and given the ability to know God. (Romans 1:18; Ephesians 2:8; Colossians 1:19-22). Without Christ, we cannot know God, and as you can see from the verse above (John 17:3), knowing God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent, is eternal life.

When I say that we cannot know God without knowing Christ, I mean that we must believe in Christ, and in believing, confess Him as Lord if we are to know God. Romans 10: 9-10 says, “…If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” When we confess Jesus as Lord, we confess Him as He is- our master, our ruler, our God. When we confess Him as our Lord we are acknowledging that Jesus Christ has absolute ownership rights over our lives. In His grace and kindness, He has chosen to give us new life in Himself. This salvific (saving) confession is not a magic incantation that saves our souls. It is a public declaration which is an outward manifestation of an internal belief about who Jesus Christ is. We confess with our mouths that which we know to be true- that Jesus is God the Son incarnate (in the flesh), crucified for our sins, buried, and raised on the third day by the power of God, and as such, He is Lord of our lives.

During His earthly life, Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). No one who rejects the Lordship of Jesus Christ knows God. It does not matter how spiritual sounding or outwardly pious they might seem. The Bible teaches us, “No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.” (1 John 2:23). Jesus Christ is the measure of all true religion. Any religion which claims to have the way to God, and yet denies the deity and Lordship of Jesus Christ is a false religion, a pathway that leads to further condemnation and alienation from God. Jesus said, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life… …Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God” (John 3:16-18). Jesus also said, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). Therefore, it is impossible to believe in God and at the same time reject Jesus. To reject the Person of Jesus Christ is to reject God. If someone says that they believe in God, but do not believe that God sent Jesus into the world to reveal Himself to man-kind, and to die for the sins of His people, they do not truly believe in God.

You see to believe in Jesus is to believe in God. Jesus is God. The Bible teaches that Jesus is the pure self-revelation of God. Hebrews 1:3-5a teaches us that, “…in these last days he [God] has spoken to us by his Son… …He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power…”. And, in another place we are told, “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6).” So, in short, walking in newness of life begins with knowing Jesus Christ as Lord. As Jesus said, “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”

 

On Boasting, Emotional Wholeness, and the Doctrine of God

07 Sunday Aug 2016

Posted by in Boasting in Weaknesses, Holiness, Sanctification, Testimony, Walking in Newness of Life

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 “…Let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”  (Jeremiah 9:24 ESV)

Emotional wholeness is the result of having one’s soul rightly anchored in the grace of God. Knowing the Lord – knowing that He is righteous, kind, and steadfastly-loving gives hope to the hopelessly messed-up. If we want to be well, as the Lord counts wellness- a good place to start is with understanding Who God is and who we are in relationship to Him.  That is how we can have hope that our lives are not an accident that must be cleaned up- but a perfectly designed masterpiece created by God- for His glory. By seeing our lives against the backdrop of God’s sovereignty, holiness, wisdom, and love we begin to see ourselves as we really are- creatures created to image forth our Creator and reveal the excellency of His redeeming grace (Ephesians 1:6-10, 2:4-10).

Emotional wholeness is nothing short of experiencing the resurrection power of God in sanctification. Sanctification is the process of becoming or being made holy, conformed into the image of Christ. It is in the process of sanctification that God conforms us into His image, by making us like Jesus; and it is in that process that He brings about emotional health and holy wholeness. He does this through His  resurrection power- raising the dead in us, and giving us joy and grace as we walk by faith in His amazing promises. As we walk in faith- believing Him for the promise of newness of life- we begin to leave behind the characteristics and behaviors that developed as a result of the past and the result of sin, and we are increasingly transformed into the holy image of Christ. This comes about as we see God in the face of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18-5:21).

Throughout this process, we need to know Who God is if we are to rightly respond to Him in His sanctifying work in our lives. For instance, we need to know that God is holy, good, wise, and loving- so that we can trust Him despite the experiences of perplexing evil that He has ordained into our lives. We need to know that God is sovereign over all things, capable of causing even the worst of events to be for our ultimate good and His greatest glory. We need to know that God is perfectly good, that God  is absolutely sovereign, and yet, He is never the author of any evil which comes to pass (Acts 2:23; James 1:12-15). We also need to know that God is wise enough to order our days perfectly- to the end that our souls will be well with Him for all the millennia to come. And, finally, we need to experientially know the perfect love of God that is most abundantly manifested in the cross of Christ. We can begin to know our God personally by boasting with faith in His perfect work in our lives- that is, by trusting Him with everything in us and in our pasts. This is part of walking by faith in His amazing promises and rejoicing in those things in which He, Himself, most rejoices and delights in: His steadfast love, His justice, and His righteousness. We can walk in faith by intentionally remembering that our sin and brokenness is not lost on God- it is all part of His perfect plan to sanctify us completely- to conform us into the image of His Son, so that we rightly image forth our great Creator and reveal the excellency of His redeeming grace.

Hence, the Holy Spirit has said,  “...Let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”  (Jeremiah 9:24 ESV). 

Trust God More Than You Trust Yourself

26 Friday Dec 2014

Posted by in Exhortation, The Believing 21st Centruy American Woman, Walking in Newness of Life

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“Sometimes, we may feel as though we cannot trust anyone except ourselves. However, we cannot even trust ourselves as much as we can trust God. After all, our hearts can deceive us. Sometimes, we believe what we want to believe because it is easier to believe a lie than it is to believe a painful truth. We often believe what we think needs to be true, depending on how we feel, and despite what we know to be true. For example, how many of us have ignored the obvious unfaithfulness of a friend, because we could not bear the thought of losing the friendship? In those cases, we ignore the truth to our own detriment; and thus prove that we cannot trust ourselves as much as we can trust God.

Furthermore, we cannot trust ourselves, as much as we can trust God because we are fallible. That we are fallible means that we can make mistakes; that we are subject to error. Sometimes we make mistakes out of blind or willful ignorance. At other times, we make an error in judgment because we, simply, do not know what is best; for, as humans we are limited in our knowledge. We frequently mistake the motives or meanings of the words and actions of other people. And, often, our past situations and relationships obscure our ability to perceive our present realities (our relationships, situations, and circumstances) accurately. This is one reason that the Bible warns us that we cannot even trust our own hearts. God’s word says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). Instead of trusting in our own hearts, we should learn to trust God to give us the wisdom that we need for all of the relationships, situations, and circumstances in our lives. We can trust God in all of these things because, unlike us, God is infallible (that is, God is not capable of making mistakes or being wrong).”

Taken from Walking in Newness of Life: Experiencing the power of God in Resurrection by Identifying with Christ in His Death and Burial, pp. 29-30.

God Always Keeps His Word- So We must Trust Him

22 Monday Dec 2014

Posted by in Testimony, The Believing 21st Centruy American Woman, The Nature of God, Walking in Newness of Life

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“God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” Numbers 23:19

Trusting in God is a necessary means to the end of experiencing the many graces of walking in new life in Christ. God is the only sure foundation for our lives, and if we are going to walk in newness of life, we must know and believe (deep in our hearts) that we can always trust God. After all, our new life is completely dependent on the trustworthiness of God to change us and make us holy. Of course, we begin to know that we can trust God when we start to think about God in the right way (as we considered Saturday). However, there is more to trusting God than simply acknowledging that He is real and that He is holy, even demons do that (Luke 4:33-34; James 2:19). Truly trusting God requires understanding that God is the only person Who is always worthy of our trust, and also understanding why God is the only person that is always worthy of our trust. Trusting God also requires understanding that we cannot even trust ourselves as much as we trust God.

Often, women who have been disappointed by people that they have put their trust in, feel as though they cannot trust anyone, including God. Perhaps, you are one of those women. I use to be one of those women. If you are, then this Scripture may help you, as it once helped me: “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” (Numbers 23:19). That Scripture is very interesting, is it not? In it, we read that ‘God is not a man that He should lie’ – as if to say that all men lie. The Scripture also says that ‘God is not a son of man, that He should change His mind’ – as if to say all men change their minds. It is probably for these two reasons that, in John 2:24-25, we read about Jesus that He “… Did not trust himself unto them, for that he knew all men, and because he needed not that anyone should bear witness concerning man; for He Himself knew what was in man” (John 2:24-25). The Numbers passage above ends by asking a very good question regarding the trustworthiness of God: “Has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” Personally, I think that this question is the only question that matters when it comes to whether or not we can trust God. We must ask ourselves, “Has God always done what He said He would do?” If the answer to that question is no (which it, emphatically, is not) then we should not trust God. However, if the answer to that question is yes (which it, emphatically, is) then, we must trust God.

On Confession of Sin and Playing Games with God

29 Monday Sep 2014

Posted by in Confession of Sin, Edification, Exhortation, Repentance, Sin, The Believing 21st Centruy American Woman, Walking in Newness of Life

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“Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.” Revelation 3:19

“Confession is the authenticating mark of repentance, and likewise, repentance is the authenticating mark of our confession. They are like two sides of the same coin. If we truly agree with God about our sin, we will make every effort to stop sinning. We will do everything that we can do to turn away from our sin and turn towards God in the pursuit of holiness. Confession without turning away from sin is not real confession: it is lip-service that we are making to God. Giving lip-service to God reveals either deep stupidity (for who is stupid enough to play games with God?), or it reveals a genuine lack of understanding of who the God of the Bible is and how dangerous sin is. Jesus tells people who think that they are all set with half-hearted Christian living (things like insincere confession or lives that lack the fruits of repentance): “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent” (Revelation 3:19).”

Walking in Newness of Life: Experiencing the Power of God in Resurrection by Identifying with Christ in His Death and Burial pp. 51-52

 

On Living in the Reality of Philippians 2:12-13.

19 Friday Sep 2014

Posted by in Boasting in Weaknesses, Edification, Education, Encouragement, Pauline Theology, Reformed Theology, The Believing 21st Centruy American Woman, The Holy Spirit, The Sovereignty of God, Walking in Newness of Life

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“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” Philippians 2:12-13

“Personally, I cannot imagine a way that we could possess a more intimate knowledge of God than having Him inside of us in the person of the Holy Spirit, manifesting His resurrection power through our physical, mental, and emotional capacities; literally changing us from the inside out, and thus enabling us to walk in newness of life in Christ- only the Lord could think of that. Yet, astonishingly, this is exactly what has been happening in us since the moment that God saved us. God has been making us more and more holy, conforming us into the image of His Son. He has been forgiving sin. He has been at work healing that which is lame in us. He has begun to unravel our twisted sinful thinking and untangle all the shame filled knots in our souls. God has only begun to resurrect that which is dead in us; teaching us how to walk in the glorious newness of life that He has so graciously given us in Christ. Since the moment that we passed from death to life, God Himself has been at work in our souls producing all of the necessary graces that we have needed for walking in newness of life- through our union with Christ. Every step of faith that we have taken, every act of obedience which we have completed, every willingness and inclination towards God’s will has been a fulfillment of both the exhortation and the promise of Philippians 2:12-13: “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”

Taken from Walking in Newness of Life, p. 138.

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Why Didn’t God Give Us a New Past?

12 Friday Sep 2014

Posted by in Boasting in Weaknesses, Call to the Cross, Cross-Bearing, Edification, Encouragement, Exhortation, The Believing 21st Centruy American Woman, The Sovereignty of God, Walking in Newness of Life

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God gave us a new hope, a new Spirit, a new heart, and a new life, but He did not give us a new past: He decided to leave our pasts with us for the time being. God did this because He gets more glory by transforming our pasts than erasing them.

Taken from Walking in Newness of Life: Experiencing the Power of God in Resurrection by Identifying with Christ in His Death and Burial (p.98).

 

Why Matter- Matters.

10 Wednesday Sep 2014

Posted by in Edification, Encouragement, Walking in Newness of Life

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“God created everything that exists in order to manifest (or to make known) His glory. All matter was created to give us a small glimpse, a physical picture, of the incomprehensible greatness of who God is. Do you think that fruit is sweet? God is sweeter than the sweetest of fruit. Do you think that the sun is dazzlingly brilliant? God is dazzlingly brighter still. Do you think cool water is refreshing on a hot summer’s day? God is more refreshing than a thousand thirst-quenching mountain springs. Do you think that the ocean is vast? The vastness of God is greater still. Do you think that the universe is large? It is nothing in comparison to the greatness of God. So you see, matter matters because of what it shows us about God.”

Taken from Walking in Newness of Life: Experiencing the Power of God by Identifying with Christ in His Death and Burial (p.25).

Aimlessness is Not a Christ-like Quality

30 Wednesday Jul 2014

Posted by in Boasting in Weaknesses, Call to the Cross, Cross-Bearing, Edification, Encouragement, Exhortation, Reformed Theology, The Sovereignty of God, Walking in Newness of Life

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Submission to God is focused in its obedience and it is intentional in its faith. Christians must not be aimless in their obedience to God, or vague in their faith in Him. Aimlessness is not a Christ-like quality. Biblically speaking, aimlessness is condemnable; not commendable. We should think about where we have come from, where we are going, and all that we have in Christ; then we will be free to get busy doing God’s will for our lives. Jesus was focused in His obedience and intentional in His faith as He approached the cross. In the twelfth chapter of John we read that as the time for Jesus’ crucifixion drew near, He said, “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour” (v.27). We also read in Luke 9:51 that “When the days drew near for him [Jesus] to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.” Just like our Lord, we should set our faces to go where God is calling us. We should remember that the circumstances of our lives are not happenstance, they are divinely ordained by God for our good and for His glory. Intentional faith in God is imperative for the Christian life; we must believe that God loves us and that He is at work in our lives; making us holy and transforming us into the image of His Son Jesus. In the same way that Jesus did, we also must choose to believe God and be focused in our obedience to Him, even in the most trying circumstances and the most trying relationships in our lives. Holiness is not a result of the process of osmosis; it is a result of sweat, blood, and tears (Luke 22:39-46; Hebrews 5:7). Therefore, we should be intentional about taking up our crosses and following Jesus – in a life lived in the obedience of faith.

An excerpt from Walking in Newness of Life:Experiencing the Power of God in Resurrection by Identifying with Christ in His Death and Burial. (p.86)

 

The Obedience of Faith

08 Tuesday Jul 2014

Posted by in Exhortation, Sanctification, Walking in Newness of Life

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Day 11: The Obedience of Faith
Everything that goes into saving us from sin has been given to us from God through Jesus Christ. This includes every dimension of our salvation: the payment for our sins, our inheritance, our new lives, our new hearts, our clean consciences, all the saving promises of Scripture, and even the faith necessary to believe those promises. Faith is an indispensable grace for walking in newness of life, for without faith we cannot even begin to walk in newness of life. Hence the Bible says, “…by grace you have been saved through faith…” (Ephesians 2:8). Walking in newness of life is a step by step walk of believing and obeying God’s Word.
Faith is a supernatural enabling that God gives to the believer. It is the ability to believe, to have confidence in, and to trust God so that we confidently obey His word. For our faith in God and our obedience to God are two sides of the same coin. For this reason, the Scripture calls the obedience which results from our faith in God the obedience of faith (that makes sense, doesn’t it? Romans 1:5; 16:25-27). You see, true faith in God’s Word motivates our obedience to God- we obey Him because we trust Him and love Him (1 John 5:2-3). Obedience to God procures all of the promised blessings of God. This is because obedience is the proof that we truly do believe God. We know that trust in God pleases Him; for Hebrews 11:6 tells us,”…without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” Believing God pleases Him because it magnifies His glory and the greatness of His holiness. Faith in God shows the world around us that God is real and that He is very trustworthy.

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