Grace For Your Day August 10

Grace For Your Day

In his Commentary on the Book of Ephesians, John MacArthur writes:

When a person believes and confesses Jesus Christ as Lord and is thereby born again, a transformation takes place in his basic nature . . . Salvation is not a matter of improvement or perfection of what has previously existed. It is a total transformation.

The New Testament speaks of believers having a new mind, a new will, a new heart, a new inheritance, a new relationship, a new power, new knowledge, new wisdom, new perception, new understanding, new righteousness, new love, new desire, new citizenship, and many other new things – all of which are summed up in newness of life . . .

It is not simply that he receives something new but that he becomes something new . . . The new nature is not added to the old nature but replaces it. 
 
This is what Paul talks about in the Book of Ephesians. He says that God has made us new. He has completely transformed us and one way we see this is in our approach to sin. A Christian does not have the same view of sin anymore. He does not look at evil the same way that he once did. Ephesians 4:25-29 says:
 
Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity. He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need. Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. 
 
Paul says that this is how you should respond to your new life in Christ. This is how you should respond to your transformation: you need to put off your sin. You need to lay it aside and stop lying, stealing, and getting angry. You need to stop saying unwholesome words but only say what is edifying to others. In other words, you need to live like you are new. You need to live like God has changed you.

Do you still struggle with sin today? Do you still find yourself giving into it? It may be because you do not understand this. It may be because you do not see yourself the way God does. He sees you as new. He sees you as a different person. You just need to remember that and live accordingly. You need to remember that and learn how to live a new kind of life. Do you ever feel like you are missing something in the Christian life? Do you ever feel like you do not have what it takes to fight sin? Paul says that you do. He says that you are have all you need. You just need to take advantage of that which is what we are going to talk about this Sunday morning at Grace Fellowship Church. The service begins at 9:30. Bring your Bibles and come ready to study this encouraging passage about the transformation of the Christian life.

-Jeremy Cagle

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