Walking in Newness of Life

I thought back to the first time I received the gift of the Holy Spirit; It transformed my life. It changed the way I saw myself and others. I was truly walking in the newness of life.

Continuing to walk in the newness of life in Christ does take intentionality- it does not happen naturally or automatically. Sin is always lurking and looking for opportunities to resurrect the “old man”; in us- that old sinful nature that held us captive for so many years. But we have been baptized into Jesus Christ’s death, so we no longer have to give in to our sinful nature. 

Romans 6:4-6 says, “Therefore we were buried with Him (Jesus) through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so, we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.

What does it mean to be dead to sin and walk in the newness of life? It means we don’t embrace sinful acts, sinful talk, or sinful relationships. We refuse sin the opportunity to become a permanent fixture in our lives, and we don’t make room for it. It means that the presence of Jesus Christ is so apparent in our life that it becomes an obstacle for sin to use our mind, body, and soul to fulfill its lust.  

If we continue to live in sin, we are not dead to it. Okay, so I am just going to say it, “I don’t care how many times we say the name Jesus, if we are still practicing sin, we are not dead to it!” We are still a slave to the lust of sin if we entertain and contribute to sin’s agenda. We cannot practice sin and live in Christ simultaneously. Even in the natural, we can’t live in two places at the same time. So, will we decide to walk in the newness of life in Christ, or will we continue to be a slave to sin and fulfill its lust?

I believe we still practice sin because of these four reasons-

1. We don’t truly understand the significance of Jesus Christ’s life and what He did for us on the Cross. He was born to save you and me from sin and hell. His life is not just a story; it is life! He gave us life through His death and resurrection. He came and died so that we can be with Him in eternity. Jesus came that we may have a life with Him not absent of Him!

2. We don’t fully understand the strategies and plans of Satan (the Devil). His purpose is to destroy what God loves, you and I. When we practice sin and allow lust to be fulfilled in our life, we are being intimate with Satan. Yes, we are becoming one with him. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to become one with someone whose primary purpose is to destroy my life. When we sin, we agree with Satan’s death sentence for our life. Jesus came that we may have life and have it more abundantly. Life with Christ is the way, not sin.  

3. We don’t realize that every time we practice sin, we move further away from the presence of God. We may still perform the works of God, but there is no intimacy with Him.  Matthew 7:22-23 says, “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” This passage of scripture puts the fear of God in me. I don’t care how many demons we cast out, prophetic words we utter or perform many signs and wonders; if we choose to practice lawlessness, we will not have a place in His kingdom. Don’t settle for working for God; He wants to partner with you. He gave us newness of life so we could walk together with Him doing His works for His glory.

4.  We have not received the revelation that no fruit is gained in practicing sin. What do we gain when we practice sin? How is practicing sin adding value to our life? The truth is, we are not gaining anything, and we are subtracting value from our life. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  When we refuse to accept the newness of life in Christ and continue to practice sin, we pay wages towards our death. Eternal death is not God’s plan for our life. He has given us a gift- eternal life with him. Let’s receive the gift and let go of practicing sin.

Jesus died for you and me to have life. The instruments of our body were never meant to be used as a slave to sin. Our covenant is with Jesus Christ, not sin.

I pray you have been encouraged by my words to let go of practicing sin and walk in the newness of life in Christ. We are valued and gain much fruit when we decide to live in the newness of life Christ died for us to have.