On Being a New Creation

The word “create” and its variations are used somewhat frequently throughout the Bible.  If you use some sort of Bible software (Biblegateway.com, E-Sword) you can search and you will find that in the majority of instances, it is speaking of God and His creating the world and all that is in it.  In all of these cases, whether it is in the Old Testament or New, Hebrew or Greek, there is a definite meaning to the word “create.”  We have the exact same meaning in English.  Webster’s Dictionary defines the word as follows:

“To Cause to come into existence; bring into being.”

Although there are other meanings, this is the primary meaning, and the same goes for the word when used in the Bible.  To created assumes that one is not simply changing something that exists into something else.  It is producing something where there was nothing before.  When God created the Heavens and the Earth, he did not simply rearrange what existed, he made them from nothing.  When God created the plants and animals of the world, he did not rearrange what already existed, he created them new.  When God created man, he may have produced man’s body from the dust he already created, but the soul and the human intellect and mind were brand new creations. 

One of the few cases (the only I found, not necessarily the only one in existence) in which the Bible uses create when referring to man and not God is in Romans 16.

I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them.
[Rom 16:17 ESV]

Even in this case, those who create obstacles are creating them from nothing.  God did not give us teachings that set up Obstacles, we in our sin create them.  Even in this case, the word create means to bring somthing into existence.  To bring into being from nothing. 

That is what the word create means and we cannot get around the word create when the Holy Spirit uses through the writer’s of the Bible.  When King David says in Psalm 51 “Create in me a clean heart”  he is not saying that his heart needs to be cleaned.  Nothing in his heart is good enough to carry on, he needs a brand new one, a clean one that can only be created by God himself.  We too are sinful and our natural hearts too are not worthy of having anything to do with a Holy God.  We too need to beg God to create a clean heart in us. 

Fortunately God hears our prayers for a clean heart and is Happy to answer them. 

to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
[Eph 4:22-24 ESV]

God creates for us a new self, created after what our old selves could never match, what our old selves could not even tolerate, the true righteousness and holiness of God.  We are given this new self and the old, filthy, sinful self is given what he deserves, death.  The old self is drowned in the waters of our Baptism and our new self created by God Rises.  There is no good in our old selves, there is no way for our old self to come to Christ and work towards our own salvation.  The Old Adam’s only destiny is Death:

How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
[Rom 6:2-4 ESV]

We are told even more clearly in Ephesians 2 that in Christ we are a new creation in Christ:

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
[Eph 2:10 ESV]

He made us a new creation, not because we have done good works, not because we have earned or deserved it, or even because we asked for it.  The Old Adam, he who has no future but the wages of his sin, is not capable of any of these things.  It is only the new creation that can do the good works that God has prepared for us to do.  It is only the new creation that will walk in the path God has laid out for him. 

What a blessing and comfort it is to be a new creation in God’s sight.  To know that we have been created in “true righteousness and holiness.”  The true righteousness and holiness that comes to us only from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

SOLI DEO GLORIA

On Ephesians 6:10-17

St. Paul wrote his letter to the church at Ephesus without any particular error to refute, as he did is most of his other letters. He wrote it from Prison in order to send the Ephesians a word of encouragement, a very potent reminder of our being saved by Grace alone, and a deeper understanding of our strength in Christ.

It is this last part, our strenght in Christ that I wish to look at today. This is how Paul chose to close his letter, with a picture of Christ’s strength as our armor. We are to take up the “whole armor of God” in order that we will be able to stand firm in the day of Evil. We are told to gird our waists with truth, to wear the breastplate of righteousness, and shod our feet with the Gospel of peace. Finally, we are told to carry the shield of faith, wear the helmet of salvation, and carry the sword of the spirit.

All of this sounds very good, however the instructions to do so seem to be kind of vague. These instructions are actually given to us in verse 10.

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.   [Eph 6:10 NKJV]

Of course, this is rather vague as well, how does a sinful human ”be strong in the Lord”. It would be more clear if we look at the original language. The word translated here as “be strong” is “ενδυναμουσθε” (transliterated as endunamoō). Although this word can be translated as it is, a better translation is “to receive strength” or “to be strengthened” (see footnote). This gives us a better understanding. Instead of placing on us the responsibility to remain strong, we are told instead to be strengthened by the Lord. Being strengthened by the Lord is much simpler than being strong. We all know how to be strengthened by the Lord, we are strengthened through the Means of Grace, the Gospel in Word and Sacrament. Whenever we hear the Word, we are being strengthened and putting on the whole armor of God. When we were baptized, and as our sinful nature is drowned daily, we are being strengthened and putting on the whole armor of God. When we receive the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are being strengthened and putting on the whole armor of God.

Now that we know how to put on the armor of God, we must too understand what it means to put this armor on. In the 59th chapter of Isaiah, the prophet speaks of Christ himself wearing “righteousness as a breastplate and a helmet of salvation on his head.” (Isa 59:17) From this we see that this armor of God is not simply how we are protected from evil, but is in fact another way of saying that when we were baptized into Christ, we were clothed with Christ. (Gal 3:27). Putting on the armor of God is the same as being clothed with Christ. It is not something that we do after being saved, it is part of being saved. Not only are we clothed with Christ’s purity, but we are surrounded and protected by his strength as well. When we become adopted sons of God we are clothed with the Chist’s righteousness and protected by Christ’s Strength.

SOLI DEO GLORIA

footnote:There are some translations which do translate Ephesians 6:10 more appropriately. I probably prefer the Holman Christian Standard Bible’s translation over the others.

Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by His vast strength.[Eph 6:10 HCSB]

Although I am not a big fan of it, the Amplified Bible also has a decent translation of the passage.

In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him]; draw your strength from Him [that strength which His boundless might provides].[Eph 6:10 AB]

Finally, the Contemporary English Version has a good translation of the passage.

Finally, let the mighty strength of the Lord make you strong.[Eph 6:10 CEV]

On Ephesians 2:1-10

A meditation on Ephesians 2:1-10.

Ephesians 2 is one of the most famous chapters in the bible.  It contains the gospel in its purest form.  It is the most essential & central of all messages in the scriptures.  Its central message is that of Salvation by Grace through Faith. 

The chapter in fact is a brief description of the entire life of a Christian, from before conversion through the entire process of sanctification.  This chapter cannot be covered too well, or too many times.

  V. 1-3  And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

In the first three verses of this chapter, we have the description of our state before being converted to know Christ as our savior.  The very first thing the apostle notes about our state is that we were “dead in our trespasses and sins.”  We were not injured or weakened by our sin, be we were in all reality spiritually dead.  (See Also Pro 21:16, Luk 15:32, Joh 6:53, and Col 2:13)

Being Spiritually dead, we had no choice but to follow Satan, who is “The Prince of the power of the air.”  The one who still works in the lives of sinners, was our master.  Not only were we subject to the Devil himself, but we were subject to our own sinful flesh and our own selfish desires. 

In this state, it was not possible for us to please God.  (Rom 8:8, Rom 14:23, Gal 5:17)  In this state, without faith and without any spiritual powers, we were all together objects of wrath (vs. 3).  We deserved nothing but God’s punishment.  We were wretched sinners, and the wages of sin is Death (Rom 6:23)

Fortunately, God saw our pitiful state and had mercy on us.

V. 4-7 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ–by grace you have been saved–and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

God not only has mercy, but he is rich in it.  He is in fact so rich in mercy that he loved us even when we were in our despicable state of spiritual death and separation from God.  It is important that the apostle states that he loved us when we were dead.  He did not love us for our works, or because we loved him.  He loved us when we still hated God (Joh 7:7, Joh 15:18) and were still doing all things contrary to his will.

Through mercy God loved us, and he showed his love by raising us from the dead.  Because of his love, and only because of his love, he made us alive together with Christ.  Not only were we granted new life, but we were raised to the heavenly places.  Through Christ, we have access to God (On The Comfort of Prayer).  Because of his love, he promises us immeasurable riches.  These are not earthly riches, but spiritual riches.  These are riches of his Grace.  What do these riches do for us?

V. 8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,  not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 

These riches promised to us in love save us.  We are saved by Grace, the love God gives us that we do not deserve.  We did not work to earn it, we did not ask for it, we really did not even desire it.  We certainly did not deserve it.  We cannot boast and brag that we have earned God’s love, it was purely and simply a gift.  If we are to boast, we should boast of God’s love. (1Co 1:31)

There is not a more comforting thought than this, that we were loved by God and saved for no reason but his love.  So many people take it as a negative that we cannot earn this for ourselves.  It is certainly not a negative thing.  We have the burden taken from us, we cannot do it, therefore it has been given to us freely, not by works.

What is the result of us being saved?  We have treasures awaiting us in heaven.  We are no longer dead in our trespasses and sins.  We have been made alive in Christ.

V.10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Instead of leaving us Dead in our sinful ways, God has made us a new creation of his own workmanship.  We were created to do Good works.  God has prepared Good works for us to do and through Christ alone (Joh 15:5) we can do them.

In this remakable little section of scripture, the apostle sums up our entire life into 11 verses.  We were sinful and opposed to God.  God had mercy on us and sent His Son to take our punishment and die a cursed death on  the cross of Calvary.  Through this we are saved, and through Christ we are able to do Good works to show our thanks.  This truly is the Good news of Christ Jesus.

SOLI DEO GLORIA