Old Things (and the Old Man) Have Past Away

What AA gives, actually takes away.

God grants us a better covenant with better promises through His Son Jesus!

We do not need a different set of rules for us to try to be OK with God.

God comes to live in us and through us because of all that His Son did, and does for us:

"31What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? 33Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. 34Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." (Romans 8: 31-34)

What has taken place over the last few days has been nothing short of extraordinary.

For so long, I felt compelled to put out every fire, control every bad thought, fight this fight on my own.

Yet what are we supposed to be fighting, anyway?

"18This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare; 19Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: 20Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme." (1 Timpthy 1:18-20)

and then

"Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses." (1 Timothy 6: 12)

This is a fight of faith. A fight over what Jesus did at the Cross, that because of all that Jesus did at the Cross and now does for us at the right hand of God the Father, and that He now lives through us and for us:

"20I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 21I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." (Galatians 2 :20-21)

This faith is Jesus' faith in us, a faith based on the full payment of our sin and His life in us.

We must also fight for the truth, that in Christ are conscience is perfected, a good conscience:

"For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins." (Hebrews 10: 2)

followed by:

"For by one offering he [Jesus] hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified." (Hebrews 10: 14)

and

"Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ." (1 Peter 3: 16)

"I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:" (2 Timothy 4: 7)

This is fight which we win by staying true to the Gospel of Grace (Galatians 1: 6), a fight which  Jude exhorts us all of us to keep:

"3Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. 4For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ." (Jude 3-4)

This new faith speaks of our new standing in Him, that old things have passed away, and we are a new creation in Christ:

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2 Corinthians 5: 17)

Since we are a new creation, there is no reason to identify with the old man, in Adam (Romans 5: 15-17)

"20But ye have not so learned Christ; 21If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." (Ephesians 4: 20-24)

"But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. 9Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: 11Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all." (Colossians 3: 9-11)

Old things have passed away, and thus there is no reason to identify oneself with who we were (1 Corinthians 6).

This has taken me a little longer, since there have been so many things which I thought and did which I had identified with.

Bob George writes in Classic Christianity that so many of us walk around in guilt and frustration, that we become accustomed to it. That describes me all to well.

Today, by the grace of God, I am glad to break away from what I was, seeing that who I am is nothing as what I had believed before.