Last week we spent some time asking the Lord to show us what he saved us from and to restore in us the joy of His salvation. I hope that you have a little fresh wind in your sails from spending time with Him!
If you skipped over that portion at the end of last week, no shade, but right now is a great opportunity to go back and do that. The time you spend with the Lord on the questions at the end will be so much more valuable than the time you spend reading.
So, what does that joy in our salvation lead to? Are we meant to stay just the way we are and bide our time making our lives more comfortable until the day we die or Jesus comes back?
Not even close, sister.
“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! 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."
Romans 6:1-4 (ESV)
So, according to the Word, we were saved to walk in newness of life. That sounds awesome! Let’s do THAT! But what does walking in newness of life actually even mean?
While Christ has already paid for our sins —past, present, and future, in His Word, He is clear that His children don’t just accept his gift of salvation, they also repent from the things that break his heart and turn the other way. And to make that even remotely possible, he sent us the Holy Spirit to break the stranglehold sin has on us and empower his people to live in a new way.
"For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.”
Romans 6: 5-6 (ESV)
Does this mean that once we are saved, we will never sin again? Absolutely not. Even James, the New Testament’s favorite hall-monitoring rule-follower can admit, “we all stumble in many ways. …” (James 3:2a). Repentance is not never slipping up ever again, repentance is laying our failures down at the feet of Jesus each time we fail and asking him to help us turn, to help us go the opposite direction from where sin wants to take us.
The new life that Christ invites us into is the life of walking with God in His love, not working for God to earn His love. His finished work on the cross allows us to live FROM our forgiveness, not living to EARN forgiveness.
You and I have not merely been saved for fire insurance, nor just redeemed to do good works, as great as both of those things are. But undeservedly and remarkably, our purpose is simply to glorify God and enjoy him forever (thanks for that line, Westminster Shorter Catechism). This joy, not guilt and shame, is the fuel that allows us to overcome long-held areas of struggle and sin.
Let’s step into the rest of the week beaming with the joy of our salvation and knowing that we have been empowered by the Holy Spirit to walk with Jesus and live in a brand new way.
As we continue preparing our hearts for celebrating the finished work of Christ, here are a few questions to meditate on, take to Him in prayer, and discuss with your small group or accountability partner.
Lord, what areas of my heart, mind, and life have I not let you in to make new? Will you show me those places and begin to heal them?
Will you show me chains that you’ve already cut off that I’m still dragging around?
Lord, will you help me get in the habit of asking for your help when I go back to dead ways of living and feel stuck?
Next week we will be looking at some rhythms that we can incorporate into our lives that help us to continually lift our eyes up from the daily grind and fix our eyes on Jesus instead.
Can’t wait to meet you there!
Bonus Bookshelf:
Song | Build my Life
By Pat Barrett
Worthy of every song we could ever sing
Worthy of all the praise we could ever bring
Worthy of every breath we could ever breathe
We live for You, oh, we live for You
Jesus, the Name above every other name
Jesus, the only One who could ever save
Worthy of every breath we could ever breathe
We live for You, we live for You
Holy, there is no one like You
There is none beside You
Open up my eyes in wonder
And show me who You are
And fill me with Your heart
And lead me in Your love to those around me
Jesus, the Name above every other name
Jesus, the only One who could ever save
Worthy of every breath we could ever breathe
We live for You, oh, we live for You
Holy, there is no one like You
There is none beside You
Open up my eyes in wonder
And show me who You are
And fill me with Your heart
And lead me in Your love to those around me
And I will build my life upon Your love
It is a firm foundation
And I will put my trust in You alone
And I will not be shaken
And I will build my life upon Your love
It is a firm foundation
And I will put my trust in You alone
And I will not be shaken
Holy, there is no one like You
There is none beside You
Open up my eyes in wonder
And show me who You are
And fill me with Your heart
And lead me in Your love to those around me
I will build my life upon You
Lead me in Your love
No comments:
Post a Comment