"The old has gone, the new has come..."

I spent this weekend in Nashville at a Biblical Counseling conference. I went into the weekend expecting to learn a lot and to be encouraged in counseling others using a Biblical perspective. My expectations were definitely met, and then some. I did learn a lot, but I was also challenged personally. I spent much of the weekend being challenged in my own thinking and in my own sin. God seems to do this to me most when I am least expecting it. Then today after being home and processing some things with my husband, I had one of those "ah-ha" moments. You know when you understand something that you've probably heard a million times, but then one day it finally clicks and makes more sense or you gain a better understanding than you had before? I have a lot of these because I suffer from a condition called "stubbornness" or "thick-headedness". I'm sure no one else can relate to this condition and probably understands and accepts everything the first time it's presented to you. :) 

Please know, I'm not writing this to boast about myself & some ability I have to have insight. I just wanted to share & hopefully encourage people in something God graciously showed me this weekend & really throughout the past several years!

Let me start by sharing some verses.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come" 2 Corinthians 5:17

"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20

"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

These are just a few of the many verses I could have listed that talk about that when we are saved by believing in Jesus Christ, we are in fact a new creation. I think I have realized, that if I'm honest, I have lived much of my life in Christ more focused on who I was than on who I am. Which in turn, shapes my identity in how I view myself and therefore how I live. This leaves me living much of my life in Christ insecure, defeated, and lacking joy. Now I have had great times in my life of feeling secure in Christ and being very joyful, but I tend to cycle in and out of it. My focus shifts to my circumstances or my short-comings. This is not the life we are called to in Christ.

We are called to walk in the righteousness of Christ. We are not called to walk in the unrighteousness of our flesh. Notice in the verse from 1 Corinthians, Paul is talking to believers and says "and such were some of you...". Before this he basically listed out lifestyles of the unrighteous. He then makes a very clear statement that they are no longer the unrighteous. They have been washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ by the Spirit of God.

I remember clearly the day I first understood God's grace. I realized that I am a sinner and that nothing I do is good. (Rom 3:10) I understood that because God is just there must be a penalty for sin. In and of myself, my sin was earning me eternal separation from God is a place called hell. But by God's grace he lovingly sent Jesus to die on the cross to pay that penalty and that through my belief in Him I can be a child of God and walk in the righteousness of Christ. (Romans 6:23, 2 Corinthians 5:21) I believed in this with all of my heart and surrendered my life to Christ. I then began I journey of sanctification. A journey that will not be completed until I get to heaven. (Philippians 1:6) It's been a journey with a lot of "ah-ha" moments, but this has been 1 of the biggest truths for me to struggle to grasp. I am a new creation in Christ. The old Amanda is gone and the new Amanda has come. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. These are things that I knew & believed before this weekend, but is it what I focused on day in and day out? In all honesty, no. As I said earlier, I have spent a lot of time focused on the flesh, on who I was, on the mess ups or where I have fallen short. This is not where followers of Christ have to stay! We are to put off the old self and put on the new self. (Ephesians 4) By the power of God, the same God who created all of creation and raised Jesus from the dead, we can walk in newness of life!