I T is interesting to see in the New Testament just how the Apostle Paul was used of the Holy Spirit to point out eternal truths to those who had great spiritual needs. One por tion I particularly appreciate is II Corinthians 5:13. This shows us how God brings the transformation of new life to those who place their faith and trust in Him. He is a new creature, with a miraculous trans formation of the new birth. This gives us a clear answer to the two things in Paul’s life. First, the love of Christ constrains us. This shows his emotional drive. No man will ever completely belong to the Lord Jesus Christ until the Saviour domi nates his thinking. He wants us to know that through Christ’s death we no longer live unto ourselves but unto Him who died for us and rose again. This philosophy of Christ’s death and resurrection is that on which Paul based his manner of liv ing. Nothing would ever be the same again following his conversion. The knowledge of Christ is not dependent upon having seen Him in the flesh. Paul had met Christ on the Damas cus Road, but not as the disciples who had accompanied the Lord be fore His crucifixion. One cannot be in Christ and remain unchanged. The faith which saves a soul changes the life. The two things go together. There will be a complete re-orienta- tion of life. Nothing can ever be the same again. We talk about life be ginning at 40, but I say that it only begins when by faith a person re ceives Jesus Christ as Saviour. This is the good news of the Gospel. If you enter into this experience of sav ing grace, He enters your heart and you enter His family. His Holy
Spirit indwells your life and you are no longer under condemnation. Now, as the Bible says, you are “in Christ.” You are safe inside His fold. One of the most wonderful things about being converted is that you get to see the way old things pass away. Old habits drop off; old sins and their enticements go away. The Bible, which we ignored and hardly knew, is now precious in every word and verse. It is milk to feed us when we are tiny babes in Christ. It is meat to strengthen us as we grow in grace. It is light along our pathway. It is the chart and com pass on life’s tempestuous sea. Ev erything we’ll ever need in life is found in the Word of God. How long has this Book been unused in your home? An unconverted person will rarely open it. When one becomes a Christian, the Bible comes alive. Prayer is vital union and communion with the Lord. God reveals Himself as your loving, heavenly Father. Open your heart to Him. Tell Him everything that is of concern to you and your loved ones. Take everything to the Lord in prayer. The church to a new-born Christian is no longer just an organization full of hypo crites. It now becomes the best com munity of people to be found any where. One can enter the Christian life only by faith. You trust the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, asking Him to forgive all your sins, remov ing the guilt, and indwelling your life by His Holy Spirit.- You will be rejoicing in the fact that you are a child of God, new bom through grace. May the Lord grant that each one of us may know the wonder of being a new creation in Christ Jesus! 11
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