MARK STROUT EXECUTIVE DEAN & PROFESSOR
Dear class of 2017! Congratulations on completing a year or two at the Word of Life Bible Institute! Tell me, would you prefer to own a brand new cell phone or a refurbished old one? How about a new car versus a patched-up clunker or a freshly picked piece of fruit compared to a rotten one that’s been spray-painted to look nice? The answers are obvious to most. God’s amazing gift of salvation is no different. It’s not a patched-up, spray-painted makeover of what we once were but a radical rebirth into a brand new identity. That’s been our theme this year and what a great one it’s been. Never forget that being in Christ means that you’re a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). What you once were in Adam has been put to death on the cross and you’ve been raised to newness of life in Jesus. The enemy would love nothing more than to cause you to forget this, or worse, to get you to believe the lie that it’s all just a mind game; that nothing really changed
when you placed your faith in Christ except maybe your eternal destination. If you buy that, the result will be discouragement, defeat, and eventually disillusionment in your walk with God. So as you journey on from here, I encourage you to continually walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). Listen to God’s assessment of who you are now. Trust Him when He tells you that you are a saint indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Get to know Romans 6-8 and ask God to deepen your practical understanding of what it means to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4). It’s far more refreshing and liberating than continuing to yield to the pitiful call of the flesh that is bent on your destruction (1 Peter 2:11). Sin no longer suits you, whereas righteousness does; so breathe free! It’s been a privilege to share part of the journey with you and we pray that you’ll go from here putting Christ on display for the world to see!
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