I Am New

2Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

I heard a song the other day called I Am New by Jason Gray. Yesterday I wrote about what some would say is a holier-than-thou attitude toward Christians...those who lay claim to having a relationship with Christ. In Christ we are new creations and we are in relationship with the Almighty God. The old man is gone and the new, in Christ, now lives. It does not make us perfect. Sadly, those who don't understand relationship over religion think we think we are better. We are not. I am not. There are some who do think this way, but they ought not to. It's all about understanding this relationship concept. On one hand it's difficult to understand, on the other it's so easy.

Lord, let ears hear, eyes see and minds be open to this concept.

I was of the same opinion once before I knew about this relationship thing with Christ. In fact, it wasn't until some time later that I understood I was in relationship with Him...and not until a time after that did I realize there's a difference between relationship and religion. Knowing Christ is not a Lutheran thing or a Catholic thing or a Baptist thing. It's a personal thing. I heard this one time: I know you call yourself a Christian, but I am a Roman Catholic. That does not make them any better than me either. Relationship, not religion. 

The title Christian has lost some significance as the years have gone on. It is about as watered down as the Church watering down the Word of God, not upholding God's standards like it used to...so as not to offend. Oh, Jesus is SO an offense... There's no getting around it. The Old Testament religious and political leaders took so much offense to Him they were part of a group determined to put Him to death. But let me add here, it was not any one group who ultimately killed Him...we are all guilty of that. Jesus came for the very purpose of dying. You can't kill someone whose purpose in life was to die for the sins of the world, including the religious and political leaders. Jesus came to this earth for that very purpose. 

Jesus came...not religion. I'd venture to say He hates religion. Religion is laws and rituals that cannot be upheld no matter how hard one tries; relationship bypasses that and deals directly with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. We still need to adhere to the laws of the Commandments but it's our relationship in Christ that sets us free from condemnation and sin. The relationship, the acceptance of Christ, receiving Him into our lives is what makes us new.

So, Jesus is an offense. His truth is an offense. And part of that truth is we are not truly Christians until we have a personal relationship with Him. It's not knowing who He is and living as we always have. In the end one who only knows who Jesus is will realize they missed something somewhere in their life. They will realize they missed that relationship with Christ.

My whole view today on what a Christian is goes much deeper than just knowing Christ existed. It's knowing Him intimately. Anyone can do this. No one religion (including Judaism) has the corner on the Christ market. He came for all people, all races, all faiths. A Christian is one who knows that he knows that he knows Christ and is a follower. It's about putting trust and faith in what Jesus Christ did for us. It's not about our works but about His work done on the cross. 

What were the lyrics to that song (in case you didn't listen or didn't listen all the way through) that tell us the truth of who we are when we receive Christ? 

Forgiven, beloved, hidden in Christ.

Made in the image of the Giver of Life.

Righteous and holy, reborn and remade.

Accepted and worthy, is our new name.

You can look these words up in a Bible and find definitive words that tells us that in Christ we are these things. There is nothing holier-than-thou about this. It's the truth. We still cannot live perfect lives. We will fail others and other will fail us. The Church will fail too. But unless one questions their own religion and the teachings of their church, if a relationship with Christ is not considered because it is not part of the teaching of a church, they are missing the mark. In the Bible the phrase to miss the mark is the definition of the Greek word for sin. So that means there are many churches that are missing the mark in their teachings. I know this is a hard word.  

It's not about how good we think we are and all our good works. We cannot work our way to God and we cannot work our way to relationship with Christ. We receive Him. It's all about Jesus and no one else...no one. We go to Jesus and Jesus alone. HE is the one who intercedes on our behalf to the Father. No one else can do this. Jesus is the one who died on the cross...no one else. We need to realize this and accept this concept, so we can be made new, through Christ and Christ alone. No one else can make us all the things, and so many more, this song has shown us.

Listen to what the Bible has to say. Do you believe the Word of God is the truth? Do you believe Jesus can do this today? He is able...and so much more. It is that relationship with Christ that makes these statements true.

For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him...But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God... And he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. (Colossians 2:9-10, John 1:12, 1Corinthians 6:17)