We Are a New Creation Through the Power of the Resurrection

It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment (Hebrews 9:27)

Jesus said, "If you continue to follow My teaching, you are really My disciples and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:31–32 NET).

The Bible talks about the mind of man as the "Old Man" and the "New Man" (Ephesians 4:22–24; Colossians 3:9–10). The Old Testament talks about the mind of the Old Man and how it contradicted God's expectations (or His instruction for man). The Old Testament of the Bible does not hide anything that man did against God. The authenticity of the Bible is evident in its honest record of man's sins and failures, such as homosexuality (Genesis 19), murder (Genesis 4:8), adultery (2 Samuel 11), witchcraft (1 Samuel 28:3–25), idolatry (Exodus 32), deception (Genesis 27), abusing power (1 Samuel 2:12–22), rape (Genesis 34) and more.

We read, "Because they did not think it worthwhile to acknowledge God, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done." The Bible lists all the unrighteousness that man does under the sun, such as evil, greed, wickedness, envy, murder, quarrels, deceit, malice, gossip, slander, God-haters, arrogance, pride, boasting, being untrustworthy, and being unmerciful (Romans 1:28–32).

Anything that man does contrary to the laws of God is sin, and the penalty for sin is death (Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23). God knew that man would fail in following His laws, and He had a plan to redeem and reconcile the entire world to Himself (1 John 3:20; 2 Corinthians 5:19).

God came in the flesh as Jesus so that He could live according to His own law and pay the penalty for the sins of the world by shedding His own blood on the cross (John 1:14; Philippians 2:6–8).

God was born in the flesh as Jesus through Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit of the LORD (Matthew 1:18–23; Luke 1:34–35). The Holy Spirit of the LORD is the incorruptible seed. Otherwise, the corruptible flesh was impregnated by the incorruptible seed, resulting in the incorruptible birth of God in the flesh as Jesus.

Jesus, as the Son of God, though He was born of incorruptible seed, was challenged with everything in the flesh as we all face, yet He was able to overcome because He was born of the Spirit (Hebrews 4:15).

According to the plan of God, Jesus taught the Kingdom of God, which revealed God's law that contradicted the kingdom of this world. Though Jesus is God Himself, He submitted to the will of God the Father and died on the cross, going through humiliation, to pay the penalty for the entire world by shedding His blood (Philippians 2:8; Isaiah 53:5–6).

In the Old Testament, God gave the people the sacrifice of animals—that is, the shedding of their blood—as a temporary solution for the forgiveness of their sins. They were instructed to sacrifice animals every time they sinned (Leviticus 4). Now, Jesus paid the penalty by shedding His blood once for all and for the entire world (Hebrews 9:11–14; Hebrews 10:10–14).

The shedding of Jesus' blood once for all and for the entire world paid the price—the penalty for sin, which is death—so none of us has to repeat the sacrifice of animals as was done in the Old Testament. The sacrifice of animals only gave the forgiveness of sins. But Jesus paid the penalty for the past, present, and future sins, once for all and for the entire world (Hebrews 9:26–28; Hebrews 10:12–14).

After Jesus died on the cross, He resurrected (or came back to life), abolishing death (2 Timothy 1:10). We read, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16).

When we believe in and accept Jesus as our Savior, He seals us with the Holy Spirit of the LORD (Ephesians 1:13–14). The same Holy Spirit of the LORD through whom He was born into this world now dwells in us (Romans 8:9–11). Now the Holy Spirit of the LORD, who knows the mind of God, leads us, guides us, and prays for us (1 Corinthians 2:10–16; Romans 8:14; Romans 8:26–27). This is called transformation.

The power of the resurrection is transforming us from a corruptible person into an incorruptible person while we are still on the earth, enabling us to be overcomers just as He overcame the world (John 16:33; Romans 8:37; 1 John 5:4–5).

SOW THIS WORD INTO YOUR SOUL

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