The Newness of Spirit Podcast

The communion between the Father and the Son have had for all eternity has been opened to us.  Let's enter in!

In this series, we will be searching on the New Creation in Christ.  Today we take a close look at II Corinthians 5:17.  What has passed away?  What - or Who - is now living?  What is the quality of that life?  And where is it found?  

How believers appear to one another is a big driving force for many.  As a soul embarks on knowing the Crucified Christ, the outward appearance is left behind, and the believer may not look as good as before.  If he or she makes their stand in Christ and give the Spirit a chance, Christ will be formed within and a new image will emerge!

The Jews had Scripture, ritual, and culture mixed in with their faith in Jesus.  How necessary was it, then, that they comprehend the Cross?  

What the flesh clings to and values, the Lord has no interest in.  Paul presents a beautiful example of how Christ living in a believer overcomes the social tendencies and pulls of the flesh.  Instead, others are drawn to Jesus!

Paul had seen the Lord so clearly that it changed him, right down to his motives, attitudes, and actions.  His stand for the true gospel was not because of a difference in doctrine.  He saw that the gospel of grace versus a gospel that had man-made elements was a matter of life and death.  

Seeing the Son by revelation makes real to us personally what is true in Christ.  Until that time, the Cross and the Life of Christ within has little effect.  David's utter dependence upon the Lord in this way is clearly expressed in his psalms.

Paul had seen the Lord so clearly that his motives and actions were quickened by the life of the Son within him.  We can see parallels to this in David's Psalms!

When the Son is revealed in Paul, an interesting things happens: Paul is hidden!  So the revealed Son shines inside of Paul, and he removes himself from public view.  This is conformity to the image of the Son.

The revealing of the Son within is not the impartation of secret knowledge or a burst of emotion.  It is a true seeing of Christ as our life.  We now grasp that it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me.  This has a very practical outworking in our daily lives, for the Life of The Son is not subject to the pulls and desires of the flesh.