Re-creation in Christ through the cross by the Spirit

Chapter 15
RE-CREATION IN CHRIST
THROUGH THE CROSS
BY THE SPIRIT

We saw that salvation is a matter of deliverance from a race rejected by God and into one accepted by Him. We looked at Colossians 3:9-10 and Ephesians 4:22-24.

Notice the word "created in both these passages - "Put on the new man... created..." and again,... the new man... has been created...". There are many more verses, as we have already seen, which show that Christians are being re-created in the image of God's Son.

But how does this miracle actually take place in our lives? How are we re-created in Christ and made to be like Him?

First, we must mention three things that will contribute nothing to this process, and which will, in fact, hinder us and lead us astray.

1) INTROSPECTION

Introspection - looking inward at ourselves, at our sinfulness (or apparent success and progress), or analyzing ourselves, or depending on or being guided by our feelings - is a serious mistake. It can lead to depression, or false assurance and pride, or deception. We must always keep the eyes of our heart on the Lord Jesus alone, looking outward and upward to Him who is seated on the throne of grace. Subjectivity of any kind will lead us astray. We are not, of course, talking about wholesome self-examination, which is right - Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. - but that damaging pre-occupation with our experience with how we feel, with our spiritual state, that is, with ourselves.

2) IMITATING CHRIST 

Trying to be more Christ-like, to copy Christ, to change ourselves by our own efforts, will get us nowhere. His example, of course, stands clear before our eyes in the Scriptures and we are indeed called to be imitators of Christof God, as beloved children. However, this is to be accomplished by enabling grace, not by our solitary efforts. We are not under law, but under grace. We can do nothing to change ourselves, except cooperate actively with the Lord, trusting Him to change us in the depths of our beings. Positive co-operation with the Lord, in real dependence on Him, we say once again, is essential. Our wills must be wholly on the Lord's side. A whole-hearted response to Him is vital, but this is quite different from doing our best to be more like Him.

3) ASCETICISM

It is equally futile to attempt to kill off our sinfulness by being hard on ourselves in some way. This is quite different from saying No to ourselves as we take up the cross and follow Christ. There is no virtue in going without something we like just because we like it, or in wearing a solemn face, as if it were a sin to laugh. Countless people have thought this the way to spiritual progress and so many have earnestly pursued some form of monasticism, a withdrawal from normal life in the real world. However, true self-discipline and self-control - a life of joyful obedience to the will of God - is part of the fruit of the Spirit, an expression of the life of Christ within us. It can only be produced in us by the Spirit and will be seen as we co-operate with Him. We must indeed, as Peter says, make every effort to add to our faith ... self-control ...", and the many other things he mentions, but trying to crucify our flesh in any way will achieve nothing. We have already died with Christ at the cross. Further, there is the possibility of deceiving ourselves into thinking we are making progress when we are only really dressing up like Christ.

This transforming miracle, being made like the Son of God, is done by the Lord as He works out the meaning of the cross in our daily lives and experience. Realizing this will save us from damaging introspection and futile attempts be more Christ-like and to crucify our flesh, and it will take the strain out of our lives. Our part is to be ruled by His Word and to respond to His Spirit. He will remind us of the fact that "we died and our life is hidden with Christ in God, whenever we are selfish or un-Christ-like in behavior, or going our own way, and He will call for our obedience and co-operation.

We must recognize and accept that,

• There is something in us, in our blood, the sin which lives in me, too deep for analysis, including mixed motives and a self-centered human nature, which must GO, which must DIE, and,
• We must therefore pass through the cross, so to speak, by means of those experiences that the Lord judges to be necessary for us individually so that we might be delivered and transformed, and so increasingly become partakers of His holiness.

Self-centered human nature cannot survive the cross. There is no selfishness in heaven. The cross acts like a filter, taking out all that offends and is unclean. The Holy Spirit is not content to leave us as we are - He applies the meaning of the cross in practical ways to our daily life. He will bring us into testing situations, prepared for each one of us according to His perfect knowledge of us, in order to filter out and destroy the deep-rooted self-centeredness of our hearts. He is clearing the ground for the life and character of the Lord Jesus to grow in us, and He takes us in hand with this great end in view.

Self-centeredness, of course, expresses itself in many ways, not only in such obvious ways as, for example, impatience, assertiveness, and pride, but also in such things as self-pity, false humility and despondency. The Lord knows our true condition and how best to deal with it. This is clearly seen in the full portraits given us of such men as Joseph, Moses, David, Peter and Paul. For whom the Lord loves, He disciplines ...".

But, as with any vital truth, this can be misunderstood or carried too far. We must remember two things:-

• Our God-given individuality is preserved intact through this process. It is only our self-centeredness which is destroyed. We shall always be ourselves, for God is our creator as well as our re-creator. He always deals with us as real and morally responsible people. It is important to maintain the Biblical balance here. Christ does not replace us, and we do not become vacuums. Paul says, Christ lives in me. Of course, it is the new Paul, the re-created Paul, that Christ dwells in, not the old Paul, who has been crucified. Yet, it is still truly Paul. At present, we are all little more than caricatures of what we are intended to be, and that because of sin. But one day we shall be truly ourselves as God intended us to be, and we shall be so in Christ.
• We must never be passive, waiting for the Lord to do everything. He won't. We must co-operate actively with Him, for example, by prayer, by reading His Word and by seeking fellowship with others. While we must learn to wait upon and for the Lord, waiting in the Bible is always accompanied by an expectant attitude because, He is a God who works for those who wait for Him. And when He seems to keep us waiting a long time, it is only to allow Him to get a firmer grip on our hearts and to teach us something more of Himself and His ways.

Romans 6:14, 7:17,20, 8:12-13. 1 Corinthians 11:1,28. 2 Corinthians 5:17, 13:5. Galatians 2:20, 5:16-25. Ephesians 2:10,15. 5:1. Colossians 1:29, 2:20-3:4. Hebrews 12:6,10. 2 Peter 1:3-11. Isaiah 64:4.