A new life now

"Present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life."

The Apostle Paul

Who is your God? What is he like? Is he up in the sky some where not really paying much attention? Is he a God that only gets involved in your lives every once in a great while? Or is he a God that is close? Is He so close that you that you feel heaven and earth interlock at times? I would answer yes to the last two questions. God has been active in my life. I also believe that he has been active through out history. God has done something extraordinary he has brought us all, who confess Jesus as Lord, from death to life.

"We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life." What is this newness of life? Is it the resurrection of the dead? Is it a new life here on earth? The answer is yes to both! Whether you believe this happens at baptism or at conversion doesn't change the point that this usually happens early in the newly converted believer. Something has broken in this present evil age we live in. What is it? The death and resurrection of Jesus. I've said it before and I will say it again, "what is true of Jesus is true of those who follow him." God's new age has broken in so that we get the privilege to live in God's new age and creation!

So what does this all mean? God is active. He is close. He sent his son so that what is true of him is true of us! God's new age is breaking in now. It isn't merely that we will be fully restored humans when Jesus appears again but that this is to begin to be realized now. So when Paul says, "Present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life," this is what he means. We have been brought from death to life so then lets present ourselves that way.

This is where I fear some have shruken the gospel message, and have shrucken God's redemptive plan for humanity. We aren't people merely imputed by God's righteousness and still sinners. Some may say that they are the righteousness of God in Christ but I am still a sinner and evil. There is some truth to this. I believe that evil runs through each of us. This is why Jesus came to deal witht the probelm of evil in creation. I believe that something happens to a Christian that brings them from death to life. This has already happened. Otherwise, why would Paul ask us to present ourselves to God in this way? Paul also says in Romans 6 that we are no longer enslaved to sin. God doesn't merely inpute righteousness, he rescues us! Does this effect every area of our life? You bet! God has rescued us and he is restoring us. When we see people presenting themselves in this way it is a sign post pointing to the resurrection. It is pointing to the time when God ultimately makes all things new. So what we do today matters. Our lives are either pointing to a fully restored humanity or a fallen one. So let us present ourselves to God as those alive from the dead! Don't forget what is true of Jesus is true of us all who follow the Lord!

Thanks for reading,

Marcelino