James and Jody Lewis

New Life in Christ

       Romans 3:23  For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.  The word all includes me and every person who ever lived.  Because of Adam and Eve's sin in the Garden of Eden, we ALL were born in sin. 

  Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death."  That means the (penalty) of sin is death (eternal separation from God with hell as our destiny). 

But God had a wonderful plan that we wouldn't have to be separated from Him. The next part of that verse says, "But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.  We can receive that gift and have everlasting life.

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, (all humanity) that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

God's free gift of eternal life is available to those who believe that Jesus, God's Son, paid their death penalty by dying on the cross for their sins.  If by faith I believe in my heart that Jesus died for my sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, then I too could have eternal life in heaven.

Acts 16:31 "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved."

Harmony is defined as an  agreement of feelings, ideas or action; getting along well together. We even speak of perfect harmony. It is also a musical term to explain the sounding together of two or more musical tones in a chord.

The term is used here to talk about the wholeness of our entire being; spirit, soul, and body being in a state of completeness, undivided and unbroken in order to be men and women of integrity before God.

The most striking example I can think of is that of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane when he surrendered His will and his whole being to the will of God. His soul and intense emotions completely submitted to his Spirit and his bodily actions in perfect accord with what was going on deep in his mind, soul and Spirit. He rose up victorious and unflinching in his decision.

When God created Adam and Eve, there was a perfect communion between themselves and God because their whole being was in harmony. They knew that the created things surrounding them were for their life and pleasure, but they also knew that they had been created to live in total communion with their creator.

Their very life depended on that communion with God. Nothing can replace the presence of God in the soul and spirit of man. We are called to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with our entire mind and strength. 

Our relationship with God should be one of total consecration and nothing less. A remarkable man of God of the 17th Century said that, “The worth and Excellency of a soul is to be measured by the object of its love.” Jesus said^, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21)

A New Creation in Christ.

Disharmony entered human life when created things took the place of the creator. Man’s spirit was separated from the Spirit of God, leaving the body under the control of the lusts of the soul. 

When Christ enters the life of a person, He not only brings Salvation and deliverance but also reestablishes the broken harmony. The broken man is made “whole.” The soul receiving the blessings of God from the spirit filled with the Holy-Spirit. And the body, in complete submission, offered as a living sacrifice, can obey the Lord with joy.

 Walking according to the Spirit 

So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. Galatians 5:16-17.

They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. These verses show us that, even if they have the possibility do so, not all Christians always walk in the Spirit. Very often the old nature takes over. It is often so because the carnal man has a divided mind. His whole being is not in harmony 

Let us see what really happens when somebody is tempted, has a doubt, and is fearful or angry. He cannot act with conviction and we know that what is not the fruit or product of a full conviction is sin. (Romans 14:23)

The Lord says that our yes must be yes and our no must be no, simply let your 'yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'no,' 'no'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. (Matthew 5:37)

In these moments of fear or doubt, the believer has a divided mind and his emotions take over and rules his whole being. While his spirit tells him to go in a certain direction, the soul full of negative emotions pulls the body in another direction. He cannot decide with full conviction. This was the case with Peter when he denied his Savior. He knew who He was and he believed, but his whole being was not in complete harmony and his heart was divided.

That was also the case with Jonah when he flew away from the will of God and went in the opposite direction. That is what happened in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve sinned. They knew very well what God had said, but disharmony, brought by sin, had already disturbed the cohesion and unity of their total being.

Let us consider the following verse: “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?” (James 4:1)

Thus there is often a battle within us. We don’t know then what to decide. Le us see another very important verse: “Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves (Romans 14:22)

I Timothy 5:22 tells us that we must “not share in the sins of others.” This not only means that we should not approve or participate in others sin, but we should be very careful not to let us be manipulated by men’s opinion contrary to our principles.

When under pressure of difficult situations, we should remain true men of God, guided by His word and the Holy-Spirit and never yield to negative impulse. We should decide unflinchingly to obey God rather than men who are always trying to force us to do what we do not approve. When you decide to submit to the word of God with all your heart in a forceful way, the devil will leave you immediately.

“The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)  

God bless you abundantly

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