April 22, 2025

A NEW PERSON IN CHRIST

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT

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TODAY’S THOUGHT

Being a “new person” in Christ is a bedrock belief for those of us who are followers of Jesus. We believe the moment we surrender to the Lordship of Jesus, confess we are sinners and can’t save ourselves, and repent of our sins we are “born again” as a new person in Christ.

If our old life is done, then why do we often struggle with some of the old behaviors?

I would suggest the problem is that we haven’t fully accepted our new identity as a new person in Christ. The person I believe myself to be will determine the actions of my life. 

God knows that our activity proceeds from our identity. If we see ourselves as failures, liars, cheats, or sinners we will behave in a manner appropriate for our self-identity.

I read an interesting analogy when studying this passage. Imagine you see a domino falling and you rush to stop the fall. It is a huge domino, and it takes a lot of energy to get it put back up in place. You get it standing up and take a break. Then a week later the domino starts to fall again, and you rush back to get it standing up. This cycle continues for weeks and weeks. 

Then one day someone invites you to come up to their perspective of the domino. When you stand from their vantage point you realize that domino is the last in a series of dominoes. The reason that domino keeps falling is 10 dominos earlier where an action begins that topples the dominoes. You realize you have been fighting the wrong battle trying to get that domino to stay standing.

This is what happens to a lot of us. We have a behavior we want to change but we don’t realize that behavior is the result of other issues in our lives. Usually, the first issue is the way we view ourselves. We must change the way we look at ourselves. 

Do we see ourselves as a person made new in Christ? Do we see ourselves as a person in right standing with Father God? Do we really believe there is a new life inside of us?

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TODAY’S PRAYER

Holy Spirit transform my self-image. Help me to see myself the way God sees me. Help me to function out of God’s image of me. Help me to realize I am a new person in Christ and the old man is gone.

“Scroll down to share what you feel God is saying based on today’s reading.”