The Old has Passed Away
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
2 Corinthians 5:17
It can be difficult to have our old lifestyle pass away, but if we pray for God’s divine power to overcome our past habits, and we strive for it; it will happen. How can we become a new creation in Christ if we hang on to our past? God will use things from our past for his glory in our future, but we need to overcome any habits that are not pleasing to God.
Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:26) We always move forward with the aim of being closer to Christ, because being closer to Christ is our spiritual growth. We are a new creation in Christ and God is renewing our minds and changing our hearts to be more like Jesus, and how can we change if old things don’t pass away? Christians are always moving toward the divine light at the end of the narrow road to Heaven.
For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. (Romans 8:29) We are to conform to the image of His Son, and this requires spiritual growth to our last breath on this earth. To be more like Jesus we must overcome any past bad habits, otherwise we will remain fixed in our spiritual position. How can we be like Jesus if we carry old learned behavior; we are a new creation in Christ which means all things become new.
If old bad habits exist in our life, how can we spiritually grow? Many Jews became a Christian in the early church and they told everyone they needed to obey the old customs, and serve Christ. Christ came to fulfill the law and to establish a new covenant. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved. (Luke 5:37-38) This scripture represents the new covenant of Christ, (New Wine), which cannot reside in a person who has old learned behavior that goes against the new covenant of Christ as given in the Bible, (Old Wineskin).
Today realize you are new creation in Christ and the old things will pass away. If there are any habits that go against the Word, it can stop spiritual growth.
Prayer: Lord if there is anything in my life that displeases you, change me, and make me aware of what displeases you. In Jesus name, Amen