Readings for today: Romans 5-6, Psalms 135
A few months back, I had to replace a car battery. The old one had finally reached the end of its life. It was dead. It would no longer hold a charge. It could no longer power my vehicle. It no longer served any purpose. When I put the new battery in, what did I do with the old one? Keep it there? Plug in the new one alongside the old one? Stick it on shelf of my workbench in the garage as a keepsake? No. I threw it out, of course.
The analogy holds for the Christian life. The life God offers us in Jesus Christ is something completely new. The old life is dead. It no longer holds a charge. It no longer has any power. It no longer serves any purpose. To try to keep it in place alongside the new life you have in Christ is pointless. To try to keep it plugged in alongside the new life you have in Christ will only hold you back. To stick it somewhere on a shelf as a memento only serves to distract us from the true purposes God has for your life. This is why the Apostle Paul uses such strong contrasts in his letter to the Romans. “Consider yourselves dead to sin and alive in God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:11 CSB) “You are slaves to the (master) you obey - either of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to righteousness.” (Romans 6:16 CSB) “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23 CSB) Paul is making it clear we cannot serve two masters. We cannot keep a foot in both worlds. We cannot lay claim to the life to come without letting go of the life we once had. And really, when you stop to think about it, why would we? If we truly have tasted of the heavenly gift of Jesus Christ, truly experienced His amazing grace and love, truly been filled with His Holy Spirit, why would we ever want anything to do with our old life?
The life God offers us in Jesus Christ is not simply an improvement on the old. It’s not an upgrade or a facelift or a nip and a tuck. It’s not cosmetic. It’s not a bonus for all the hard work of self-improvement you have done. It’s not about self-realization or self-actualization or self-help. In fact, it’s not about “self” at all. God wants to replace your old life with something completely and entirely new. He wants to purchase you from the slave block of this world and give you a new master to serve. One who is full of grace and love and truth. He offers you the gift of eternal life which is not something you can ever earn, no matter how hard you may try. He doesn’t want you to spend your life for wages that only lead to death. Instead, He offers you a life that will produce the fruit of holiness and sanctification. A life that will finally and fully satisfy.
Readings for tomorrow: Romans 7-8, Psalms 136