WE ARE BEING RENEWED IN KNOWLEDGE - PART 1

Every born again Christian died with Christ and then we were resurrected with Christ spiritually when God raised Him from the dead. Thus we have a brand new life in Christ. In other words, we are spiritually alive because we've been made alive to God. However apostle Paul is calling our attention to the consciousness of this new life, and letting us know that we must live accordingly, since the power of sin is no longer in charge of our lives.

Reference: Colossians 3:9-10 Amplified Bible (AMP) "Do not lie to one another, for you have stripped off the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new [spiritual] self who is being continually renewed in true knowledge in the image of Him who created the new self."

Jesus Christ has come and died for our sins. And by His atoning sacrifice on the cross, we became a new creation. Now the born again Christian is reconciled to God and because he is a new creature, old things have passed away. However, he needs to be continually renewed in true knowledge in the image of God. What image? Christ. The Bible says that Christ expresses the very character of God. He is the exact representation of His being, exact imprint of His nature, the express image of His person and the radiance of His glory (Hebrews 1:3).

So our referenced Scripture is reminding us that we have stripped off our old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. This happened spiritually on the cross. However we must continue to work it out in the natural toward the goal of becoming fully Christlike (Philippians 2:12). We now have the righteousness of God, because that is God's nature which gives us the full hope of eternal life. This implies that a born again Christian is a new creature increasingly designed to grow more like Christ - the One who created him. Therefore be conscious of your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him.

Beloved, we now walk in righteousness and sin has no right, power or dominion over our lives. Romans 6:6-7 (NLT) noted, "We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin." Our old self which had the sinful nature or desires of the flesh was put to death or crucified on the cross. That way, we were delivered from the power of sin, and now live with a new life dedicated and devoted to God.

Then apostle tells us that since we are in the body, the flesh is to be disciplined until it ceases to accommodate sin or respond to carnal desires. In other words, we must rule over the desires of the flesh and deliberately change our habits through knowledge to conform to the new life we have in Christ. We have the righteousness of God as our nature and by yielding unreservedly to the Spirit of God and the ministry of the Word, we can experience radical inward change that will lead us to become more like Christ. Therefore, being continually renewed in true knowledge in the image of God seen in Christ is essential.

Our renewal can only take place in the light of knowledge of the Divine (see 2 Corinthians 4:6 NIV). This knowledge is the knowledge of God's glory displayed in the face of Christ. Stay tuned for part two of this wonderful topic. Shalom!

Scripture Reading - Romans 12:2; Ephesians 4:22-24; 2 Corinthians 4:16; 2 Corinthians 5:17.

Exuberant Declaration: I thank God for the great and glorious work of the Holy Spirit in me through the knowledge of Christ. I'm forever grateful for the constant renewal that takes place in me, as I behold the glory of Christ by the light of faith in the glass of the Word. Hence, I daily enjoy my newness of life in Christ, lived by the power of God and reflecting His glory. Praise God!