Introduction
The foremost thing God does in our lives is give us new life. He makes us new the moment we get born again. This isn’t an outward, physical change, but an inward, spiritual change. God picks us up and accepts us just as we are, with all our failures, mistakes, flaws, errors, experiences, and circumstances. In the instant He accepts us, He gives us a new life in Christ. This is the best gift God gives.
What does the Bible say about being new?
The Scriptures tell us much about new and newness in life. God is the God of new beginnings and based on His nature He gives us new life and makes us new.
God makes us new, irrespective of who and where we are. He doesn’t consider our works, our backgrounds, or our families. Neither does He pay attention to our education, thoughts, or expectations. Because it has nothing to do with us but has everything to do with God. God is the creator of everything. He can do what He wants, when He wants, how He wants, and for whom He wants.
God makes us new because He loves us. God is love, and out of this love, He gives us new life in Christ; an eternal and abundant life.
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16 (NLT)
“I have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly.”
John 10:10b (NKJV)
So, what does the Bible say about being new:
- God refreshes our souls (Psalm 23:3).
- God does new things for us (Isaiah 43:19).
- God gives us new hope (Jeremiah 29:11).
- God gives us new mercies each day (Lamentations 3:22-23).
- God gives us a new heart and a new spirit (Ezekiel 36:26).
- We can walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4).
‘The God of New Beginnings’ provides rich insights, examples, and guidance for receiving your new beginning from God.
You will learn to grasp God’s nature, trust Him, and rely on His unfailing love for you.
10 Bible verses about new life in Christ
The Bible is full of powerful verses about our new life in Christ. Jesus died for us to give us new life, a life reconciled with God. When we get born again, we receive this new life in Christ. While here on Earth, we live in this new life and receive all the benefits of it. When we die, we continue to live a new life-a resurrected life-with Christ in Heaven.
Our place to go to know more about God’s new starts for us is His Word. The Bible in its full speaks about newness of life, full of promises for our lives now on Earth and hereafter.
Here are 10 verses about a new life in Christ:
“For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.”
Romans 6:4 (NLT)
“But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit.”
Romans 7:6 (NLT)
“For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”
Romans 8:2 (NKJV)
“The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.”
Romans 8:11 (NLT)
“He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life.”
2 Corinthians 3:6 (NLT)
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
II Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV)
“My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Galatians 2:20 (NLT)
“For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.”
Colossians 3:3 (NLT)
“Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.”
Colossians 3:10 (NLT)
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
1 Peter 1:3 (NIV)
What does it mean to be new in Christ?
God is the giver of new life. He blesses us with new things each day. He revives, restores, and renews. The greatest miracle among these is the blessing of a new life in Christ. When we receive rebirth in Christ and are made new in Him, God renews us completely, in our spirits, our souls, and our bodies. We usually respond to it by getting baptized as an adult.
Spirit
The new life God gives us is, first, spiritual. God’s resurrection power “will give life to your mortal bodies” (Romans 8: 11). When we get born again, we receive God’s Spirit, causing our spirits to be renewed. With the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, God sets us free from our old spirit and guides us to walk in a new spiritual life.
Soul
The second area in which God gives new life is in our souls. That is in our minds, our will, and our emotions. The Holy Spirit living in us helps us to get the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). This renewal of our minds transforms us (Romans 12:2). Through the Holy Spirit, our will is subject to God’s will. It is no longer our will be done, but God’s will. And our emotions become guided by God’s Spirit. How? Through -the development of- the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-25) our emotions get renewed.
To fully receive and benefit from the new life in our souls, we should allow the Holy Spirit to lead us (Galatians 5:18; Romans 8: 14) daily. He is in us but still needs our permission, our attentiveness, and our obedience to work in us and perfect the new life in us. If we don’t cooperate with the Holy Spirit, He will be in us, but not able to do much.
Body
The third area where God gives us a new life in Christ is in our mortal bodies. Many scriptures in the Bible confirm healing in people’s physical bodies. God wants to heal us and give new life to our bodies whilst we are on Earth. But God will also give us new bodies during the rapture: eternal bodies (Philippians 3:21; 1 Corinthians 15: 51-53).
How do I start a new life in Christ?
Should we do anything to get a new life in Christ? The verse in II Corinthians 5:17 tells us if anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation. Meaning, the only condition to become new is to be in Christ. We don’t need to fulfill anything else. The scripture also says anyone, it doesn’t describe a specific person or type of person. This means everyone can be a new creation, provided they are in Christ.
This means we are a new creation when we are in Christ. It also shows new life in Christ is a gift. It comes automatically when we are born again. We don’t have to exercise for it; we don’t have to fast for it; we don’t have to check our bodies for it to manifest; we don’t have to ask our pastors for it, or anything else. It is free. Once we are in Christ, we may receive it.
The action comes from God, not from us. It is His wish and plan to make us new. And because it depends on Him and not on us, He accepts and receives us just as we are. His everlasting love for us allows Him to take us as we are and make us new in His son Jesus Christ.
Put on the new man
The moment we get born again, we become new in Christ. This is just the beginning of a new life with God, a life full of miracles from God. In continuing to live in this new life, both God and we play a role. He is the one that makes us new the instant we get born again, but after that, He wants us to play an active role: “that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24).
God created the new man in us, but He wants us to ‘put it on’. And He wants us to ‘put off’ the old man. Our old man is our former being, our former state of mind, and our former behavior. He wants us to lay all the old down at His feet, and instead walk in the new man God has given us.
Putting on the new man is a daily process. We can’t put it on one day and believe we are done. The same applies to laying down our old man. Certain situations may trigger our old behavior. People from our past may show up and provoke negative thoughts in us. And we ourselves simply need to learn to overcome habits of the past and replace those with new habits.
In each situation, each day, we must remind ourselves God has made us new in Christ. When we want to live in the new life in Christ, we need to press on and keep on putting on the new man. The result is a fresh life in the Spirit, a fulfilling new life in Christ.
Let’s Pray
Father, thank You for giving me new life in Christ. You didn’t look down on me and You didn’t despise me for all the wrong I have done, and You didn’t judge me. You accepted me just as I am. Thank You for saving me and making me new in Christ.
I pray I will walk in this newness of life each day. Help me to lay down my old self and old way of doing things. Teach me how to live fully in Christ.
Let my life be a light in a dark world for others to see and receive guidance. Let people be drawn to you when they observe Your new life in me. Thank You, Lord, for granting me this request.
In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
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