Get Over Yourself, God Has Made You New

2 Corinthians 5:17–19 (ESV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

"Self" is the new religion. You have have heard of #selfies, the hashtag designation of the social media world. It's basically a cheap way to buy self-adulation. Post a self portrait on your favorite social networking site and count the likes as jewels in your self-oriented crown. Self is the new religion.

Perhaps this is why "being a good person" ranks so highly as the often thought "way to get to heaven." Of course! Who makes the opinion of you being good? You. Who judges you? You do. Who tells you what is good and what is not? Why, it's you again! Self is the new religion.

That's NOT even in the same ballpark as the Gospel. The Gospel says God did it. To know God did it is to be part of the "new creation" experience. Earth did not form itself. God did it. The waters did not part on their own, God spoke and it happened. To be saved is to be the object of God's action. God is the subject from the first sentence in the Bible and God is the subject from the first moment of your new life.

"All this is from God."
Paul is a prime example. There is no one in the New Testament who wanted to be a Christian LESS than him. Yet here he was spreading the message of Christ to the farthest reaches of the known world. He went from persecuting to promoting. He was totally new in every way. Only God could do that.

I used to believe I had something to do with my salvation. Yes, I responded. But God's grace and gift of faith made it happen. He drew me, He found me, He cleansed me, and now He makes me new.

What God starts, He finishes.  And just like the original creation work in Genesis, God says it is good.


PRAYER:
Thank you Father for saving me and creating me anew in Christ. Thank you for saving me. I long to be finished but until then grant me the grace to continue in sanctification. Help me rest in the knowledge of Jesus as Savior and Lord. Amen.

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