My Understanding Lord, it is a natural thing to want to fit in and adapt to one’s environment. But Your followers are “new creations”, born from above … having a new life style … and a new set of values. This puts them in direct conflict with the world and the one who controls it. As a true believer, I shouldn’t try to blend in. Surrounded by corruption and all types of perversions, there is a lot of pressure to conform. In You, I’ve been given freedom but it is not for that. So many things I come into contact with conflict with what You teach … the importance of possessions and power … various forms of sexual immorality … who can engage in marriage … abortion … and, so on. As a follower, my faith is being tested on many fronts and, if this “new creation” does not grow, it will be swallowed up by evil. Becoming a “new creation” brings with it new approaches, new methods, new perspectives and new ways.
Embarking on my new life, I am called to a higher calling. My old sins, my old friends, my old ways, my old beliefs must change so I can become more like You. Living righteously, loving unconditionally and adhering to Your truth leads me into doing what You would do if You were in my place. You use the examples of new wineskin and new cloth in contrast to old wineskins and old cloth to illustrate the leaving behind of the old and the taking up the new. Old wineskins cannot bear the pressure caused by the fermenting new wine. Nor can the old cloth stand up to the wear and tear of daily life … even a patch would not give the garment new strength. You did not come to patch up my old life but, instead, to bring me a new way of life that leads to peace and fulfillment. Your goal was not to help me labor through sin but to overcome it by setting me free from its power.
In Baptism, Your Word tells me that I am buried with You (because my old sinful ways are dead) and, just as You rose from the dead, I too am raised up in newness of life. In order to live this new wonderful life which You have given to me, I must treat the desires and temptations of my old nature as if they were dead. By dying to the things that once held me back, I’m now free to serve You with diligence and conviction. I’ve not been reformed, rehabilitated or re-educated … I’ve been created anew to live in harmony with You. I am not turning over a new leaf; I am beginning a new life with You as my Master. You have blotted out my sins and put me in right standing with Your Father. I am no longer an enemy or a stranger or a foreigner, but a joint heir with You. I am thrilled to know that in becoming a “new creation” I’ve been given a fresh start. And it’s in Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN!!
II Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.