All Things New

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.

– Romans 12:2

Ever had a computer or smartphone infected by a virus or malware? If so, you know that helpless feeling when it crashes, freezes or slows to a maddening crawl. And soon enough, that once top-of-the-line machine becomes nothing more than an expensive plastic paperweight.

But don’t give up hope quite yet. There are reputable companies that can not only clean out such infections, they can also help prevent future problems by fixing unrelated computer performance issues. What was once a dead or crippled computer can become better than new. And all that time spent on the phone with your company’s Help Desk will look like a bargain in retrospect. 

Every Christ-follower for the last 2,000 years can recognize this modern-day cyber-illustration. Like a crippled machine made whole again, Christ-followers become born again once they accept Jesus Christ through faith as their Lord and Savior. We start over at that point with a clean slate with God — now ready to do good works to advance his kingdom. Think about it: Everything we’ve done wrong since birth — none of it will be held against us after we leave this life on earth! All the pitiful ways we’ve treated others, the lies we’ve told and the potential we’ve wasted over the years … it’s all forgiven because Jesus paid the price and died for us on the cross. 

The result is that we’re now free and have an incredible future with God because of our faith in Christ. But this is much more than a simple intellectual exercise. Instead, authentic, faith-filled Christ-followers must demonstrate tangible changes in who they are, what they think … and especially what they do. As we read in the New Testament’s Book of James:

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

Of course, we’re not saved from the punishment we deserve because of any good deeds we might do. If that were the case, it would be possible to earn our way to God’s acceptance. The fact is that our feeble efforts and good intentions are never enough. There’s nothing left for us to do except follow God’s plan of salvation — and accept his free gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ.

It's then for us that all things become new.