The Doctrine of New Creation
Notes
Transcript
Review:
Review:
16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.
We’ve been using the term “doctrine” as an acronym to share what I see to be the eight most important doctrines.
D= Deity of Christ
0 = Original Sin
C = Canon
T = Trinity
R= Resurrection
I = Incarnation
N= New Creation
E = Eschatology
I may know all the doctrines in the Bible, but unless I know Christ, there is not one of them that can save me. 1
1 C. H. Spurgeon, “Knowing and Believing,” in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 58 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1912), 578.
As I mentioned earlier we are going to talk about New Creation tonight.
What do I mean by the doctrine of New Creation?
I want to look at two main scriptures and then we will get into more what it means.
1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? 3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
And then turn over to
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
This is what I mean by the Doctrine of New Beginnings.
There are at least two aspects to being “born again”
Justification = when God declares someone just and forgiven.
Sanctification = when God regenerates, or makes us “new creatures”
Justification = takes care of the condemnation and penalty that was upon us due to sin
Sanctification = brings the actual behavioral change in us By the term sanctification I am using it in its biblical sense.
Sometimes especially at least in the area where I grew up - the word sanctification was largely restricted to the "work of grace subsequent to regeneration whereby our hearts were made pure by faith."
While it is certainly proper and biblical to use the term to mean that - but it is not biblical or proper to use it exclusively in that way.
Think of a dollar bill you don’t pay yet with the front side of a dollar bill - if they keep printing money, it might get that way some day...
But it takes the front and the back of the bill to make it legal tender.
Just like it takes justification and sanctification to makes us in Christ.
Now this is where Luther got on the wrong path - without him we might not be here tonight - but at the same time Luther never made it beyond justification.
Those who teach a sinning salvation never get beyond justification.
Wesley, thank the Lord, was given a greater understanding of a new life in Christ. A life of obedience and righteousness.
The picture that Paul gives us in Romans 6:4 is one of death. The “old man of sin” dies it is crucified, executed, buried.
But he goes on and talks about being freed from sin
7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
Going back to 2 Cor. 5
WE are told
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
This is why we can sing songs like:
“Glorious Freedom Wonderful Freedom”
“At the Cross at the cross where I first saw the Light and the burden of my heart rolled away”
He brought me out
He Set me free
He took my sins away
O Happy Day
Victory in Jesus
Because there is a change - we are new creatures in Christ Jesus!!!
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