New True part 2
Our new name is our true name. Our new nature is our new nature. Not the selfish, sinful beast nature but the love nature. That's who we really are. And what I want to say today is: "New" is really a return to the original. Its the God who is love putting things right through the death, burial, and resurrection that we refer to as "the cross." Because as we know, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1). We know that the Lamb was slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). What I'm trying to say is, before there was ever a sinner, there was a Savior. Before anything else, there was love. A sacrifical, life-giving love. That's what manifested on the cross when Jesus gave His life for us, and to us. But while it seemed new and radical, what was really happening was a return to the beginning. A return to how God had always intended things to be. And I get the question sometimes, "Why did God let man fall?" And the quick and easy answer is: Free choice. God warned Adam not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. But I believe God is too much of a gentleman to force His will on us. He, to a certain degree, lets us do what we're going to do. Because love doesn't demand His own way. And I say "to a certain degree" because on the cross God took matters into His own hands. We couldn't do anything to get ourselves out of the mess Adam had gotten us into when he stood as humanity's representative. We couldn't do anything about it. We were dead in our trespasses and sins. So God did something about it. He wrapped Himself in human flesh and died. The second death. The death OF death. So that we could live. And by "live" I don't mean have a better chance of living OUR lives. I mean we could finally break free of the bonds the held us back and we could live HIS abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life of love as HE lives it in us, and through us, and as us! He didn't just give us life. He gave us HIS life. He didn't just give us a new name, He gave us HIS name. His character. His authority. His nature. God was in Christ on the cross, reconciling us to Himself. Bringing us back to where we belonged. Putting things right. Remaking the world in His image. Let me say it like this: First we were made in His image. But we didn't know what HE looked like, so we didn't know what WE looked like. So we tried to be someone we're not. We tried to fit into someone's image of what we were supposed to be. But then, at the appointed time of the cross, God CONFORMED us to the image of His Son. He gave us His Son so that we might know who He is. And in knowing who He is... know who WE are. That's what the Holy Spirit--the Spirit of Truth--does; He testifies of our true identity by testifying of Jesus. Showing us who we are by showing us who He is. That's how it works. That's the master plan. God knew the only way to do it was to love the hell out of us. To show us unconditional love so that we would be able to love. Because you can't give what you don't have. And you can only give what you do have. He filled us up with His love--with Himself--so that His love would overflow out of us. That's what a having a love nature means... it means loving people comes naturally to you. Because you know that you ARE loved. Because you know that you are LOVE!