Compelling Love

God calls His redeemed people to “walk in newness of life,” giving Him all the glory, purifying ourselves with the blessed hope of Christ’s return, and getting ready for the new Creation promised in His word.  Paul draws a parallel between Christ’s resurrection and our walking in newness of life.

Romans 6 (NKJV)
³ Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? ⁴ Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

In Romans 12, God calls us to be living sacrifices, giving ourselves completely to Him, and being “transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

Romans 12 (NKJV)
¹ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. ² And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

As a caterpillar comes out of its cocoon transformed into a butterfly, Paul declares, “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.”

2 Corinthians 5 (NKJV)
¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. ¹⁸ Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,

In Jeremiah 31:33, God promised to make a new covenant with His people:
“I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”

Jeremiah 31 (NKJV)
³¹ “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— ³² not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord. ³³ But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. ³⁴ No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

By focusing on God’s Word that is stored as a treasure in our heart, we can avoid being swept into the sinful enticements of this world:

Psalm 119:11 (NKJV)
¹¹ Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You.

In Matthew 4, Jesus sets the example for us on how to deal with temptation.

Matthew 4 (NKJV)
¹ Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ² And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. ³ Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

⁴ But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”

⁵ Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, ⁶ and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:

‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’

and,

‘In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ”

⁷ Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ”

⁸ Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. ⁹ And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”

¹⁰ Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”

¹¹ Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

By living according to God’s Word, we purify ourselves and get ready to meet our Redeemer face to face.  We have a living hope and are kept by the power of God, rejoicing with joy inexpressible and full of glory, as  He enables us to love one another as He has loved us.

1 John 3 (NKJV)
¹ Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. ² Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. ³ And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

1 Peter 1 (NKJV)
³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, ⁵ who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

⁶ In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, ⁷ that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, ⁸ whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, ⁹ receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

John 13 (NKJV)
³⁴ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. ³⁵ By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Walking in “newness of life” by the power of God, we look forward to “a new heaven and a new earth”, where God is making “all things new”.

Revelation 21 (NKJV)
¹ Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. ² Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴ And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

⁵ Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”

⁶ And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. ⁷ He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.

David Krause, dhkrause@neteze.com, 2/16/2019, https://compellinglove.net/

Photo credits:
(1)  https://www.bereaproject.org/verse-of-the-day/2016/5/23/romans-64
(2) http://www.bibleverseimages.com/inspirational-bible-verse-3.htm
(3) https://daily-bible-verse.net/guidance-matthew4-4.html
(4) https://jvn2k07.wordpress.com/2017/02/25/the-answers-1-john-32/
(5) https://www.bereaproject.org/verse-of-the-day/2016/1/1/revelation-215