Burke County

Romans 8:1 (KJV)
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

As we begin a new year, may we reflect on the previous year only long enough to evaluate what we did in the name of Christ and consider how we may serve the Lord even better this year. It is easy to rest and put our guard down, but we ought always to look forward with anticipation to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in hope—knowing that at any moment He may come to take His bride to be with Him forever. As always, we are to live in the hope of His mercy and grace.

Let us remember that the things which pertain to this life are temporal. Only the things done for Christ will last for eternity. One day, this life will soon be over. When we serve the Lord Jesus Christ, we lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven.

In Romans 8:1, Paul both exhorts and comforts us by declaring that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. The Bible also says in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

If you have trusted Jesus Christ to forgive you and save your soul, you are a new creature. You have been given a new beginning—a fresh start in this life—to be restored as a whole person. Paul comforts us by reminding us that in Christ, we are free from the penalty of our past sins, failures, and guilt.

While we may still reap in the flesh what we have sown, the eternal condemnation of God’s wrath is gone. We are free to live in Christ as new creatures and to reap eternal life. Paul exhorts us to walk after the Spirit so that we do not continue to reap the consequences of sowing to the flesh.

Walking after the Spirit produces the peaceable fruit of righteousness, bringing heaven’s peace into our lives and filling our entire being with the glory of God. Walking in the Spirit also provides us with the power of Christ’s resurrection so that we may truly internalize God’s presence.

The Apostle Paul was an extraordinary man—not because of himself, but because of the power of Christ working in him. He said in 1 Corinthians 15:10, “But by the grace of God I am what I am.” May we, in this new year, endeavor to serve the Lord Jesus Christ with sincere hearts, seeking to lead lost souls to a saving knowledge of Christ.

Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthians with strong correction because of their divisions, immorality, and lack of charity. Yet he did so because he knew their potential in Christ and desired their growth in the grace of God.

In 1 Corinthians 15:10, Paul exhorted them to make full use of their new beginning in Christ—to become all they were called to be as saints in light. Just as Paul urged them to walk worthy of their calling, we too should use this new year as an opportunity to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.

God used Paul to encourage and comfort believers, and He does the same for us today. Each new year brings us closer to the fulfillment of God’s promises to all who believe in Christ.

To the unbelieving, God also offers salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, so that all may have a new beginning. Salvation is the beginning of life. The Bible says in Romans 10:9, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

And verse 13 declares, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” If you will trust Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, you too can have a new life and a new beginning.

________________________________________________________

Robert Stamey is a member of Bridgeport Baptist Church in Valdese, NC. He is an avid reader and studier of the Word of God (KJV). He is a writer/illustrator of children’s books. He also has a B.Div. and an M.TH. From the Blue Ridge Bible Institute at present-day located in Jacksonville, FL. He loves to study God’s word intensely and show mercy. He has a tract ministry with the hope of leading others to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Read more Christian news and stories from Burke, McDowell, Mitchell, Yancey, Avery, and Madison counties here.

_________________________________________________________