new–adjective
1. fresh or unused
2. different and better
3. other than the former or the old
There are fifteen definitions of 'new' on dictionary.com. But these are my favorite three. They encompass all that is new in us when we are in Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Ezekiel 36:26
And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
Romans 7:6
But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.
Colossians 3:9-10
Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
So what does being new entail? It means I have a new spirit, a new heart, a new way of doing things, and a new self. It means that I am an entirely different and better creation. It means that my heart is fresh and my allegiances are unused. It means that I serve in a way different than the former. Better than the old.
How will I live this reality this year? That I am new. Unused, untouched by the world. Fresh and clean of any transgressions. Free of the old law and old ways. How will YOU live it?
