“Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from Him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.” Ephesians 4:21-24
Last week, we registered and licensed the car in our new home state of North Carolina. For some, I’m sure it is not a big deal, but for me, it was somewhat emotional. Removing the old plate brought back a flood of memories from the last twenty-plus years. Whether right or wrong, our license plate provides a small view of who we are to perfect strangers. Whenever I spot a tag from West Virginia, I always feel a kinship and wonder if I’m familiar with their small town. As I pass a car with a Virginia plate, I often wonder if they are from the NOVA area and, maybe, by chance, if we lived in the same vicinity. In a totally different light, having a local tag negates all the mercy I can hope for being a visitor when I fail to navigate the numerous turnarounds and traffic circles of my new surroundings. Isn’t it interesting how the perception we give to the world outside our car can change with the flip of a piece of metal? Also intriguing is how we feel removing the old, worn tag from our former state and replacing it with a brand new plate.
In 2 Corinthians 5:16-17 Paul provides some of the New Testament’s most explicit teaching concerning new birth in Christ. “So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time, we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anybody who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” This “new creation” has such transcendent importance that it is the visible evidence of our salvation. Our old lives of sin and shame are removed, and our new life in Christ begins. Our lives are no longer worldly but spiritual. The old nature of self-love and self-indulgence in sin has been replaced with a yearning and desire for new things, full of life and the glory of God. The new creation is a wondrous mystery of God, created by His power and glory born from His great love for us.
These verses profoundly and simply illustrate the incredible significance of our redemption. Because God so fully and completely loves humanity, He is all about redemption. In today’s vernacular, it is His main game. We, the redeemed, don’t live sinless lives but live each day, sinning less and hating it more each time we fail. That is only possible through the redemptive power of Jesus. A redeemed person is secure in Jesus, who bears God’s wrath for all our sins. Through faith and acceptance of Jesus, we are assured of a present and future glory in Him that is beyond our comprehension.
Just like the perception we give the world with a change of license plate, the same is true when we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord of our lives. How the world sees us and how we feel inwardly should change. Our salvation is not just for ourselves but to reveal the glory of God to others, and it should be visible, just like our license plates. And that’s your Tuesday Tidbit.