Being made brand new, we find ourselves in new territory and wanting a newness of life in Christ. The benefits of walking in newness of life is our old way of life no longer is pleasing to us. Now the true battle begins on the inside as we journey towards working out our salvation.
What is Salvation? Salvation is the work of God rescuing or saving us from standing guilty before God in our sin and having to pay the cost of sin.
What is the Newness of Life?
The newness of life means living a sanctified life before God.
As we move away from our old way of thinking, doing and being, our flesh will be hostile against the righteous desires of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:16-17). Our flesh does not want to be sanctified. Therefore, remember, our battle is not against other people in and of itself. It is a battle of separating from sin as we move toward our future glorified body in Christ forever.
What does it mean to be sanctified? To be sanctified means you are “set apart.” To be set apart means God chose us specifically for His Glory.
How to Walk In Your Newness Of Life!
In this bible study, we will talk about 3 ways to learn how to walk in your newness of life.
- We Are to Love the Lord God Above All
- Know God’s Word
- Living Out What God Has Said
We Are to Love the Lord God Above All
Matthew 22:37 KJV Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This means that we allow the Word of God to be our only source and standard for how we think and behave. In doing this, we are reflecting our love for God out to the world. It changes our way of thinking, and it changes our way of reasoning, which is called the renewing of the mind (Romans 12:2). As we do that, the old self will die because it is changed into the likeness of Christ.
Know God’s Word
Reading God’s word daily and believing scripture is not the origin of man, we come to know His character, who He is and who we are in Him. This will result in knowing what He will expect from us. In return, we benefit from a deeper and truer walk with the Lord as we walk in obedience to Him. The word “know” is very valuable in its meaning.
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Know means
- 1. To perceive or apprehend clearly and certainly; to understand; to have full information of; as, to know one’s duty.
3. To be acquainted with; to be no stranger to; to be more or less familiar with the person, character, etc., of; to possess experience of; as, to know an author; to know the rules of an organization.
Scripture: He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin. – 2 Corinthians 5:21 by Webster Dictionary
The bible is God’s word which teaches us the truth (doctrine), right attitudes (correction), right-thinking and righteous behavior (instruction). In other words, out with the old and in with the new.
Living Out What God Has Said
Living out what God has said begins with the change of our attitude, or mental and emotional outlook. To make this possible, then, we are to walk in the Spirit.
Galatians 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Walking in the Holy Spirit daily and habitually is our part to a changed attitude. This is done, submitting ourselves to the guidance and control of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit’s part is to empower us to do so.
When this happens, godly fruit will be produced. As we walk in faith, it will grow stronger. And our minds become saturated with God’s word, attitudes, and mindsets will be changed. As a result, different behavior emerges.
It is the habitual change in the attitude and behavior that is the mark of a true believer. Our works do not save us. It is our godly life that proves our salvation.
Taking off the Old and Putting On the New
There are many places in scripture that tell us to put on the new self and take off the old self. God incorporated lists contrasting the old life with the new life. Ephesians 4:17-32 talks about the old way of living vs. the new way of living. We will look at 6 of them.
Ephesians 4:18-19 NASB1995 18 being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; 19 and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness
Unbelievers, which we all were, we lived refusing to listen to God. There is no shame, and life is used to engage in more and more wicked behavior. That is, the flesh feels no pain when using foul language, being involved in all kinds of immoral sexuality, indecent behavior and dressing improperly.
Ephesians 4:17 NASB1995 So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,
Walking in rebellion to God’s word is no longer how we desire to live. Our old corrupt self is to be deprived of power through our obedience.
Ephesians 4:22 NASB1995 that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit,
We were sinners living in sin, and we were decaying from the inside out. This is happening because of the passionate desires of our flesh. However, we don’t see ourselves decaying from the inside out because our desires appear attractive. But our desires lie to us daily. In other words, they are tricking us into believing that sin does not carry the wages of death!
Ephesians 4:23-24 NASB1995 23 and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
Being re-created in Christ Jesus, we are commanded to be holy as God is holy (1 Peter 1:16). We have been separated from sin, and now we are to do the good works of God (Ephesians 2:8-10). Life is to start to reflect the likeness of Christ.
Ephesians 4:25-27 NASB1995 25 Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. 26 Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and do not give the devil an opportunity
We live in deception and spoke deception. Our main emotion was anger toward people and situations. True forgiveness was not even a blip on the radar screen. We felt we were entitled to hold our anger, and they deserved our wrath. Unknowingly, this gave the devil wide open opportunities to steal, kill, and destroy.
We stop living in deception and talking about what is not true reality. God’s word is the only reality that is absolute truth. Our new reality leans on and trust in the justice of God. Our Ungodly anger turns into comfort, joy, kindness, love, peace, and contentment because our hearts and minds trust that we were forgiven our transgressions, and we forgive others theirs. With our new mind and attitude, we will no longer give a place for Satan in our heart and thoughts.
Ephesians 4:29a NASB1995 Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth,
The old self may tell others what God says, but will insist it be done their way instead of Gods. It is God’s word spoken, but it is motivated through self-governance. In other words, self-love, self-help, self-esteem, etc., is God’s word brought down to man’s level.
Ephesians 4:29b NASB1995 but only such a word as it is good for edification according to the need of the moment so that it will give grace to those who hear.
Now, when we speak God’s word, our sole purpose is to speak truth and life to others. That is to edify them, so they build their home in the Lord Jesus. And the Lord Jesus is at home in their heart. This is done when we lean and trust fully in the Lord and do not lean to or on worldly understanding.
Ephesians 4:30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Living a life for our self knew nothing about the Holy Spirit, much less grieving Him. Our moods (emotions) were all over the place or one steady stream of emotions. We constantly were looking for happiness, yet never found it.
Our new heart and mind feels the grief of disagreeing with God. All believers have been sealed by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14).
“I have grieved the Holy Spirit before, and the pain in my heart was so intense it was hard to breathe at times.”
This is not about salvation. It is about repentance. None of us are perfect. We pray, stay in the word of God, walk in the Holy Spirit and discipline our flesh to deter us from straying from the truth. But when we do sin, we repent. Jesus, Who is our Advocate (1 John 2:1-2), and the Holy Spirit personally takes our case and pleads it before the Father. They both pray for us and empower us to walk in righteousness habitually (Romans 8:26-27, Hebrews 7:25).
Ephesians 4:31 NASB1985 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.
Because of our strong anger and unwillingness to forgive, our words were sharp and cutting. Our lives would go from one angry rant to another angry rant. We had no joy and as the saying goes, “misery loves company”.
Ephesians 4:32 NASB1995 32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
Our focus is no longer holding grudges and getting back at people. Instead, our heart holds compassion for others. So, kindness has become not about us but about others. Instead of saying, “I was kind,” we act out of kindness according to God’s word. People know true kindness when they experience it.
This new way of living is in the courage and strength of the Holy Spirit and Christ. God works His will into our will to do what pleases Him (Philippians 2:13). And part of pleasing God is to have compassion toward others. This includes those who are hateful towards us. Yes, it takes courage to love and pray for our enemies.
Being tenderhearted does not mean, we are to be in union with an unbeliever. It also does not mean we are to endure someone who abuses mentally, sexually, physically, and/or emotionally. It DOES mean we STOP drinking the poison of NOT forgiving and holding bitterness toward them. And expect them to be affected by it.
We must rest in knowing vengeance belongs to God. Our part is to forgive, regardless of what they do (Matthew 18:21-35).
This is a small look into living the new life. Our part of taking off the old self and putting on the new self takes time, effort, and energy. The biggest part of all this is to accept we are to no longer live for ourselves. Our Lord and Savior is our life (Colossians 3:1-3).
Galatians 2:20 NASB1195 20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
The new self will grow stronger when we pray daily, read God’s word, and walk in obedience in the Holy Spirit. In other words, our likeness to the image of Christ becomes more powerful.
The Benefits of Walking in Newness of Life
The benefits of walking in our newness of life is we have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). That means we identify with the purpose of Christ.
Proverbs 16:9 A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.
Proverbs 19:21 There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.
We find His plan, purposes, and will of God in His word. God’s word is to dominate our thoughts, emotions, and thereby our behavior, until one day we find ourselves singing a new song.
The old song of being a victim (dead, fatality, wounded) turns into a song of praise and worship for all that God has done for us.
Psalm 40:1-3 NASB1995 1 I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me and heard my cry. 2 He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. 3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; Many will see and fear And will trust in the Lord.
What does Walking in the Newness of life mean?
Walking in the newness of life means we give up self. We die to our thoughts, attitudes, ideals, and ways. In our new life, we walk in obedience to God’s word.
How Can I Bring Newness into my Life?
To bring newness into our life we must be born again, saved. Our new life begins by God’s grace through faith in the name of His Son.
John 3:3 NASB1995 3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”… 16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life
What is the Newness of Life?
The newness of life is living a sanctified life before God.
Bible Study Series:
1. Being Made Brand New – New Creation in Christ, 2 Corinthians 5:17
2. Old Way of Life vs. the Newness of Life (the battle begins!)
“Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org”
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Great Bible study that is easy for anyone to understand.
I have heard many say that nothing could change their life, until they came to Jesus for salvation..
Thank you for sharing.
Hi Mary, this is Jennifer, thank you for the wonderful comment. So happy to hear that this bible study was easy to understand. It took a month to complete it all the way through. Thanking the Lord every step of the way. Funny, I am currently going through old way vs. new way of life (a bad habit that is going to die). I won’t quit and know the Lord has already given me the victory and will eradicate my stronghold in this area. Keeping you in our prayers. Hope to hear from you soon! God bless you.