Series 1
Lesson 11: I am a New Person!

Dear Friend,

God likes to make things new! When sin has ruined something that God created, God makes something entirely new. That is what God did with me when He saved me. He made me a new person in Christ!

When God looked at me in my unsaved condition, what did He see? He saw three things:

• God saw my many sins.
• God saw me as a sinner. I am the one who did those wrong things.
• God saw me in Satan's kingdom of darkness.

These things are true of every unsaved person. But God loved us so much that He wanted to remove everything that stood between us and Himself. Let us see how God did this.

 

God delivered me from my sins by laying all my sins on His Son. The Bible says, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him [Jesus] the iniquity [sin] of us all" (Isaiah 53:6).

Because I have trusted the Lord Jesus as my Savior, God has forgiven me of all my sins forever. The Bible says, "…the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin" (1 John 1:7).

 

When I became a Christian, I thought I would always love God and want to obey Him. But I soon discovered that there was something inside me that did not want to obey God. What was it? It was my sinful self! When my sinful self is in control, I commit many sins.

Where do my sins come from? They come from my sinful nature. They come from my heart. Jesus said that all kinds of sins come "from within, out of the heart." I cannot change myself. God is the only One who can solve this problem of my sinful self.

How did God deliver me from my sinful self? God delivered me from my sinful self by putting me in Christ on the cross. The Bible says, "But of Him [God] are you in Christ Jesus…"
(1 Corinthians 1:30).

God put me in Christ on the cross. When Christ was crucified, my sinful self, which the Bible calls "the old man," was crucified with Him. The Bible says, "Knowing this, that our old man [our old sinful self] was crucified with Him [Christ]…" (Romans 6:6).

How do I know that I was "crucified" with Christ? I know because God says so! The Bible says, "Knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Christ." You may be thinking, "But Christ was crucified 2,000 years ago. How could I be 'crucified with Christ'?"

To help us understand this, let us take a piece of paper and cut out a little man. Now take the little man and place him in a book. Where is the little man now? He is in the book, and he will stay in the book. Suppose we put the book on the floor. Where is the little man now? He is in the book on the floor.

Suppose we place the book on the table. Where is the little man now? He is in the book on the table. Suppose we wrap the book with the little man in it and send it to another city. Where is the little man now? He is still in the book, now in the other city.

In this illustration, the book represents Christ and the little man represents me. Just as we put the little man in the book, so God put me in Christ when I first believed on Him. Once the little man was put in the book, whatever happened to the book also happened to the little man because he was in the book. The same is true of me. Once God put me in Christ on the cross, whatever happened to Him also happened to me because I was in Christ.

There are two great facts which are true of every child of God: Christ died for me, and I died with Christ. How do I know that Christ died for Me? I know because God says so in His Word. The Bible says, "…while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). How do I know that I died with Christ? I know because God says so in His Word. The apostle Paul said, "I have been crucified with Christ…" (Galatians 2:20). God put me in Christ on the cross and I was "crucified" with Him.

When Christ was crucified, I was "crucified" with Him. When Christ died, I "died" with Him. That was the end of my old sinful self-life. When Christ was buried, I was "buried" with Him. In God's sight, my old sinful self is gone forever.

In myself, I have not died, but these things are true of me in Christ. Remember the little man in the book. Once the little man was put in the book, whatever happened to the book also happened to the little man because he was in the book.

When Christ rose from the grave, I "rose" with Him as a new person in Christ. I have a new life! God created me as a new person in Christ. I still have the same body, but I am a new person inside. The Bible says, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new person; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17).

God now sees me in Christ. He will always see me in Christ. Just as God loves Christ and delights in Him, so He now loves me and delights in me. God is saying to me, "Because I always see you in Christ, I love you and delight in you in the same way I love My Son and delight in Him."

Not only am I in Christ, but Christ is in me. The moment I received Christ as my Savior, He came to live in me, and He will never leave me. Because I am in Christ and Christ is in me, I can live the Christ-life instead of the ugly SELF-life.

 

The apostle Paul was one of the most victorious Christians who ever lived, and he has shared with us the secret of his victorious life. Paul said,

"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 for me." Galatians 2:20

Read this verse out loud. Isn't that beautiful! Write it on a piece of paper and say it over and over until you have memorized it. Now let us see from this verse the four steps in living the Christ-life:

Know that you died with Christ.

"I have been crucified with Christ." This is God's way of dealing with my old life. God put me in Christ on the cross. When Christ died, I "died" with Him. In God's sight, that was the end of my old life. When Christ rose from the grave, I "rose" with Him as a new person in Christ.

Know that Christ lives in you.

"Christ lives in me." This is true of every believer. What happened when I became a Christian? I "received Him" (John 1:12). Christ actually came to live in me. Christ lives in me right now! Nothing could be more wonderful.

Take SELF out of the way.

Christ wants to live His life in me, but something gets in His way. What is it? It is SELF! My biggest problem is SELF! What is the solution to this problem? The solution to the problem of SELF is to take myself out of the way so Christ can live His life in me.

God says that Christ belongs on the throne in my heart and SELF belongs on the cross. I agree with God. I say, "SELF, you shall not rule in my life! Christ is my Lord and my King! He shall rule in my life."

A little girl named Carol had received Christ as her Savior when she was very young. When she was ten years old she longed to be a good Christian. Her father spent much time with her, teaching her from the Bible. He showed her that the only way of victory over sin and SELF was by accepting our death with Christ and letting Christ live His life in us.

Then Carol made her decision. It was a decision that changed her life forever. She wrote in her Bible: "I truly died with Jesus, and I put away my old Carol on the cross with Him on the 4th day of October. I mean to live by His life, and for Him, all my life. Not I, but Christ."

Count on Christ, who lives in me.

"The life which I now live, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me."

Everything I need is in Christ. God tells me not to worry about things. Perhaps I have a bad temper. I have tried for years to overcome it. Now I turn it over to Christ who lives in me. I say, "Lord Jesus, I am counting on You to take care of my bad temper." He takes care of it, and it is gone. Other people are amazed that I am different from what I used to be.

I have found the secret of living the Christian life. What is it? It is saying "No" to SELF and letting Christ live His life in me. I say, "Lord Jesus, You are my King, and You live in me. I want You to live Your life in me. I am counting on You to do this."