There is something about death that reminds us as human beings of the need to live good. When someone well-loved or prominent dies, we often see social media posts of many declaring and reminding humanity of their need to live life to its fullest or to live good with one another. It’s as if people are convinced that life is merely about championing their determination of good over evil. While being good is recommended as a morally commendable act, there is an aspect of a believer’s life that takes them miles ahead of this mindset and sets them apart as a royal kingdom diadem.
As children of God, we are not only called to be good but to also become like Christ. We can be many things on different days, but it is our becoming like Christ that determines who we actually are in the sight of God. We tend to think that we are what we do quite often, but it is really the next way around. It is our becoming that governs our doing and not our doing that governs who we are.
As Christians, we do not live according to the world’s narrative of spirituality or what the moral achievement of life should sum up to be. Our spiritual obligations don’t lie in simply being good persons but in becoming new creations that are sold out to living in accordance with God’s will while reflecting the spiritual image and likeness of Christ.
Scripture Reading – 2 Corinthians 5:16-17 (AMP)
‘‘So, from now on we regard no one from a human point of view [according to worldly standards and values]. Though we have known Christ from a human point of view, now we no longer know Him in this way. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life].’’
God sits high and looks low, and He shines His face particularly on those who have willingly put their flesh on the cross so they could be born again. When we come face to face with the reality of our nothingness without God, we won’t be afraid to offer up ourselves like clay for the Potter to mould us anew on His providential terms.
You see we tend to forget that we were created for God and by Him according to His intentions and purposes, not our own. When sin found its way into our spiritual gene pool, not only did our spiritual substance change but also the properties of our physical genome. Not only was our physicality weakened and our days on earth lessened but our relationship with God was compromised as sin separated us from our Creator and placed us under judgment’s microscope.
When we look into the science of genetics, we see how traits and physical features are passed from one generation to the next. We see the similarity and sameness of facial expressions, features, birthmarks, illnesses, giftings, and so much more being passed down. As children of God, we are grafted into the lineage of Christ by adoption because of His sacrificial blood shed on the cross. Our spiritual rebirth transforms us into new creations in Christ endowed with a new genetic framework, governed by the spiritual genome of God.
The human genome contains all the information an organism needs to function, as it represents an individual’s complete set of DNA. I am using genetic terminology to give my readers some semblance of a symbolic representation of what happens to us spiritually after our rebirth because our blood type is now that of Jesus Christ and not the first Adam’s. Let’s think of it this way – The spiritual genome of God provides all the information a child of God requires to function spiritually so that his spirit which is led by the Holy Spirit governs his body and soul. The spiritual genome of God transfers and passes down the characteristics, expressions, nature, interests, giftings, and inclinations of a triune and self-revealing God.
What an incredible blood type and gene pool we carry as children of God!
We are not ordinary – there is eternal life in our blood!
In the same way we portray the physical traits and characteristics of our earthly parents, we ought to portray the spiritual traits and characteristics of a holy and righteous God because He is our Heavenly Father. It is impossible for those who have been truly reborn in Christ to hide their identity, and this is why the Bible says a good tree cannot bear bad fruit. With such a strong spiritual blood-type of Christ and DNA of the Holy Spirit running through your spirit, your fruits will reveal who you are. Your light will not be able to hide under a bushel but rather, it will be evident for all to see.
Scripture Reading – John 15:5 (AMP)
I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for [otherwise] apart from Me [that is, cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing.
If we carry the life force of God within us, where is the evidence of our identity? Why do so many Christians resemble the world and look contrary to the Father who art in Heaven? Why are so many Christians focused on simply living good while living in ignorance of their responsibility to live holy, righteous and obedient lives? A holy God demands a holy people and holiness can only be achieved by the grace and power of Christ who lives unhindered inside of me. I ought not interfere with all Christ deposits and withdraws from me.
I do have a few questions!
Have old things really passed away from us? Or have we done plastic surgery on the old to look new?
Are we carrying forward the mindsets of our godless forefathers? Is our allegiance to our earthly ancestry or to the God who created man?
Are we still hell-bent on engaging in the traditions and heritage of our culture? Or can we say with confidence that anything that offends God offends us too?
Do you consider yourself as part and parcel of God’s royal priesthood? It’s better to examine yourself alive than to have God do a post-mortem after death. Maybe it’s time for us all to test our blood and determine if according to God’s Word we have truly been born again. It’s a tough thing to think you are and when God checks your blood, He sees you and not Christ Himself!
Scripture Reading – 2 Corinthians 13:5 (AMP)
Test and evaluate yourselves to see whether you are in the faith and living your lives as [committed] believers. Examine yourselves [not me]! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves [by an ongoing experience] that Jesus Christ is in you – unless indeed you fail the test and are rejected as counterfeit?
