The Old Me Made New
The cross was the greatest price ever paid. But what did Jesus buy with his blood? Far too many Christians settle for far too little from God’s. Yes, he forgives us, but he also makes us new. Read the meditation, and stream a song from Shane & Shane specifically written for Psalm 51.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. (Psalm 51:10–12)
When we first hear and receive the good news of Jesus Christ, we’re quite content to have our sins forgiven and our shame removed. We sense the consequences of offending an all-knowing and all-powerful God, and feel the heavy burden being lifted of all we’ve done wrong. In one sense, we know there’s still work to do, a lingering sense of our remaining sin, but the relief of simply being forgiven is even more powerful.
But what if Jesus died for more than forgiveness?
The good news of the gospel doesn’t stop with pardon. We treat grace like it’s God’s big eraser for our every wrong or mistake. But God does not only mean to rub the page clean. No, he intends to write a new story in sin’s place, replacing what was once broken, wicked, and dead with love, faithfulness, and life.
The gospel doesn’t just get us out of hell; it also makes us new. Grace doesn’t just help us shed the weight of past sins; it empowers us to feel and live differently.
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