At the beginning of a New Year it is perhaps appropriate to look at the Scriptures which speak to us of newness and renewal. It may have been the idea of the 'the preacher' that there is nothing new under the sun, (Eccl.1.9,10) but such a statement is only theoretically true, if true at all.

New things are received in different ways. A new set of clothes elates some people, they feel new in themselves; but some prefer the old familiar comfortable things. Some love to adventure in new places while other have a feeling of being lost. Some find a new job a challenge but others find the experience frightening. Each new day is daunting for some but others go forward to enjoy new opportunities. If we place our hands into the Lord's with a planned time set aside to be with Him, we go forward into the unknown hours with confidence in His presence.

Practically, new things are 'happening' all the time. They occur in the working and development in nature; they occur in the history of mankind as the ways of men unfold and they occur most importantly in God's purpose for mankind.

Giving something a name with the word 'new' in it can be rather strange ‑ yet it is still done ‑ New Town, New Street, Newquay, because they will all become old ‑ just as methods change, new products become 'old fashioned'.

In particular, there was one great divide in history, one point in time when all things changed, when that which was old began to fade away and that which was new came into being. It was at our Lord's First Advent. There never was such a time of renewal as when the Son of God trod this Earth and there never can be a time like it again. When ultimately the New Earth and the New Heavens (Isa.65.17; 2 Pet.3.13; Rev.21.1) are brought into being, it will be a further development of what Jesus began when John baptized his cousin in Jordan. The wonderful times of refreshing to which we look forward with joyful anticipation, will be a wonderful renewal of all creation but the process began when God 'overlooked' the human folly of the past and said that "All men everywhere must repent" (Acts 17.30). That process will continue until all things are made new and in a condition to be handed back to the Father by the Son (1 Cor.15.28).

At The Great Turning Point In History, When Jesus Taught In Israel, He Said That a wise scribe is able to take out both things old and new (Matt.13.52). There was much useful teaching in the Law given through Moses that the scribe of Jesus' day would have done well to discover and teach. Much of that teaching is still valuable today. But there were new things that must come from that First Advent into the world of the Messiah, things which had been in the mind of God from long ages past and which He had shared with His son. But now those things promised in the shadows of the Old Covenant were to become a reality in the New Covenant. And those that enter this new relationship are new creatures or perhaps more accurately are a New Creation as Paul describes it in Gal.6.15 and Eph.4.24 and so become 'a new man' (Eph.2.15). Hence the expression 'new birth', which really had its origin in the words of Jesus to Nicodemus (John 3.3) "You must be born again" or as the NRSV has it "You must be born from above". However this controversial verse is translated, a new beginning is indicated. We are exhorted to "seek those things which are above" (Col.3.1); "seek first the kingdom of God" (Matt.6.33); "set your affections on that which is above not on the earth'"(Col.3.2) all have the same implications. The believer who becomes a full follower of Jesus accepts the gift of the Holy Spirit and begins life all over again and finds a new orientation toward all those things that belong to Christ. The old relationship between God and His people depended upon material things, taste not, refrain from doing this, a law that was concerned with teaching tribes of slaves how to use the things of the Earth and how to behave toward to each other. The new relationship in which the believer is called to live is a new life, to be like God Himself, to look at all things from His angle, and to do things His way; to be like Him and so be at one with Him. The great prophets of the Old Testament from faithful Abraham to those who saw the gleams of the New Covenant like Jeremiah came very close to their God and in fact knew Him face to face better than many who have claimed to follow Jesus. But that new relationship could not come to power until the one who was to come had done the atoning work, for it is only as we are joined to Him that we can receive this new life which puts behind us forever the old life in the 'flesh'. Like the Israelites of old who lingered as they came out of Egypt and longed again for the 'flesh pots', we are uncertain in our movement along this new and living way.

At the beginning of a New Year we must put behind us those things that would distract us from the Heavenly direction. We need spiritual renewal because we live our new life in the flesh surrounded by the old order of things, still bearing in our bodies the affection for that which is below rather than that which is above. There is a value of knowing that there was a point of time in our lives when we surrendered our hearts to God and He consecrated us to Himself. We can look back at that moment and remember the radical change. But not all can identify the point in time. They may have been brought up in a Christian home with Christian values. Gradually such believers realised that they want to follow Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit to transform them.

There are two points to remember in connection to the new way of life.

Firstly, there must be a clear recognition that we were born to a sinful life and need to have thoroughly repented of everything that points us away from the 'will of God'. There must have been a decisive turning away from this world and a clear perception of the New Way ahead. Secondly, this renewal is quite different from that which might be the experience of a morally good person who relies on a rational understanding of what he ought to do and then does it with all his own strength ‑ and is often more successful than some Christians. But that is not the way of the Lord. However well we discovers from the Scriptures the wonderful philosophy of atonement and upright living, we cannot of ourselves begin the life in Christ. No striving and self-help can make progress along the Christian Way. Transformation is done by us submitting to the glory of God (2 Cor.3.17,18). So our new life grows in Christ. Our self denial must allow Christ to come in with His life and together we travel the Way. The more we keep the relationship with Lord strong ‑ remain close to Him, live in Christ ‑ the greater the progress. Knowledge is valuable so long as we come to know the Lord. The truth is invaluable in Christian growth ‑ so long as we are in Christ and come know Him who is the Truth, personally. Without the power of the Holy Spirit we can never reflect His glory.

A point in time is not vitally important but it is important to identify that the experience has occurred whether it takes 5 minutes or 5 years. The experience is that the old nature is nailed to the cross, that it is dead and that we have become alive in Christ. The change does not come about through learning creeds or sectarian dogma ‑ but by sharing Christ's baptism and by dying with Him ‑ then we have new life. Upon what are our affections truly set now? Is there anything in our lives that we cannot share with Christ?

In Jesus prayer in John 17 which speaks of our union with Him and with the Father, we have the basic Bible doctrines of atonement and covenant. It is fantastic that we should be able to enter this great union and there never can been anything more important. Our relationship with God and His Son have come about because of the demonstration of their love for us. We can ask the Lord to come into our lives and share those parts of our lives that cannot be shared with any other. Spiritual renewal is that process by which God, through His Holy Spirit, changes us from what we were to what He intends us to be.

Behind all this is Jesus' own sacrifice. He gave up first His home in Heaven. At some time, possibly around the time of His baptism, He gave up His earthly home . He gave up His life and all that He had so that we could share His life. It was this that inspired the early Christians in their sacrifice to the Will of God and led to their wide spread evangelical effort.

The ancient world in which the early Church grew up were chained to sin. The vice familiar to us in the modern world was familiar to our early brethren in Christ. But they gladly became His slaves because that was the only way of freedom. It is just the same today in the new and living way.

DN