Bible Passage: “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” (Romans 6:4)
Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:17
When I was a kid, Wayne Gretzky got traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings.
If you’re too young to have lived through this, or if you aren’t a hockey fan, and/or if you aren’t Canadian, try to imagine the sky falling, the world ending, and your heart breaking, all at the same time.
Our greatest player and national hero had been dealt to the Americans. He was leaving his team and our country at the same time.
I remember the press conference where it was announced, and Gretzky’s tears in the moment.
The next time we saw him, he was wearing a Kings jersey instead of his classic Oilers colors. And just like that, he was no longer an Oiler. He was a King.
My apologies for triggering Canadian men of a certain age with that sad memory. It has a happier application, I promise.
One thing the resurrection provides for us and strengthens us in is a new identity. As Christ was raised to new life, so we too are raised to new life, in what the apostle Paul would call “a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
The language is striking. “The old has gone; the new has come.” We died to our old sinful selves and are raised to a new life in Jesus.
We were sinners, doomed to death. We were lost, far from God. We were evil, through and through.
But just like Gretzky put on a new jersey that changed everything, we, too, have put on a new life that changes everything.
We are now saints, saved for eternity. We are now found, sought out by a loving God. We are now righteous, because Christ has placed His own righteousness upon us (Philippians 3:8-9).
When Gretzky got traded, he wasn’t “sort of” an Oiler anymore; he was fully a King. When a butterfly emerges from the cocoon, it isn’t “sort of” a caterpillar anymore; it’s a newly formed butterfly.
And we aren’t “sort of” the men we used to be; we are raised to new life and strengthened to live it out by the resurrection of Jesus.
And that is worth worshipping over!
Prayer: Lord, thank You for my new life! May I live out of the strength that You give so that I may fully embrace and walk in everything new that You have for me. Amen.
Reflection: Maybe today’s devotional was a new idea for you, or maybe you’ve known it for years. Still, knowing it and truly believing and living it can be very different things. Why do you think holding on to this truth can be so hard for a man?
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