Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

In Christ, you are not just a different person; you are a new kind of person!
Mark Hankins

While preaching in Paris, I had the opportunity to visit the Louvre. With over eight miles of galleries, one million works of art and more than 400,000 masterpieces, I knew I would not be able to see everything. So I headed right for the Mona Lisa (one of the most world-famous masterpieces) and spent extra time there. If you see all the other paintings and sculptures, and miss the Mona Lisa, you have missed the most important work of art.

The same is true of the Bible. It contains the world’s greatest collection of God’s works of art. However, if you see all the beautiful pictures in the Word of God and miss God’s greatest masterpiece, then you will have really missed the Bible.

The Bible is the story of man’s redemption. The Bible is about Jesus, our Redeemer, and His work. All sixty-six books contain pictures of God’s plan and purpose to restore man to Himself.

Confession: I am a new creation in Christ. Old things are passed away, and everything made new. I am God’s Masterpiece – a man in Christ!

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth. (John 16:13)

If you are not impressed with who you are and what you have in Christ, you have not seen Him lately!
Mark Hankins

A man in Christ is a man with the life of God. You are not deity, but you are not only human. You have been born of God. God has given you His very own life. You are not the same person you used to be.

God sees you in Christ, but you must also see yourself in Him. You will never be different until you see yourself differently. The Holy Spirit takes the things of Christ and shows them to us. He is able to project the image of Christ from the Word to the screen of our minds, so we can live in the reality of our redemption.

Take time to renew your mind every day with the reality of redemption. Dare to act like the Bible is true, and it will become real in your life. Allow God to introduce you to your new self!

Confession: I am a new creature in Christ Jesus. I have God’s very own life and nature in me. The life of God is in me now. I know I have eternal life. The law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. In Christ, I am redeemed, blessed, and victorious!

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

A man in Christ is a man with the life of God. Mark Hankins

The Greek word in the New Testament that is translated life or eternal life is zoe. I like W.E. Vine’s definition of the word zoe (eternal life, everlasting life, or life):

“It is life as a principle…life in the absolute sense, as God has it, that which the Father has in Himself and which He gave to the incarnate Son to have in Himself. (John5: 26) Eternal life is the present actual possession of the believer because of his relationship with Christ.”

God has given us a new quality of life in Christ. He has given us His own life — the very same life that raised Jesus from the dead. (Ephesians 2:4-6) God wants us to know that we have eternal life now. We are not trying to get it or some day in the sweet by-and-by going to get it. The gift of God is eternal life. (Romans 6:23) What a great gift God has given us in Christ!

Confession: Eternal life is my present actual possession because of my relationship with Christ!