There are two things that are true for each of us. Every one of us was born. And every one of us will die unless the Lord returns first. But even then we will be transformed into a new heavenly body and will be dead to our old fleshly body. If these two events are the only things we can be sure will happen in this life, and all that we can count on, then we are without hope and living a life that is shallow and without purpose. But I submit to you that there is another event in our lives that all of us need (at least once in our lives) which will restore our hope and joy. This vital event is a new beginning.
The Bible tells us in Romans 3:23 that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Not only that, but we deserve to die because we have broken God’s law. In Romans 6:23, we learn that “the wages of sin is death.”
Now, if God had left us in this predicament, we would have no hope. All we have on this earth would be all we have forever. We would die without Christ, lost, and enter into eternal suffering. But Romans 6:23 doesn’t end with “the wages of sin is death”. It goes on to say “but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Isn’t that an encouraging promise? We deserved death because of our sin. But instead, we were given a gift that we do not deserve: eternal life in Christ.
Knowing that we can have this precious gift should give us hope. It should give us comfort from our trials and hardships. And it should also create in us the desire to know what we can do to receive this gift.
Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:3 that “unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” This tells us that in order to be saved, we must be born again. This is our new beginning! If we are born of water and the Spirit (which we encounter in baptism), then we die to the old man and are raised with Christ.
Paul, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God, puts it this way in Romans 6:3-5: “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.” Our new beginning starts with baptism, when we submit to God’s commands and are buried with Christ. Then, we are resurrected a new person with a new beginning, a brand new slate!
When we are raised with Christ, I Corinthians 5:17 tells us that “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” We don’t have to be eternally remembered for the evil things we have done prior to becoming a Christian. We are forgiven and we can begin anew!
Once we begin this new life, we can say with confidence as Paul did in Galatians 2:20: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. “
The beauty of God’s gift is that our past is not held against us. How many people in this world will keep on giving us another chance if we have failed often before? Not many. After a limited number of times of making mistakes and repenting, we may find our spouse or friend unable to trust us. But God knows our hearts and true motives, and when we become a Christian – or after we are a Christian and fall, if we truly repent of our sins, turn away from them and ask for forgiveness – then we are forgiven! There is NOTHING we can do that is so evil that we cannot be forgiven by God IF we follow the steps to be forgiven which He has set out in His Word. In I Corinthians 6:9-11 we read: “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.”
Now, this seems like a pretty rough crowd, does it not? Would we want to hang out with this bunch? Yet if we read on, we learn:
“And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” These people had done some pretty awful things but God had forgiven them because they had obeyed His commandments to be justified from their sins. Even the people who responded to the gospel in Acts 2 were forgiven. These were the same people who had been present at His death, crying out “CRUCIFY HIM!” and saying, “LET HIS BLOOD BE ON US AND ON OUR CHILDREN.”
Do not ever think that God cannot forgive you for what you have done. He loves you so much that He sent Jesus to die for the very sins for which you feel guilt. He loves you. He wants you to be saved. He does not want anyone, including you, to die in your sins. (See 2 Peter 3:9.) Never think that you cannot overcome sin in your life. On your own, you can’t, but “with God, all things are possible” Matthew 19:26. Even the vilest of sinners have turned away from their sins with the Lord’s help. Drug addicts, adulterers, murderers and child abusers have changed their ways when they turn to God for help. It is not easy, and may take a lifetime of fighting dark impulses, but it is indeed possible to turn away from the sin and live a new life.
Do not ever think that God cannot forgive you for what you have done. He loves you so much that He sent Jesus to die for the very sins for which you feel guilt. He loves you. He wants you to be saved. He does not want anyone, including you, to die in your sins. (See 2 Peter 3:9.) Never think that you cannot overcome sin in your life. On your own, you can’t, but “with God, all things are possible” Matthew 19:26. Even the vilest of sinners have turned away from their sins with the Lord’s help. Drug addicts, adulterers, murderers and child abusers have changed their ways when they turn to God for help. It is not easy, and may take a lifetime of fighting dark impulses, but it is indeed possible to turn away from the sin and live a new life.
Sometimes, we need a new beginning more than once. Maybe we became a Christian once but we later fell away into sin. We need to repent of these sins, and ask for forgiveness. We need to change our lives and live like the child of God we should be. I John 1:9 says that “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
We are not promised another year, another day, another second. But as long as we are breathing we have been given the opportunity to change our lives, to begin again. Always keep in mind how much God loves you and is willing to forgive if you will only obey. We must always strive to live our lives in such a way that when Jesus returns, we will be found faithful.
Praise the Lord that there are wonderful services such as homeless shelters, food kitchens and other support services. If you are in need, there are many avenues for help. If you are blessed by God with a good job, there are plenty of people who are in desperate need of shelter, food and clothing so that they can make a new start. If you are facing spiritual problems such as a lack of faith or the failure to study God’s Word, pray and serve Him in obedience, many in the church are willing to help. All of us face times when our faith is tested, and much can be learned from others’ experiences. Whatever the reason for your new start, the opportunity has been given to you to use for good.
In my own life, I have faced cancer and a transplant that brought me to the brink of death. This was my wake-up call for a new beginning – a life of greater faith and service to God. Our experiences are different because everyone’s journey is different. But Jesus died for every one of us so that we can know a new and better life. And He wants all of us to know the peace that comes from a life lived in service to Him.
Let us live in such a way that we can say at the end of our lives, “the end of a thing is better than its beginning” as in Ecclesiastes 7:8. May the end of our lives, whether fifty years from now or within the next minute, be the best times because we are found faithful to our Lord and are eagerly awaiting His return to call us home. For who can deny that the most beautiful words ever spoken to us will be, “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’?”… “And the righteous will enter into eternal life.” Matthew 25:34-36, 46.
How can we be born again? How do we start our new beginning? God has given us the answer in His Word. We must know and obey the following:
- Salvation is a gift of God. I cannot on my own attain it. Without grace, I would die in my sins.
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” Rom 6:23
- Although salvation is a gift, I must obey God’s requirements in order to accept this gift of grace.
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” Matt 7:21
“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.” John 15:10
- I must hear the Word (read the Bible, study, meditate) and believe that the Bible in its entirety is God's Word.
“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
“… you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” II Timothy 3:15
"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." II Timothy 3:16
"And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." 2 Peter 1:19-21
- I must have faith that God exists and will reward those who obey Him.
“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
“But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” John 20:31
“Then Philip said, ‘If you believe with all your heart, you may.’ And he answered and said, ‘I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.’”
"Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." --Luke 13:3
“Then Peter said to them, “Repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord will call.”
- I must confess publicly that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
"Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I also confess before my Father who is in heaven, but whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father who is in heaven."
- I must be baptized for the remission of my sins as part of the requirement to be saved.
“He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” Mark 16:16
“Then Peter said to them, “Repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord will call.”
- I must live a faithful life or else I will lose the gift of salvation. Obedience is commanded until our lives end.
“And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” I
If you find that your faith is lacking, your fervor to do the work of the Lord is waning, or you have allowed sin in your life to crowd out your spiritual walk with God, may this study of God’s Word encourage you to make a brand new start this very day. We should all examine our lives often (2 Corinthians 13:5) to ensure that we are in the faith.
May the Lord richly bless you this day.
