7 Facts about Your New Life That Jesus Made Possible on the Cross
- Sarah Frazer Crosswalk.com Contributing Writer
- Updated Apr 01, 2021
During the 2020 lockdown, our cat had quarantine kittens. On a normal Wednesday, she gave birth to four adorable tiny little babies. Watching new life enter this world is a privilege, but as Christians, we have new life as well! This new life comes with salvation. When a soul is rescued from death into new life because of faith in Jesus Christ, it is even more miraculous! The death of Christ on the cross was the catalyst for our new life today.
In Colossians, the apostle Paul gives us seven facts about our new life in Jesus, all made possible by the cross. In chapter one Paul tells us how Christ is above all of creation! He says, “He (Christ) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation” (Colossians 1:15). Paul goes on to say that Christ has “made peace by the blood of his cross” (Colossians 1:20). Because of the cross, we have peace with God – a new life.
What does this new life look like? Here are seven things about our new life in Christ, because of His death on the cross.
1. Full Assurance
Colossians 2:2-3 says, “Attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (ESV). In Christ, because of the cross, we have full assurance of God’s salvation in our lives. Other verses such as 1 John 5:13, Hebrews 10:22, and 2 Timothy 1:12 remind us that God does not offer salvation only to take it away. When God saves us, He gives us full assurance in our hearts that He will never leave us (Hebrew 13:5)! Our new life in Jesus means we do not have to doubt or worry whether God will save us. He has! Remember Romans 8:38-39, nothing can separate us from God! Even though you might walk through a valley, God will be with you (Psalm 23:4). New life means full assurance.
2. Free from Confusion
Next, Paul says in Colossians 2:8, “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ” (ESV). New life means we don’t have to be confused anymore. The world has never made sense. They say one thing, only to say another different thing a few years later. If you follow the world you will be, as James says, “cast about” like a wave on the sea (James 1:6). New life in Christ means we have a solid foundation for wisdom and knowledge. That foundation is the Bible! Are you confused today? Go to the Bible. In God’s Word, you will find answers to every question. Don’t be of “double-mind” (James 1:8) but stand up and stand on the promises of God’s word. New life means freedom from confusion.
3. Fully Alive
“And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him…” (ESV). Colossians 3:12 reminds us we are fully alive! Before salvation, we were “dead” meaning we could not fully grasp anything spiritual. Now, because of the cross of Christ, we have the ability to have new life when we accept Jesus as our Savior. Christian, if you are struggling to feel alive, remember this truth as well from Ephesians 2:5, “Once you were dead, now we are alive in Christ” (ESV). Today, if you are in Christ, you are alive! Life might feel hard and weary, but God has put you in this place for a reason. God gave you spiritual life because of the cross. There is purpose here and there is life. Exhale the suffocating lies of this life and inhale all of who Christ is in you. New life means being fully alive.
4. New Mind
Paul goes on in Colossians 3:2 to say this: “Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth” (ESV). We have new things to think about. Paul reminds us in Christ we now see those “invisible” things related to the spiritual realm and realize our minds can be shifted. Are you worn and tired? Shift your mind on Christ and God; the heavenly things are what you need. Philippians 4:8 gives us a list of things to think about: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (ESV). Don’t get bogged down in things that tear you down. Because of Christ and what He did on the cross, we can think new thoughts. New life means we can have a new mind, set on heavenly things.
5. New Image
Colossians 3:10 says because of Christ we “have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of the creator” (ESV). Who we were in the Garden of Eden, perfect and undefiled by sin, is who God created us to be in His perfect image. With sin, we have lost that image. We have lost pieces of it and who we are is distorted. Our souls yearn and ache to be renewed to what it was like in the New Garden in heaven. The only way we can move toward that is through Christ’s blood and sacrifice on the cross. This “new self” is a new person inside. God has given us a new image - one that reflects God more fully. Will we be perfect this side of heaven? No, but we can be renewed into who we were created to be over time. Putting on love, compassion, mercy, and grace we have a new image because of Christ. New life means a new image.
6. New Kind of Love
Paul gives us a list in Colossians 3:12-14, but at the end he says, “And above all these put on love…” (Colossians 3:14, ESV). When we love as Christians, we are not loving out of feelings, but out of a heart that has been loved. Do you want to see love? Look at the cross. True love, Jesus said, is giving up your life for another. Jesus demonstrated that perfectly on the cross. Not just for salvation but to be an example. We are to love with a new kind of love. Jesus loved us perfectly, we will strive to love others. Will it be hard? Of course! Will it always work? No, but we can move forward in loving others because we are perfectly loved. New life means we are loved and so we can love as well.
7. New Kind of Service
Finally, Paul says in Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (ESV). The world will do “good deeds” for lots of reasons. But Christian, as believers in Jesus who died on the cross for us, we have a bigger motive for service. We will serve within the perimeters of this new life in Christ. We can do everything to God’s glory. What if no one notices? God does. What if you never get a “Thank you”? God says it is for His glory, not yours. Even if your service is invisible, God sees. What a freedom to serve God – all for the name of Jesus – no matter the outcome. New life means a new kind of service.
Jesus’ death on the cross, the worst day in history, was absolutely made good because of God’s redemptive plan. That plan included a rescue from sin’s power, sin’s punishment, but also sin’s old way of living. Our new life in Christ gives us full assurance, freedom from confusion, a life fully alive, and a new mind and image so we can love and service in a new way. I pray you remember Christ’s cross but also all of the new life that came from His sacrifice!
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/leolintang
