January 1 | Bible in a Year: Genesis 1–3; Matthew 1

New Identity in Jesus

See what great love the Father has lavished on us. 1 John 3:1

“I’m not who I once was. I’m a new person.” Those simple words from my son, spoken to students at a school assembly, describe the change God made in his life. Once addicted to heroin, Geoffrey previously saw himself through his sins and mistakes. But now he sees himself as a child of God.

The Bible encourages us with this promise: “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). No matter who we’ve been or what we’ve done in our past, when we trust Jesus for our salvation and receive the forgiveness offered through His cross, we become someone new. Since the garden of Eden, the guilt of our sins has separated us from God, but He has now “reconciled us to himself through Christ,” “not counting” our sins against us (vv. 18–19). We are His dearly loved children (1 John 3:1–2), washed clean and made new in the likeness of His Son.

Jesus liberates us from sin and its dominating power and restores us into a new relationship with God—where we’re free to no longer live for ourselves but “for him who died for [us] and was raised again” (2 Corinthians 5:15). On this New Year’s Day, let’s remember that His transforming love compels us to live with new identity and purpose. It helps us point others to our Savior, the One who can make them new people too!

By James Banks

REFLECT & PRAY

What does it mean to you that a new beginning is possible with God? How can you live as His "new creation"?

Abba, Father, thank You for sending Your Son to save me. Please send me to someone who needs You too.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

Second Corinthians 5:21 describes the very heart of the gospel message: "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." In this great divine exchange, known as substitutionary or vicarious atonement, God took our sins and placed them on the sinless Christ and attributed His righteousness to us. Jesus took the full punishment that we deserved. The apostle Peter describes this exchange as "the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring [us] to God" (1 Peter 3:18).

When we believe that Jesus died for our sins, we take on His righteousness (Romans 3:22) and receive a right standing before God (see 4:3-4). Paul says of this gift: "Even greater is God's . . . gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ" (5:17 nlt).

K. T. Sim

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Sunday, 31 December 2023