Transforming The Old Into The New – It’s Not Just For Restoring Automobiles

Word-Of-The-Day: ‘Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, that person is a new creation! The old has gone, the new is here!.’ (2 Corinthians 5:17); ‘Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.’ (Romans 12:2)

One of our friends recently bought an ‘old’ truck, that looks like a bit of a rust bucket, but oddly beautiful.  It is more of a project for him, but after getting it, it was found not to be what it appeared as.  The body of the truck was a 1960s-vintage pickup, but the chassis/frame was from a 1989 truck and the engine was from one in the mid-1990s.  It is likely the former owner found that while he loved the appearance of the old truck (men do like the looks of old trucks better than new trucks), the performance of the old truck lacked what new trucks have (men do like the performance of new trucks better than old trucks), and it is very likely the parts to keep the original frame and engine going were either non-existent or prohibitively expensive to obtain.

Similarly, I have an older Jeep (affectionately named ‘Wilbur’, after the pig in the story Charlotte’s Web) that was a standard ‘TJ’ model Jeep when I bought it, and then I had the engine and transmission replaced, the soft top replaced with a hard top, and the suspension lifted.  It went from being a typical Jeep into something that in my eyes is more appealing and serves the purpose it was procured for (namely, driving through the flooded streets after a hurricane).  Our friend’s truck and my Jeep both are different from when they first started; transformed from what they were to something new and more appealing to their current owner.

When we receive the Holy Spirit, even though we have the remnants of the old self, we are no longer what we once were but are now different; a new creature with the grafting of the Holy Spirit in us.  Like the truck and the Jeep, it is no longer the vehicle of the manufacturer, or of the previous owners, as it has been transformed by the new owners.  We who are Believers in Christ also have been transformed and are no longer owned by this world or the people of it but we are now the people of Christ, having been transformed by Him.  Like the Jeep, we no longer conform to what was considered acceptable previously but strive to conform to what is acceptable by our new owner, Jesus. 

Many people struggle if they only see a partial change initially; I knew when I accepted Christ, I was changed but there were some old habits that did not immediately go out the window.  Over time, however, those habits have slowly taken a back burner.  Yes, they may occasionally pop back up, but the Holy Spirit is there to say, ‘You know that ain’t right’ (my Holy Spirit has a Southern accent, even though I was a Yankee at birth – it must be due to being Saved here in Florida). 

There are there are those who we know are saved by their fruits, but may still smoke cigarettes, for example.  We have to understand that we are still not and will not be 100% perfect until we reach Eternity; the new Spirit has been installed in the old body while we are on Earth.  Over time, many do stop their old habits, as they conform more to Jesus’ Will. 

Some may not ever change certain habits, unfortunately.  But know this, Jesus will not give you up because of an old habit.  When Paul writes of his ‘thorn in his side (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)’, some scholars believe he was perhaps talking of not a physical malady but of an old habit that caused him to sin.  Paul states 3 times he asked the Lord to remove it, and the Lord responded with ‘My Grace is sufficient’. 

Paul took this as something that the Lord allowed in his life (whether physical or sinful in nature) to keep him humble and focused upon Jesus and the Gospel of Christ.  I am also certain that Paul did his best not to succumb to the temptations, but if he did succumb to the sin, or was being tormented in temptation, it helped him refocus on Jesus’ Will for his life.  This is not to say we should sin, but we should always try to refocus onto Jesus when tempted so we do not fall into sin, or when we succumb and fall into sin to refocus toward Jesus to rise above it.

The Christian who is committed to Christ will grow over time, and more (but perhaps not all) defective parts (and old ways) will be replaced, just like our cars over time.  The immediate change is in receiving Saving Grace, and then the lifelong process of growing Sanctification in the individual, having their belief grow into knowledge and their old secular ways falling away to become more Christ-like.

But we will never be 100% new while mortally alive; yesterday the parts we replace were new, but today they’re one day old.  But cars will eventually break down and stop running, heading off to rust away into a powdery pile in a junkyard.  The good news for us is when Eternity does come, we will become 100% new with a new body, and it’ll be renewed every day for all Eternity.  Praise the Lord!