“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 “(Mark 6:4).

I was blessed to have had parents who faithfully made church attendance a regular part of our lives. As such, I attended many worship services and was witness to many baptisms, which in the case of our church were immersions. I remember thinking how important Timothy’s mother Eunice was, because our preacher always mentioned her during baptisms. Each time he would raise someone out of the water, he would proclaim, “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 ‘Eunice’ of life!”

I was relieved to finally solve the mystery of “Eunice,” to learn that the correct word was “newness.” I am continually awed to know that God can transform us, to make us new creatures. Only God is the Creator. Only God can make us new through the saving work of his son, Jesus, and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. This verse is especially fitting for this week following Easter when we just celebrated the Resurrection. It is because of Christ’s work on the cross that we can be cleansed of our sin. The cross symbolizes death to sin, and death to death, so that we are free to live our Redeemed Lives in Christ forever.

This Lenten season we have been focusing on the heart, which we define biblically as “the ‘basket’ term for our mind, our will, our emotions, and our conscience.” We are describing the pathway by which our hearts respond and therefore change from rebellious to renewed.

The first step on the pathway is recognition, which means that we see our sin the way God sees our sin. Only God’s viewpoint is total objective as He is the standard of true righteousness.

The second step on the pathway is responsibility, a broken and contrite heart.

The third step on the pathway is regeneration, the act of the Holy Spirit transforming our hearts.

The fourth step on the pathway is repentance, turning away from sin and (re)turning to God.

The fifth and final step on the pathway is renewal.

Renewal is the objective, our destination. All the other steps are the means to achieve the objective. The goal of a responsive heart is restored relationship, renewed to something even better than before.  When Adam and Eve sinned, they lost their intimate relationship with God. They were banished from the Garden of Eden, and their relationship was broken.

God sent his Son, Jesus, to reconcile us back to him. Not by obeying the law, because none of us is righteous enough to be perfectly obedient. It is only through the perfect righteousness of Jesus, who paid the ultimate price of death on the cross, that we can be restored to our former relationship with God.

How can we be sure that God wants this restored relationship? He tells us in Ezekiel 36:22 that it is ultimately for His sake: “Therefore say to the Israelites, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: It is not for your sake, people of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone.”

How can we know we are reconciled to God? When we hate our sin; when we hate what God hates and love what God loves. If we have a new heart, we have a new life. David has the nerve to ask for joy in Psalm 51. Where does that joy come from? From a renewed heart with God. “My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise” (Psalm 51:17).

Paul speaks to us about our renewed hearts:

• “And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Romans 5:5).
• “But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed” (Romans 6:17).
• “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 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 12:1-2).
• “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

The point of all these five weeks of devotions about our responsive hearts is to melt our hearts with the love of God for us. My prayer for you is that you will recognize and own your sin, that you will submit to God’s call on your heart and repent, turning to God. The first time you take these steps you are on the pathway. Daily, walk, confess, repenting, stay in God’s Word, and pray. In this way you are renewed and will continue to renew and strengthen your relationship with God, his son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. In this way you will walk with Jesus both now and forevermore.

In Christ,

Judy