The New Self

Last evening I was reading some of my blog entries from several years back.  I was looking at and reflecting on the Kingdom, and Jesus' revelation concerning the Kingdom, and I ran across one thought where I realized that Jesus, in sharing about the Holy Spirit, was sharing from His own personal experience.  He operated through the power of the Holy Spirit, had intimacy with the Father, and basically showed us what a life of oneness with the Father looked like.  As I am thinking about this, I am wondering about the new self that Paul writes about, in Ephesians 4:22-24 NIV:

[22] "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; [23] to be made new in the attitude of your minds; [24] and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." 

I was thinking this new self is only available to us because of Jesus' resurrection, but that Jesus operated in this prior to His death and resurrection.  He was filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, and demonstrated a oneness with the Father.  It seems to me that His death opened the way for us, but He was already living in unity with the Father, as a man, but demonstrating to us what our life could be like, as a son or daughter of God.

Jesus speaks clearly about His relationship with and direction from the Father in the following verses from John 5:16-27 NIV:

[16] "So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him. [17] In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” [18] For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. 

[19] Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. [20] For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. [21] For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. [22] Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, [23] that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him. 

[24] “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. [25] Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. [26] For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. [27] And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man."

I love the statement that Jesus makes in verse 20, "For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does."   If I am a true son of God, through adoption, united with Jesus through His death, resurrection and ascension (Rom 6:5-10) and this is born witness to by the Holy Spirit (Rom 8:15), then this same statement should, in some way, be true or me!  I say in some way, not because the Father loves me less, but because of my present unbelieving heart and mind.  I am my own limitation.

Oh Lord, I pray that you would help me to embrace this promised reality!  I pray that You would open my eyes, open my ears, open my heart and mind to this reality, that I might experience and live my life being directed by the You, seeing what You are doing and then doing it.  Help me to embrace this new self, and put it on daily, that I might operate more like You did Jesus.

I am confident that I can only live my life this way through You, through You Holy Spirit.  I need Your help!  Help me step past my own limitation into the life You have for me, this new self.

Amen!