“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV)
Christianity is not merely about a changed life, but rather about an exchanged life. Christianity is essentially about exchanging our sinfulness for God’s righteousness, our corruption for God’s holiness, our poverty for God’s riches, our weakness for God’s strength, our foolishness for God’s wisdom, and our sorrow for God’s joy.
That is what distinguishes Christianity from dead religions in the world!
A call to be a Christian is to exchange your sin-riddled and sin-trodden nature and life for a holy and divine nature and life of Christ. It is a call to exchange your human, selfish, and lower thoughts and ways for Christ’s divine, selfless, and higher thoughts and ways (Isa. 55:7-9).
Although the process of divine exchange in a believer began at the point of the new birth or spiritual regeneration, it must continue throughout his lifetime. It is a daily, progressive, and continuous spiritual process.
At the new birth, a sinner who puts his faith in the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ for his salvation receives by the operation of the Holy Spirit a new, holy, and divine life and nature in exchange for his old, corrupt, and human life and nature (2 Pet. 1:4, 1 John 3:9).
The new birth, or spiritual regeneration, is essentially a divine process of exchanging your old, sin-riddled heart for a new one. The Holy Spirit carries out and perfects this instant spiritual process or operation in you when you believe and confess Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior (Eze. 36:26-27, Heb. 10:16).
While the believer has received an exchange of a new heart and a new spirit for his old heart and spirit by the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit at the point of the new birth, he is expected to spend the rest of his life exchanging his old mindsets, thoughts, values, beliefs, and ways for those of Christ.
This continuous exchange process is the renewing of your mind (Rom. 12:2). It is putting off “the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts” and putting on “the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.” (Eph. 4:22, 24 NKJV).
The primary reason why many believers today are still full of old self—their old sinful and selfish thoughts, lusts, passions, cravings, and ways—is because they are not diligently, constantly, and consistently putting off the old man and putting on the new man in their will, mind, and emotions (Eph. 2:22-24).
When you fail to commit or give yourself diligently to the process of exchanging your former thoughts, mindsets, views, beliefs, values, perspectives, philosophies, and principles for that of God clearly and fully expressed, demonstrated, and taught by Jesus Christ and the early apostles of Christ in the New Testament; your life will remain the same as though you are still unsaved or unregenerate, bearing no resemblance to that of Christ.
That is why it is hard to believe that many believers are truly born again!
Beloved, God would have you to know and understand that His Son, Jesus Christ, came down into this world and became all that you are so that in exchange, you might become all that He is, not later when you get into heaven, but now while you live in this present world (1 John 4:17).
Paul testifies, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Cor. 5:21 NKJV).
“But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.” (1 Cor. 6:17 NKJV).
You are no longer a wretched sinner, a slave of sin, or a captive of Satan. Instead, you are now the righteousness of God in Christ. You are holy, righteous, blameless, and above reproach in God’s sight.
Apostle Paul amply states and explains this truth in his epistles.
Colossians 1:21-22 – NKJV
21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled
22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight.
Therefore, when you think, view, speak, act, or live like sinners, you live contrary to your identity, nature, and status in Christ. You are rejecting who God said you are in Christ—His righteousness.
By your redemption and union with Jesus Christ, you are presently identical to Jesus Christ in your born-again spirit. You are no longer your former self; you have received the very Life, Nature, Mind, and Spirit of Christ at the new birth.
The Scripture clearly states this truth.
“But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.” (1 Cor. 6:17 NKJV).
“Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.” (1 John 4:17 NKJV).
“And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” (Gal. 4:6 NKJV).
“For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Cor. 2:16 NKJV).
Therefore, when you continue to deal with life issues or challenges according to your former ways before experiencing the new birth, you are certainly operating far below your divine or spiritual and mental capacities.
Christ emptied Himself and took the form of a bondservant when He came into the world so that in exchange you might cease to be and live like a slave, but so that you may become a son of God and thus an heir of God (Heb. 2:10, Gal. 4:4-7, Rom. 8:16-17).
When you, therefore, continue to think, speak, act, live, or operate in this world like a pauper, a failure, or a slave to sin or Satan, you are despising and rejecting the inexhaustible riches and blessings of God that are yours in Christ.
Beloved, it is your God-ordained destiny to become all that Jesus Christ is and possess and enjoy all that Jesus Christ has in this present life (1 John 4:17, Eph. 4:11-15).
Paul reveals, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” (Rom. 8:29 NKJV).
Although you have already fully conformed to Christ in your regenerated or born-again spirit, you have yet to fully conform to Christ in your soul (will, mind, and emotions) and physical body (Rom. 8:23, 1 Pet. 1:9).
Only as you diligently commit yourself to the process of divine exchange that the Holy Spirit has started in your life at the point of the new birth will Christ continually manifest in your will, mind, thoughts, emotions, and character.
Therefore, give yourself constantly, consistently, and continually to the Word of God to mold your will, renew your mind, and purify your emotions.
You also need to yield yourself unreservedly and constantly to the Holy Spirit to mortify or put to death the deeds of the body so that you may not continue to fulfill or gratify the lusts, desires, or passions of the flesh (Rom. 8:13, Gal. 5:16).
Paul writes, “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” (Gal. 5:16 NKJV).
Prayer:
Dear Holy Spirit, teach and help me daily to let Christ manifest in my will, mind, thoughts, emotions, and character, in Jesus’ name. Amen.