We're almost finished with Galatians. I've enjoyed going through it so much. I'm sad it's over, but it's not over yet. But turn to Galatians 6. Verse 15 of Galatians chapter 6. For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature, a new creation.

Let's pray. Lord, we come into your presence in the name of thy blessed son, the Lord Jesus Christ, our savior, our redeemer. The one in whom is all your salvation and all of our dependence of being saved is in him, we pray that he might be preached, that you would give us a revelation of yourself in him. We pray that we might be found in him. We pray that we might be enabled to trust him only, to see his beauty.

Lord, we confess our sins. We pray for forgiveness and cleansing. Our sin is ever before us. How we thank you that in him there is no sin and in him we have no sin. Lord, give us faith for Christ's sake. Be with all your people wherever they meet together. In Christ's name we pray. Amen. A new creation. Creation. What is creation? It's something only God can do. We talk about creative people, and I know what is meant by that, but there are no creative people. Only God creates. A new creation.

In Christ Jesus, now this prepositional phrase is found in Paul's writing 164 times in the New Testament. This phrase, in Christ Jesus. And the key to understanding the Bible, the gospel, and God's salvation is found in this phrase, in Christ Jesus. All of God's salvation, all of God's blessing, all of God's favor is in Christ Jesus and nowhere else. All that God has for the sinner is in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 1, 3, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us, not will bless us if, but hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

Now we have so many illustrations of this, the Ark. If you're in the Ark, you were saved. If you were outside of the ark, you were drowned, judged. Cities of refuge. If you got in the city of refuge, you were safe. Only if you stayed in the city of refuge. If you got outside the city of refuge, you were open game to the avenger of blood.

I think my favorite example is when it says Levi, paid tithes in Abraham. When Abraham paid those tithes, Levi was in him, and he paid those tithes. It doesn't say it says if he paid the tithes, it says he paid those tithes. When Christ kept the law, I did too, because I was in him.

By one man, sin entered the world, and death by sin, so death passed upon all men, and that all sinned. In Adam, all sinned. I sinned, you sinned. It's not just that sin was charged to me, I sinned because I was in Adam. In Adam, all die. 1 Corinthians 15, 22. Even so, in Christ shall all be made alive. God's only dealt with two people. Adam, and the second Adam, Christ Jesus the Lord in Christ. Now in Christ, neither circumcision avails anything nor uncircumcision.

What does Paul mean by circumcision? He's not merely talking about the physical act. Circumcision represents law. Look in Galatians 5 and let me show you that. Verse 2, behold, I, Paul, say unto you that if you be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. Now, Paul was physically circumcised, so he's not talking about physical circumcision. He's talking about if you think any aspect of your salvation is dependent upon something you do. That's what law is. Circumcision. If you be circumcised, if you think any part of your salvation is dependent upon what you do, Christ shall profit you what?

Nothing. Nothing. In Christ Jesus, circumcision, avails nothing. Somebody says, well, I understand that. What's that profit you? Nothing. Nothing. Well, I got that down. I see the Bible teaches that. What's that profit you? Nothing. In Christ Jesus, circumcision, well, I've got circumcision and it's not doing you any good. Well, I understand that that's not doing you any good either. Here's what avails with God. in Christ Jesus. A new creation. A new creation. Now what is creation?

It's what only God can do. God created something from nothing. Ex nihilo. God created something from Nothing. In Christ, this is what avails with God, a new creation. If I have anything that avails with God, it has to be this. His creative work. A new creation. Now the word new is not new in respect of time, as in recent, but new in respect of a new kind. Unprecedented. Novel. something that was not there before, unheard of, a new creation. This is what the scripture calls being born again.

Now, how much did you have to do with the first creation? Absolutely, positively nothing. How much do you have to do with the new creation? Absolutely, positively, nothing. This is a creative work of God. And you know, if you're born of God and born again, that this has been God's work in you. You know it had nothing to do with you. Just like the first creation had nothing to do with you, this creation has nothing to do with your works. spiritual life. The seed of God is birthed in you by the Spirit of God.

And this is so mysterious, it's so, we know this just because the Bible teaches it, this being birthed of God. As many as received him, to them gave he the power to become the sons of God, even to them which believe on his name, which were born out of blood. Not of the will of the flesh, not of the will of man. They were born of God. Now, that which is born of the flesh is flesh.

It'll never rise above that. You know that. That which is born of the Spirit is Spirit. That's what he's speaking of. That which is born of God, the Holy Spirit. Now, the work of the Father in salvation is election. The work of the Son in salvation is redemption. And the work of the spirit in salvation is regeneration, the new birth called in scripture, I've got a lot of words to say from the scripture about the title of this thing of being born of God. It's called being born of God, born again, born from above, born of the spirit, The new creation, the new man. I love what Peter says here, the hidden man of the heart, which is not corruptible. I just love that description.

He's hidden. I don't see him. I'm aware of him, but I don't see him. Neither do you. He's a hidden man. You can't say, well, that's him. No, well, he's a hidden man, but he's not corruptible. He's not even subject to corruption. Peter calls it the incorruptible seed. Partakers of the divine nature. What a awesome thing to think about. Partakers of the divine nature. Christ in you. The spirit that lusts against the flesh. The new heart. The pure heart. The clean heart.

The seed that cannot Sin according to first john chapter 3 verse 9. That's such an awesome thing Not even subject to sin this new man 2nd corinthians chapter 5 verse 17 says if any man be in christ He is a new creation a new Creature old things are passed away. Behold all things have become new What's that mean? Does that mean the struggles I've had with the old man are over? Well, do you still sin? Do you still sin? Yes, then you have the old man. He's still there.

But you have a new man created in Christ Jesus. The old nature you were born with is still there and it never gets better. but you have a new nature, a new man. Two different natures in one man coming through one consciousness. The old man and the new man.

You know, Christ himself has two separate natures. 100% God, absolute divinity, and 100% man, perfect humanity, the God-man. These two natures don't blend. It's what, it's called, I remember I used to read this in John Gill when I was young, and I always thought, what in the world does that mean? You know, it's all about the hypostatic union of the two natures of Christ. And well, what it means is he has two separate natures in one man.

100% God, 100% man. Every believer has two natures. The new nature, the holy nature, the seed of God, partakers of the divine nature, and the old nature, the fallen nature. nature he was born with, both coming through this one consciousness. Now, when people say the believer only has one nature, to make that statement is to be out all in.

The scripture will never support. The spirit of God never taught that. This is clearly taught in the scripture. Read Romans chapter seven. two separate men, the old man and the new man, that's what the scripture calls them, coming through this one consciousness. Now, let me make some comments about this.

This is the sovereign work of God, just like everything else is. Just as in creation, God had no help, he had No help in the new creation. It's the sovereign work of God. How much did you have to do with your physical birth? Did you have any cooperation in it? No. When you were conceived, no. It's God's work. And this is the sovereign work of God, this thing of the new birth.

The wind blows where it wills. hear the sound thereof you can't tell from whence it comes whether it's going even so is everyone born of the spirit this is a spiritual creation now what do I mean by that well let's say you're an unbeliever and you have heart disease and you have cancer and you're born again Does the heart disease or cancer leave? No, it's still there. Your old man has not changed physically or by way of sinfulness. This is a spiritual creation, the act of God.

Thirdly, this new creation is a radical comprehensive creation. Now, what does that mean? That means it affects everything about you. Everything. Everything. Your mind, your will, your affections. This is an instantaneous creative work of God. It's not a process. Lazarus, come forth. He that was dead came forth. This is not a process. It's instantaneous. And it's always through the Word. It's never independent of the Word, the Word of God.

James 1.18 says, of his own will begat he us with the word of truth. The incorruptible seed, the word of God being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. Now, this is amazing to me.

Logically. Spiritual life must come before faith. You don't believe and then you live, you live and believe. Logically, you have to have spiritual life before you can believe. But chronologically, faith, believing the word of God, and the new birth come at the exact same time. You live when you hear. You hear because you live. No new birth apart from the word of God. The word, the gospel message from the word, the written word that reveals the living word. There is no new birth. There is no spiritual creation apart from the Word of God. It's individual, this new creation. He calleth his own sheep by name. He called you by name. This is individual. Every believer is born individually. And it's Irreversible. Once born again, you can't become unborn. I give unto my sheep eternal life, not temporary life, eternal life. And they shall never perish. And this new birth is something that is noticeable. It'll leak out on you. It will. Now, I'd like you to turn to 2 Corinthians 5. This is a very, saying the same thing, but... Verse 17.

Therefore, if any man be in Christ, There's that phrase again, one of 164 times Paul uses this phrase, the very key to understanding the gospel. All of God's salvation is in Christ Jesus. If any man be in Christ, he is, in italics, if any man be in Christ, new creation. something that was not there before. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things have become new.

Now, I've already stated that that doesn't mean, and I remember hearing a preacher say this. He said, since God saved me, I don't have those same sinful desires. They're gone. They're passed away. I remember the only thing I could think of is liar. Saying that to a group of people. It was actually, it was in prison. I was preaching in a prison and the chaplain came up after I preached and made that statement and saying that to those prisoners. Oh, it's so distressing. I thought, you lying hypocrite, because that's all that is. That's pure falsehood. He knew better than that, but he was trying to present himself in that way. That's not saying the old sinful nature passes away. It doesn't. One of these days it will. One of these days, I'm gonna wake up perfectly conformed to his image, with no sin. I'm gonna see him as he is, and I'm gonna be just like him. That's the heritage of every believer.

So what's he talking about when he says old things are passed away? Well, my old standing before the law's passed away. It's gone. All things have become new. In Revelation 21, verse five, Christ said, behold, I make all things new. I am a new person, and the new person is the real me. Look at the distinction Paul makes in Romans 7. Not I, but the sin that dwelleth in me. Two men. Now the I is the real me.

I have a new heart, one that was not there before. I have new affection, love for Christ, love for His way of saving. I have a new mind. We have the mind of Christ, that means I have a new will. The will is present with me. It's present with me right now. I would never sin again. I would be perfectly conformed to his image. I would take the lowest seat in the house all the time and never judge my brother ever again. I would be a servant.

To will is present with me. Now he says, how to perform that which is good, sometimes I mess up. He didn't say that, did he? He said, I find not. To will is present with me, but how to perform that which is good, I find not. But I have a new mind. I have a new heart. I have a new understanding. Turn with me for a moment to Colossians chapter 3, verse 9.

Line out one to another. Don't try to project yourself to be something you're not. I think he's talking especially about being a religious phony, trying to present yourself in certain ways. Now, it's never right to lie. You know that. But I think what he's referring to especially is this image we try to project.

Don't lie to one another. seeing that you've put off the old man with his deeds. The new man has done that. He's put off the old man with his deeds and put on the new man. There we have the old man and the new man, which is right here in the same passage. The old man and the new man. You've put off the old man, you put on the new man. What about this new man?

Which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that, what? Created him. Where? This is the knowledge, the new knowledge we have, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free. All fleshly distinctions are gone. There are no more.

But Christ is all. Christ is all God is. Christ is all in this book. Christ is all in my salvation. Christ is all that is to be preached. Christ is all. And there's an understanding of that in this new creation. When you're given this new man, this creative act of God, this man that was not there when you were born. Christ is all.

I have new eyes. I could now see what I couldn't formerly see. The beauty. of salvation by Jesus Christ. I can now see what I could not see before. My own sinfulness. There's a time when I didn't see that. I do now. I see my own sinfulness, but I see the beauty and the sufficiency of Jesus Christ as all that is needed to make me perfect before God.

I have new ears. I can now hear the gospel. Before, all I could hear was law. No matter what was said, all I heard was law. But I have new ears to hear the gospel. I have a new nose. that can smell the sweet savor of Christ and the stench of my own sin and the stench of salvation by works. I can smell things I could not smell before. I have new feet that walk by faith and not by sight. I have a new perspective.

All things are of God. I really believe that all things are of God. A new perspective, all things are of God. And I believe this is my favorite new thing. I've got a new history, a history of perfect obedience, of perfect righteousness of being well-pleasing to God, I've got a new history.

Now, that's what justification is. God does not look at me and say, well, I know he's sinned, but I'm going to view him as righteous anyway. No, God sees me as one with a perfect history. One who has never sinned and always done that which is pleasing in his sight. That's my history. I don't have to think, well, what if God remembers this? There's nothing there for him to remember but perfection. In Christ Jesus, neither circumcision avails anything nor uncircumcision. but a new creation created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk.