Walking in Newness of Life
Therefore we were buried with Him through
baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised
from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so
we also should walk in newness of life.
Romans 6:4
Walking in Newness of Life
“the body of sin might be done away with, that we
should no longer be slaves of sin.”
In verse 12 the apostle writes,
“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal
body, that you should obey it in its lusts.”
Walking in Newness of Life
How do we do this?
When we are baptized into Christ we must take
on the mindset of God.
Rom. 12:1-2 – not conformed to the world but
transformed by the word of God
Walking in Newness of Life
How can we accomplish this transformation?
• Resolutions – How often do resolutions work?
– Matt. 6:27
• Dealing with one sin at a time – Which sin will
you start with? How long will you spend on
that sin? Will you continue to sin in other
ways while you work on that one?
– Luke 18:22
Walking in Newness of Life
• Focus on the negative does not leave room
for the positive. – Matt. 23:23
• Copying one characteristic at a time – this
leads to lopsided and irregular growth. While
we may concentrate our efforts in particular
areas we should realize that other
characteristics are growing too. – 2 Peter 1:5-8
Walking in Newness of Life
How do we walk in newness of life?
It is similar to Newton’s First Law of Motion:
An object at rest stays at rest and an object in
motion stays in motion with the same speed
and in the same direction unless acted upon by
an unbalanced force.
Walking in Newness of Life
We do not change ourselves but God’s word
changes us.
Acts 9:1-22 – we see the effect of God’s word on
the life of Saul has he changed direction
Acts 17:32-34 – some of the Athenians changed
the direction of their worship
Rom. 6:17-18 – obedience to God’s word comes
from the heart and we become slaves of
righteousness no longer slaves of sin
Walking in Newness of Life
The idea of assimilation
The term "assimilation" describes a change in
individual or group identity that results from
continuous social interaction between members of
two groups such that members of one group (often
a minority culture group) enter into and become a
part of a second group (often a majority culture
group). In this process of assimilation, the minority
group or culture may disappear by losing its
members to the larger and more dominant cultural
group.
Walking in Newness of Life
The majority group here is the represented by
the word of God and the minority is mankind.
As we read and study God’s word it cause us to
change to its majority.
Walking in Newness of Life
John 3:5 – we must be born again
1 Peter 1:22-23 – we are born again by obedience
from a pure heart
Eph. 4:13 – to the measure of the stature of the
fullness of Christ
Walking in Newness of Life
The assimilation points toward the likeness of
Christ
2 Cor. 3:18 – we are transformed into the image
of the Lord
Rom. 8:29-30 – we are conformed to His image
Walking in Newness of Life
The process reaches completion as we abide in
Christ.
John 15:4-5; 7-8 – as we abide in Christ we bear
fruit according to His kind
1 John 2:5-6 – we walk as we ought to walk, as He
walked
Gal. 4:19 – Christ must be formed in us
Walking in Newness of Life
To walk in newness of life means we must be
affected and influenced by the word of God to
be moved to obedience. Then, we are
assimilated in Christ, again by His word, and
conformed in this assimilation to Christ and His
image.
Does this describe your walk with Christ?