You took off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires; you are being renewed in the spirit of your minds; you put on the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth.
Ephesians 4:22-24
As Christians, we live out our future reality in the present.
We live on earth as citizens and heirs of the kingdom of heaven. We leave the old in the past and live in our future identity.
From Old to New in Baptism
We get a glimpse of this transformation from old to new in baptism. The gospel is visibly demonstrated in baptism, which testifies to our identity in Christ and the family of God.
We were buried with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in a new way of life.
Romans 6:4
All this talk about death might sound morbid at first. But it’s actually a beautiful and hopeful picture. There’s a tension between sorrow over sin and celebration of salvation. It’s not just a picture of death. It’s a picture of rebirth and resurrection.
It’s like traveling through time. Baptism is a before-and-after picture. Past, present and future are all tied up in that moment.
"I Take Delight in Him!"
In baptism, you identify with the Son of God, you have joined His family, and you will enjoy life as His coheir. You get to hear the same voice spoken over you that Jesus heard:
After Jesus was baptized, He went up immediately from the water. The heavens suddenly opened for Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on Him. And there came a voice from heaven: This is My beloved Son. I take delight in Him!
Matthew 3:16-17
Don’t miss this. This is huge. The voice of God our Father declared His pleasure with Jesus before He’d performed one miracle, taught one thing or died on the cross.
God’s delight in Jesus was based solely on His identity. His love was based on their relationship as Father and Son.
The exact same thing is true for you too.
God’s delight in you is based solely on your identity. His love is based on your relationship as Father and child of God.
Living in the Present, Aware of the Future
Your identity precedes your activity. Your identity is rooted in the finished work of Jesus the Son and future reality of life with the Father. You get to live each day knowing the end of the story. But until that day comes, when heaven and earth are made new, you’re at that point of overlap.
You live each day as a person from the future.
Excerpted from Jefferson Bethke, It’s Not What You Think Bible Study. © 2015 Lifeway Press. Used by permission.
Learn More About Jefferson Bethke's Bible Study
Best-selling author of Jesus > Religion, challenges the accepted thinking of contemporary Christianity with the world-changing message Jesus actually brought. Jesus was most upset at people for seeing but not seeing. For missing it. For succumbing to the danger and idolatry of forcing God into preconceived ideals. What if there were a better way? What if Jesus came not to help people escape the world but rather to restore it? Bethke says that Christians have the greatest story ever told but we aren't telling it.
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