BIAY - New in Christ
Ephesians 4-6, Proverbs 24:1-22
Welcome to the Bible in a Year for 2025. Intro to this series and resource links available here, plus here’s how I’m approaching this year.
Scriptures for Today:
Reflection:
Off with the old, on with the new self (4:20-24) - Paul is exceedingly clear that being reconciled to God relationally or being restored to the family of God is the beginning, not the end, of God’s saving work and purpose. The goal is transformation, spiritual maturity, holiness, sanctification, Christ-like character. These verses employ the metaphor of old self/new self. But growing to full maturity in Christ is the theme of the whole chapter. Paul has little patience for selling the aim of grace short by lower the standards of Christian morality and ethics. Transformation is inside-out, but it is not optional.
Christ is the way (5:1-2) - Verses well worth memorizing. I like an alternate translation from the most recent NIV—“Be imitators of God.” No question who our example is to be. The phrase, “walk in the way of love,” is just beautiful and I love the image of love being a pathway in which to walk. How? The imitation of Jesus—“just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us.” This is such a rich description of a vision for the Christian life.
“Wake up, sleeper…” (5:14) - Shout out to my friend JD Walt and the Wake Up Call from Seedbed—in email or podcast version, which I listen to daily.
Armor of God (6:10-20) - This is such a familiar and powerful passage that paints a great picture of covering ourselves in the strength of the Lord.
Questions:
What is your vision of the Christian life—getting by or pursuing maturity?
What else might the Holy Spirit be speaking with you about in the text today?
Prayer: Lord, stir up in me the deep desire to pursue the transformation into the likeness of Christ’s character that you desire for me. Amen.
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)
If you liked this post from Seeds of Faith, why not share it and/or subscribe?
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™