Newness of Life
Scripture Reading: Romans 6:4
We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
There are ample apologetic proofs of the historicity of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Books like “Who Moved the Stone,” and “The Case for Christ” are excellent works on the subject and I highly recommend those and others to you. I think we can also say that the power of the gospel to change lives is evidence of Christ’s resurrection. Paul says here that the believer has a newness of life that is tied to the newness of Jesus’ resurrected life.
Harry Ironside was street preaching in San Fransico on Market Street when he was challenged by an atheist about the truth and power of the gospel. Ironside proposed a challenge of his own. He said, “Look, you say that our message is not the truth and that we are teaching people a lie, hoodwinking them, and bringing them into a religious delusion. Now, I would like to propose something to you: Next week let’s meet here again. You bring with you an individual who has been, perhaps, a drunkard or a prostitute or has known evil in some open, flagrant form, but who has been changed by your message of atheism. Bring him with you, and let him bring a testimony of the change that has come by believing the message of atheism. For every person you bring, I will bring a hundred with me who have been set free by the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
The atheist said, “I’m sorry, I can’t meet you on those terms.”
The gospel has the power to raise people from spiritual death and captivity to sin to walk in newness of life.
