Evolution - 2 Corinthians 5:16-17

Evolution - 2 Corinthians 5:16-17
Written by LaRosa Johnson
Fri, 06/12/2009

Artist: 116 Clique (Sho Baraka)
Song: Evolution
Album: 13 Letters

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This devotion is written with several things in mind and on my heart this morning, and I also think it fits in perfectly with what we recently studied in the epistle of James over the past year or so. On the 13 Letters album put out by the 116 Clique and Reach Records there is a song by Sho Baraka titled "Evolution" that speaks of his growth as a Christian and how he has evolved from an unregenerate sinner into one who now seeks after the things of God and His holiness. I really like this song as it is one that I, and the majority of other believers, can relate to; I used to be that (a sinner), now I'm this (a child of God). Searching the Scriptures, I found one passage in particular that fits well with this, and it happens to be from one of Paul's thirteen letters.

Quote :

2 Corinthians 5:16-17 (NASB) - 16 Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. 17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

I'm not going to get deep today, I'm just going to lay it out there like it is. When we were sinners, we were a part of the world's system and doing the world's things. We gave headway to the flesh and very easily allowed ourselves to fulfill its lusts and desires without so much as a second thought. We were gladly living the life we wanted to live and didn't care that we were going to hell; instead, we thought it was going to be a party where we could do whatever we want (oh, how unbiblical is that?!). Once we met Christ and were confronted with the gospel, a choice had to be made: 1) continue on the path that leads to sin and death, or 2) accept Christ's atonement and live a life that is pleasing to Him. For the vast majority reading this right now, including myself, you chose the second option and are now striving to live a life that is pleasing to the Father. Simply put, you have evolved from a wretched sinner on his way to hell into a new creation born of the Spirit of God that now seeks to do the Father's will. Even now, we are still evolving from where we are now through the process of sanctification, as we continually grow in holiness.

That's the way it should be, and as we continue to evolve, we take on more of the character of Christ and do the things that He wants, and less of what we used to do. We find passages like Philippians 4:8 and Romans 12:1-2 that tell us to renew our minds and think on these (godly) things. We also hit up passages like Psalm 119:11 that remind us to keep the Word hidden in our heart so that we don't sin against our heavenly Father. And like in James 1:19, we are "quick to hear" the Word of God and we run with brothers and sisters who like to "study Greek and Hebrew." Our evolution is a positive one and it is the kind of image that God had in mind for us when He saved us from the penalty of death and the grave. We are evolving to be made more like Him, and less like the world.

Unfortunately, there are others who seem to be doing the opposite; they appear to have come a long way in the faith, only to halt their evolutionary process and recess into the ways of the world. So many of them try to justify it as simply "a season" or that God ultimately knows their heart, and so many other excuses to fall back into the ways of the world, and many unrepentantly. When I see brothers and sisters like this, I think back to what Paul said in Romans when he rhetorically asked if we should continue sinning (and sin more) so that the grace of God might abound in a greater capacity. Paul's response? Certainly not! Just because God saved us from our sin, doesn't mean that we should keep doing it, thinking that He's going to get more glory out of atoning for those sins. And also remember that this is all a fleshly ordeal and has nothing to do with God. Like in our study of James, we see that God plays absolutely no part in our falling into sin, but only when we take our eyes off God and give in to the lusts of our flesh. And those sins we have to think out very clearly before we act on it, so it's definitely no spur of the moment deal.

No matter who we are in the body of Christ, God calls us to be holy. In 1 Peter 1:16 it says, "YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY." God wants us to strive for holiness. That's what evolution and spiritual growth is all about, growing in holiness. Growing in holiness means putting to death the evil deeds of the flesh and saturating ourselves with the things of God. Only when we do that will we evolve into what God wants us to be. Remember, we are to be in the world, and not of it; and even while we are in the world, we must take on heaven's mentality.

devotion courtesy of Trailblazin Ministries
http://www.trailblazinministries.com/devotions/evolution-sho-baraka