STEEMCHURCH - NEW LIFE IN CHRIST

New life in Christ means a break from the old nature, a total change in character from bad to good. In Paul's episttle to the romans and the Colossians he made it clear that once someone accepts Jesus as his personal Lord and saviour, such person is expected to drop his sinful nature and wear a new nature.

Paul stressed the importance of baptism by immersion. When the person is dipped into the water it is assumed that the person is being buried with Christ. When it comes out of the water, it symbolizes that the person has been raised with christ.

After the batism, the person is expected to stop his old sinful life and start a new life in christ. Paul adjusted Christians that the grace of God in their life should not be a reason for them to continue living in sin.

He said that they should not allow sin to reing in their mortal bodies or yield their life to sin as instrument of wickedness but to God as men who has been brought from death to life. Their life should be an instrument of righteousness and should not allow sin to have dominion over him for they are not under law, but under grace.

Paul also advised Christians to have faith in God and seek the things that are above(heavenly), not on earthly things such as formication, impurity, evil desire, anger, malice, etc. As God's chosen people, he advised them to be holy and living, compassion, kindness, meekness, patience, forbearance and a forgiving heart towards one another as their new nature.

He said that they should put on love which binds everything together in perfect harmony and finally let the word of God be their guiding principle which should dwell rightly in them.

They should teach and admonish one another in all wisdom and sing psalms, hyms and spiritual songs with thanksgiving in their heart to God. As Christians we can express our new life in Christ by trying to be a light and salt of the world as Jesus commanded us, preaching the gospel and contribute our quota for every good work within the christiandom.

New members of the church can begin a new life in Christ by first of all listening to the word of God, confessing of sins and believing in the gospel, baptism and then a determination to live worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ while been a member of the church.