God’s Resolution to Make Us and All Things New
The problem with New Year’s Eve and Day, each year, is the temptation by many to resolve to better themselves…by themselves. Human endeavors at self-improvement drive multiple industry sectors. Marketing departments spur consumers on to more work and more spending, with the promise of happiness being the all but sure result. Note the increasing disclaimers in fast talk and fine print. Cynical lawyers seem to know that people prevaricate when pitching the promise of utopian living.
Fitness instructors fancy the fallout from holiday festivities. Business is booming as bellies bulge. Exorbitant prices are paid to secure and maintain the “better life.” In this, there is nothing new under the sun. We tarry on the treadmill of trying new schemes, diets, and chemical remedies.
The reason no one succeeds is the simple problem of sin. This age-old menace wreaks havoc on all our pursuits on the path toward perfection. We are on the road to nowhere…fast. The whole world lies in the power of the evil one; and his machinations are maniacal. Satan’s promises are endless in scope and volume; but he is the father of lies (Jn 8:44; 2 Cor 4:4). The devil has been deceiving humanity from the beginning (Gen 3).
The counter-claim to Lucifer’s lies is found in Revelation 21:5, “And He who sits on the throne said, ’Behold, I am making all things new…’” The context is the new heavens and the new earth (Rev 21–22). The promise is made by Him who sits on the throne of heaven. Jesus, the Son of God, who ascended and was enthroned at the right hand of majesty (Heb 1:3; 8:1), is the Lamb at the center of the throne of God (Rev 7:17).
Jesus is identified as the enfleshed icon of the invisible God (Jn 1:14; Col 1:15), who is the creator and sustainer of all things that have been made (Jn 1:3; Col 1:15–16; Heb 1:2–3). Therefore, when the claim of “new” is marketed, all honor and glory should be given to Jesus Christ, alone. From Him, through Him, and to Him are all things (Rom 11:36).
It is the Christian’s imperative to be content with what he or she has received from the Lord (1 Tim 6:8; Heb 13:5). Even the quiet spirit of peace and patience is a gracious gift of God. Thus, we wait on the Lord even as we wait for the Lord to return.
There is a foretaste of “all things made new.” In the foreshadowing of the new heavens and the new earth, there is newness of life (Rom 6:4). What is missing in the new moon and the new wine, along with the new garment, the new house, or the new wife is that there is entropy and decay in this present evil age of temporary things.
New things are not inherently evil, but they are all subject to that which ages and deteriorates them. This is why the promises of God are exclusive in Christ Jesus, who is humanity’s only hope for new things that last forever (2 Cor 1:20; 1 Tim 1:1). In Christ, there is new life, which is eternal life (1 Jn 5:11–13). The Christian is a new creature in Christ (2 Cor 5:17), granted the status of new man by the mercy and grace of God (Rom 9:15–16; Eph 2:8–9).
The new self is a product of the new birth (Jn 3:1–8; Eph 1:13; 1 Pet 1:3). The presence of a new spirit, that is, the Holy Spirit is the only catalyst for a new and living way (Jn 14:6). It begins with a new heart (Ezek 36:26). No man has the will or ability to create in himself a new heart, in order to secure new strength for new things…that last.
A new lump that walks in the newness of the Spirit — being a new convert with a new name — manifests the abundant life of God in his soul. His spirit is renewed daily (2 Cor 4:16), even as his body of sin and death slowly declines in disrepair unto death (Rom 7:24). In this, God’s mercies are new every morning (Lam 3:22–23). For many, this is a new teaching that gives them new hope. They join the choirs of heaven in singing a new song that affords them new strength to persevere. The New Testament reveals to us a new and better covenant mediated by the better Adam, Jesus Christ (1 Cor 15:22; Heb 7:24; 8:6; 12:24). This covenant holds the assurance that God will do what He has promised to do. God’s will is revealed in God’s Word. The Bible tells us of God’s eternal purpose to will and to do His good pleasure in absolutely everything (Eph 1:11; 3:11; Phil 2:12–13).
The eternal, invisible, immutable God has a predetermined plan to bring all things to pass (Is 46:11; Acts 2:23). Our sovereign God sits in the heavens and does as He pleases (Ps 115:3; 135:6). What is new to us was predestined by Him, who does all our works for us (Is 26:12) and who accomplishes what concerns us (Ps 57:2; 138:8). Even the new commandment issued by Jesus is a succinct summary of the Law of God given through Moses (Ex 20; Dt 5; Jn 13:34). God’s Law is eternal.
In conclusion, we live in the paradox of old and new. Even the expectation of the New Jerusalem (Rev 3:12; 21:2, 10), our eternal home (Eccl 12:5), is a product of God’s original intention to secure a people for Himself, saying, “I will also walk among you and be your God and you shall be My people” (Lev 26:12; Jer 7:23; 11:4; 24:7; 30:22; 31:33; 32:38; Ezek 11:20; 14:11; 36:28; 37:23, 27; Zech 8:8; 13:9; Rom 9:26; 2 Cor 6:16; Heb 8:10).
A.D. 2024 will resemble the years that have all passed before us. It will also serve to remind us that new and better things are coming to those who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ with their whole heart, soul, mind, and strength…and who hope in the promises of God’s Word that remain “yes” and “amen” in Him, along with all the spiritual blessings that God has prepared for us who love Him and which are now and not yet. This includes God’s resolution to make us and all things new.
David Norczyk
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
December 30, 2023
