Laying Track For The Train

I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.   Ezekiel 36:26-27

God’s ultimate purpose is to restore in us a true reflection of his glory. Since God’s glory is expressed in his law, that means the purpose of the gospel is to bring us to the position where we live according to the law of God.

The whole of the Christian life is a process in which we are changed from one degree of glory to another, until the day when we see God, and then we shall be like him. This transformation is the work of the Holy Spirit, and it is spoken of in both the Old and New Testaments.

In the new covenant, God not only tells us what to do, he also gives us the power to move in that direction. The law of God is like the rails for a train. The rails give direction, but the train will not go anywhere unless there is power in the engine. It is the special work of the Holy Spirit to give God’s people the power to move in the direction laid out in God’s law.

The Christian life is not a matter of believing in Jesus and then trying your best to live according to God’s law. God’s promise is that when you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit will come and reside in your life, and when the Spirit comes into your life, you will receive power (see Acts 1:8).

That power will make the difference between a battle in which you are destined for defeat and a battle in which there will be ultimate victory. When the Holy Spirit lives within you, the law is no longer a list of impossible demands, but a description of new possibilities. What are the greatest battles of your life? Can you hear God’s promise of victory?

For further reading, see Ezekiel 36