This blog builds on A work which you will by no means believe. This previous blog talked about ‘newness’ a little bit. I found another blog that touched on it as well in One New Man.
Matt. 9:17 the Lord says, “Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break,
and the wine runs out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine
into new bottles, and both are preserved.”
New for ‘new wine’ refers to the age of the wine.
New for ‘new bottles’ means,
1. new
a) as respects form
i. recently made, fresh, recent, unused, unworn
b) as respects substance
i. of a new kind, unprecedented, novel, uncommon, unheard of
Same Greek word for new is ‘newness’ in Romans 6:4.
Lamentations 3:22-23 says, “Through the LORD‘s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.”
In our understanding apart from Christ, our definition of “great” in ‘Great is Your faithfulness’ is small. It is. Think of something great in your life. Now apply that to God’s faithfulness. That doesn’t even make sense. In our attempt to understand God, we apply our small language and definitions to describe God’s nature. God is more than words, but words that are quickened by the Holy Spirit have His depth and understanding, Heb. 4:2.
I believe ‘great’ in this context is infinitely great. There is no end to His nature of mercy and compassion. I believe this is why “spiritually hearing” is crucial, essential, vital and fundamental in Romans 10:17.
Got sidetracked. Apologies. Back to newness. The other point in the Lamentations scripture is His mercies and compassions are new every morning. How? Why? Guess I just answered it by attempting to describe ‘great’. Also, our definition of full or fullness is limited when it comes to the ‘God-kind’ of faith. Are we talking about filling a cup metaphorically? Filling a pool, ocean, galaxy, universe, dimension?
I believe Paul describes fullness in various scriptures.
Here is one in Eph. 1:10, “That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; [even] in him:“
What are all things in Christ? Col. 1:16-17 says all things were created by Him and for Him that He might first in all things. All things created by Him are held together or consist by Him as well. This is fullness in every universe to every molecule.
In this context and definition, His nature is self-sufficient in His fullness. In His fullness, His compassions and mercies are new everyday. This is applying God’s eternal and just nature to “days” in our existence in time. If His nature is infinite and eternal then Lam. 3:22-23 most definitely is true.
How does this apply to you or me? Who we were died with Christ on the cross. That person is dead and can no longer live. Who we are now is immersed, drowned, and diffused into Christ by revelation of Him according to the Word of God. In this knowledge of Him in us, we become righteous apart from works and are willing to exercise His will because of the affect of this supernatural, unearthly revelatory knowledge.
This knowledge is new everyday according to His nature and fullness. This implies our nature and who we are grows in newness continually and even daily by grace in the Spirit of Holiness.
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