(Audio)
No one who is begotten by God commits sin,
because God’s seed remains in him;
he cannot sin because he is begotten by God.
Yet we sin. There really is a new part of us, begotten by God, unable to sin. But we do not always choose to live from this part of ourselves.
But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness (see Ephesians 4:20-24).
The old self is still within us. We are called to let ourselves be renewed from within so that we can live more and more in the spirit of our minds. We do this by meditating on and confessing God's truth. This is the first and most basic part of putting on our new selves, selves that cannot sin.
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect (see Romans 12:2)
It takes patience and endurance for this renewal is not a process that happens all at once. But if we do not run from it we will be drawn back to it by God again and again. If we do not jump from his hands and his embrace the renewal will happen inexorably, hidden perhaps, just as a watered seed grows.
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day (see Second Corinthians 4:16).
“Behold, the Lamb of God.”
The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus.
Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them,
“What are you looking for?”
The disciples of John may not have been sure of what they were hoping to find. But they nevertheless recognized it in Jesus. Jesus was the new man par excellence. Just what this would mean for these two disciples was not yet clear. But they knew that Jesus could show them.
They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher),
“where are you staying?”
He said to them, “Come, and you will see.”
Jesus was to all of these seekers the exemplar of how a new and perfected humanity would be. In his presence they knew that they could find the meaning and true purpose for their own lives.
“We have found the Messiah,” which is translated Christ.
Then he brought him to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said,
“You are Simon the son of John;
you will be called Cephas,” which is translated Peter.
It is the same for us when we follow Jesus and allow ourselves to be renewed in his love and his truth.
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
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