Phil Rowlands

Hello, my friends!

Over the past few days, we have been exploring what it is to be a son or a daughter of our beautiful Heavenly Father and what our identity looks like according to that. We have also explored the fundamental truth of our new creation being that was made possible due to the Great Exchange, the Finished Work of The Cross.

Have you ever felt like you're on a spiritual treadmill, constantly running but never quite reaching your destination? I know I have! It's easy to get caught up in the idea that we need to do more, be more, or somehow earn God's favour. But let me tell you, that's not what the Christian life is all about. So today we are going to have a look at what that means when the rubber hits the road. What does it look like regarding putting on the New Man as we arise each day according to the incredible grace of God and how it empowers us to live lives worthy of our calling?

You know, sometimes I think about grace like a master key. Imagine you're standing in front of a massive mansion with countless locked doors. Each door represents an area of your life – your relationships, your work, your personal growth. Now, you could spend your whole life trying to pick each lock individually, straining and struggling. But here's the beautiful thing: God's grace is that master key that unlocks every single door effortlessly. He has access to all areas, and His grace is more than enough to be made manifest in each and every one of them. Isn't that amazing?

Paul, that passionate apostle we all know and love, had a lot to say about this. He urged the Ephesians to “walk worthy of the calling with which you were called” (Ephesians 4:1). Now, before you start thinking, “Oh great, another to-do list,” let's pause for a moment. What does it mean to walk worthy? It's not about striving or earning – it's about living in a way that's fitting or appropriate to WHO we already ARE in Christ.

Think about it this way: if you were adopted into a royal family, you wouldn't need to earn your place there. You'd already be part of the family! But you might start learning how to carry yourself like royalty, right? It's the same with us. Through Christ, we've been adopted into God's family. We're already holy, beloved, and complete in Him. Our job isn't to earn that status but to live it out.

Now, I've heard some pretty wacky teachings out there about how to live the Christian life. Some folks will tell you that you're deficient, that God only gave you some of what you need for life and godliness, like a starter pack, with more to be added. They say you need more – more faith, more anointing, more breakthrough, more... something… another altar call, another word from a visiting prophet! But friends, that's just not true! Peter tells us that God's “divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue” (2 Peter 1:3). Did you catch that? ALL things. Not some things, not most things – ALL things. You're not lacking anything in Christ! And just to clarify, I love altar calls when you feel led to respond, and I love the prophetic when it’s unforced and it’s welcomed in a way where it’s not yearned for but just flows freely through the Spirit of God. You get my drift here, it's all about being unforced, natural and organic, friends.

Then there are those who preach legalism, insisting that holiness is something we achieve through our own efforts. They treat godliness like it's a product we can manufacture if we just try hard enough. But here's the thing – we can't train our flesh to behave. It's like trying to teach a cat to bark! Our holiness isn't something we attain; it's something we already possess in Christ.

On the flip side, some teach a kind of passive Christianity. “Just let go and let God,” they say. While there's truth in surrendering to God, this approach can leave us feeling powerless and disconnected from the vibrant life God intends for us. Paul's letters are chock-full of practical exhortations about how to live because he knew we've been empowered to live as children of light. Sometimes we have seasons of rest and restoration, and it seems Jesus is really carrying us along, and in other seasons He has anointed and empowered us to walk it out with Him as He guides our steps, as we push through a little discomfort. And because it’s His will, and His plan, and part of His purpose for us, it produces fruit, and isn’t heavy or hard, it’s just God in us living vibrantly.

So, what's the balanced approach? It’s been said that Paul's teachings are like a pair of scissors. You need both blades for the scissors to work, right? The first blade is doctrine – understanding what Christ has done for us and given to us. This is our identity in Christ, sealed through our baptism into His death, burial, and resurrection. The second blade is exhortation – the call to live out who we are in Christ.

Here is where it gets exciting. We're called to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 13:14). It's like getting dressed in the morning. You don't struggle to become clothes; you simply put them on. In the same way, we're putting on the character of Christ that's already ours. We're working out what God has worked in. I believe it’s a process, as we are established in grace, and we become more mature in our walk with Christ. We get up each day dressed more and more in His clothing naturally and organically without even a thought, but we can reverse that over time by taking our eyes off Him and back onto self and the things of this world. It just makes life harder, that's all!

So to reiterate, how is putting on the new man accomplished? By faith, my friends! Paul declared, “the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). It's a journey from “faith to faith” (Romans 1:17). As we put on Christ by faith, we naturally make less room for our old fleshly habits.

This isn't about focusing on all the things we shouldn't do. It's about walking in the Spirit. When we do that, we won't fulfil the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16). It's like when you fill a glass with water – there's no room left for air, right? When our daily walk is full of the Spirit, as in walking in the Spirit and not of the flesh, there's less room for the flesh to operate.

Remember, friends, our obedience isn't powered by our own strength. It's “by the Spirit” that we put to death the deeds of the body (Romans 8:13). The Holy Spirit is our divine enabler, empowering us to live out the reality of who we are in Christ.

Let's talk about what this looks like in everyday life. When you face temptation, instead of just trying to resist in your own strength, you can remind yourself of your identity in Christ. “I am dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11). When you feel inadequate in some way or you have some oppression happening in your current season, you can lean on the truth that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). And when relationships are challenging, you can draw on the love of God that has been poured out in your heart by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5).

This way of living isn't about perfection, but direction. It's about progress, not flawlessness. We're on a journey of becoming more like Christ, and every step of that journey is covered by grace. As John reminds us, “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

So, my dear friends, as you go about your day, remember this: you are complete in Christ. You have everything you need for life and godliness. Your job isn't to strive for perfection but to rest in your identity and let the Holy Spirit work through you. Live from a place of grace, not for it. And as you do, you'll find yourself naturally walking worthy of your calling, shining as a beacon of God's incredible love and grace to the world around you.

So, my dear friends, always remember you are complete in Christ. Every blessing, every resource for godliness – it's all yours in Him. Rest in your identity as God's beloved child and let the Holy Spirit transform you from within. Live from the wellspring of grace Christ has poured into your life. As you do, you'll naturally walk worthy of your calling, radiating God's love. Isn't His grace astounding?

Be blessed, my brothers and sisters. May you be overwhelmed by the Father's love, transformed by the Son's sacrifice, and empowered by the Spirit's presence. Go forth and live as the beloved children of God you truly are, knowing His grace is sufficient and His love eternal.

Phil