Periodically all of us have to renew legal documents,
whether for employment contracts, passports, or even a driver’s license. In
each case, the privilege of working,
traveling, or driving has to be re-evaluated and updated to reflect life changes
since the previous document.
These may include new responsibilities, training,
or benefits related to the job;
aging necessitating a new photo on the passport for accurate identification; or
the need for corrective lenses, use
of a specially equipped vehicle, or
the wish to be an organ donor
annotated on the license.
But my favorite sense of “renew” is that offered by Merriam‑Webster: “to make (something) new, fresh, or strong
again; to make (a promise, vow, etc.)
again; to begin (something) again
especially with more force or enthusiasm.”
That is the spirit in which couples renew their wedding
vows, promising once more to spend the remainder of their lives with one
another. They vow again to be faithful to
one another, loving and supporting one another in sickness, health, and all life
circumstances, until death parts them (Matthew
19:3-9; Mark 10:2-12), if only temporarily in the case of
couples who are born-again Christians (John
3:16; 11:25-26). The renewal is not only a repetition of the
original vow, but a desire to recapture the joy, vigor, and excitement of newlyweds, yet tempered
by the maturity, wisdom and strength of two lives shared together as one (Ephesians 5:22-31).
The church, or body of believers in Jesus Christ, is His bride (Revelation 21:2; Matthew
9:15; 21:1-10), so why should we not periodically renew our vow to love, follow, and obey Him?
Sometimes those who feel they have drifted away from God’s will “rededicate
their lives to the Lord” at the altar. But even for those who try to “die
daily” to our sin nature (1
Corinthians 15:31) so that we can yield to His Spirit, what better way
to start each day than by renewing our commitment to Him?
As we have seen, triplets of salvation in Scripture can
be described with the terms redeem, restore, and renew, with the terms used literally as well as symbolically. In
the literal sense, “renew” in the Bible means to take something up again, such
as the kingdom renewed by Samuel at
Gilgal (1 Samuel 11:14), or Asa renewing the Lord’s altar in a land
polluted by idols (2 Chronicles 15:8).
In his tirade questioning God, Job says that witnesses are renewed against him, or accusing him
again (Job 10:17), but then he
remembers his glory days when his bow was renewed in his hand (Job 29:20).
Physical renewal in the sense of regaining the strength
of youth (Isaiah 41:1; Lamentations
5:21) can be likened to the lofty flight of an eagle, soaring not in
our own power but on the powerful wind of the Holy Spirit. If we wait upon the
Lord to renew our strength, we shall mount
up with wings as eagles; we shall run
and not be weary; and we shall walk,
and not faint (Isaiah 40:31).
The Psalmist speaks not only of physical renewal but also
of spiritual renewal when he writes (Psalm
103: 2-5) that if we bless God, He will renew our youth like the eagle's, heal all our diseases, and satisfy
our mouth with good things. Spiritually, He forgives all our sins; redeems
our life from destruction; and crowns
us with loving kindness and tender mercies.
Paul speaks of spiritual renewal of our inward man,
yielded to the Holy Spirit and thus being renewed every day, despite the
inevitable effects of aging, disease, and injury to our physical body (2
Corinthians 4:16). We believe,
or have faith, because we have read
and heard God’s Word and testimonies
of believers (v. 13) that God raised Jesus from the dead, that He
shall raise believers from the dead,
and that He shall present all believers
to Himself (v. 14).
We thank God
for His abundant grace, to His glory (v. 15). If we focus on eternal
things, our temporary physical
suffering will bring forth eternal
glory (v. 17-18). By keeping our
eyes fixed on those things of eternal significance, we can renew our mind in the spiritual sense, which will transform us, so that we are not conformed to the world (Romans 12:2). In so doing, we can
present our bodies to God as a living,
holy, and acceptable sacrifice (Romans
12:1).
Being renewed in the spirit of our mind (Psalm 51:10) means putting on the
new man, which the Holy Spirit creates
within us, resembling Him in righteousness
and true holiness. To do this, we
must take off or lay aside the old
man, which is corrupt because of deceitful lusts (Ephesians 4:21-24; Colossians 3: 9-10).
The new man has his identity in Christ, free of national labels, religious customs, or servitude
because he is God’s chosen, holy and beloved (v. 11-12). In
this state we should renew ourselves and one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, doing all to the glory
of the Lord Jesus, God (Spirit) and the Father (v. 16-17).
Not only does God renew His children who are new creatures in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17)
with new compassions every morning
(Lamentations 3:22-23), but He will also renew, restore and regenerate the heavens, the earth, and
His Kingdom (Matthew 17:11; 19:28; Mark
9:12; Acts 1:6; 3:21; Ephesians 1:10; Isaiah 65:17;
66:22; 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1-5).
Praise God that He renews us as we are born again, that
He renews His children physically and spiritually, and that we can eagerly
await His renewal of the heavens, earth and His kingdom!
Revelation
21:5 …Behold, I make
all things new.
© 2014 Laurie Collett
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