Have you ever realized that God never needs a New Year’s resolution? Of course, it’s kind of a silly thing to think of since He’s perfect and outside of time, but it can be helpful for us to consider as we start a new year. As people, we will forever need to hit the refresh button and renew our resolve to change, improve, and start again because we will forever have something in need of improving. At this time of year, some people hit the refresh button, some plan for a little personal remodeling, and others go for a complete overhaul of their routines or habits. It’s a natural time for a re-birth of sorts, which, of course, is an image that Jesus uses throughout His teachings – most notably in his conversation with Nicodemus in John 3 when He tells him that he, “must be born again.”

New birth is near the very core of Christian theology. New life is the only hope that we – who were born into a world where death exists because of Adam’s sin – have, and we only have that hope of new life because of what God did for us through Christ.  It’s not surprising that this is exactly where Jesus takes the conversation with Nicodemus and says one of the most well-known verses in the entire Bible; “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” The implications of what this new life looks like is either directly or indirectly a major theme in nearly every book of the Bible. From creation, the law, and the prophets we understand our sin and the death. From the Sermon on the Mount and the letters of Paul, James, John, and Peter we see how a new birth in Christ conquers death and reconciles us to Himself, the source of life and light.

So as you start off your new year considering ways to refresh or restart habits, I encourage you to think and pray about this question: how can your 2021 be a year of spiritual renewal empowered by the new life that you have in Christ?

-Joel