SALT Challenge - Transformation

It's that time again...time for another SALT challenge! This week Pauline brought us our topic of transformation. You can read her thoughts on the SALT blog. In her write up, Pauline referenced a verse in 2 Corinthians, "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature." Since I'm feeling a bit under the weather this week, I decided to bring you a few thoughts from Martyn Lloyd-Jones (italics mine), taken from his daily devotional "Walking with God." The topic of the devotional focused on this Scripture verse is titled, "A New Creature." "A Christian can have an entirely new birth, a new start, a new nature, a new life. This is the very thing that happened to Paul. (Read Acts 9 for the account of Paul's transformation...it was quite extraordinary!) In his old life Paul was a self-satisfied, proud Pharisee, a highly religious and highly moral man - a very good man and a very nationalistic Jew. Yet he despised everyone else and was proud of himself....boasting that he kept the moral law while actively seeking to jail and kill those who followed Christ. But once he realized the meaning of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross, he made an absolutely new start. Saul of Tarsus died, and the apostle Paul began to live. It was Paul who penned the words, "if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature." There is nothing that will get rid of the old sinful man, that we all are by nature, except through Christ's death on the cross. If you believe in Him and in the purpose of that death and what that death accomplished, you are truly dead to your old nature. Your old nature was crucified with Christ and that is gone forever. As a result of this, our whole position and status is entirely changed before God and man...You are free!" Christ really does have the power to fully transform an individual and that was my thought behind the sentiment, from Sweet 'n Sassy (the tree image is also from SNSS), on my ATC. The butterfly isn't just a bit different after it emerges from it's cocoon, it's transformed into a new creature. Such is the person who trusts in Christ... I pray that you enjoyed today's topic...Be sure to stop by the SALT blog to see the art submitted by the rest of the design team and remember, if you create something based on our topic, leave us a comment with a link back to your blog or gallery!