​White Glue Bouncy Ball
(A New Creation)
(Salvation)
 
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.  II Corinthians 5:17
 
The Basic Bible Truth
 
One of the phrases found in the Bible to describe what it means to become a Christian is that we become a “new creation.”  We do not change genetically, or suddenly receive a new blood type, or grow 2 inches taller when we become a new creation.  God takes our spiritually dead hulk of nothing, and makes it spiritually alive, and our life as a child of God begins when we are born again into His kingdom.
 
The Object
 
White Elmer’s Glue—Not School Glue
Borax
Warm Water
I Quart Glass Mixing Bowl
Paper Towels For Cleanup

Using a quart size glass bowl, fill about ¾ full with warm water.  Dissolve the borax into the warm water.  I use a fair amount, several tablespoons usually works well.  I then can set it aside until my lesson time.  When I am ready, I take a bottle of white glue, unscrew the top and pour a good-sized glob into the glass container with water, stirring it a bit with a small stick or my fingers.  I then reach down into the water and pick up the glob of congealing glue and begin kneading it and pressing it together into a ball.  It may feel a bit messy at first, but it will gradually begin to solidify more.  If I find a pocket of wet glue, I simply dip the entire handful back in the water mixture, pull it out and continue rolling the ball around in the palms of my hands, letting the chemical reaction firm everything up.  All the while talking about what it means to become a Christian, especially the idea that we are a new creation.  When sufficiently set up after a few minutes, It can be thrown down hard on a solid surface floor and it will bounce back up.  Many online sources say to add cornstarch or food coloring to the recipe.  I find them to be un-necessary extra items to have to contend with for an object lesson, when just plain borax, warm water and glue work fine.
 
The Lesson
 
 
We use many phrases and terms for the concept of salvation.  Words like: being saved, born again, made new, a new creation, inviting Jesus into our heart, being converted, redeemed, regenerated, restored, becoming a Christian, made alive, reconciled to God--all these terms are talking about the idea that everyone born on this earth, comes into this world with a sin nature and a spiritual part that is still dead.  That spiritual part, though difficult to describe or imagine, is very real and does indeed need to be made alive.  Without it, we are incomplete, not whole, and certainly not in any condition to be allowed to enter Heaven when we leave this earth.  A spiritually dead person will not spend eternity with God.  Jesus told Nicodemus, You must be born again. 
 
Each of those terms is unique and actually addresses a slightly different aspect of salvation.  Salvation on our part is very simple.  All we need do is recognize that we have a sin issue, believe that Jesus is the answer, and accept Him as our Lord and Savior.  That is it.  But on God’s side of the equation, it is huge.  At creation, on day four, God spoke the entire universe into existence.  Billions of galaxies, each filled with billions of stars, and now we are finding out there are planets and moons and who knows what else may be out there.  God describes that incredible feat as “finger work”.  He did it with His little pinky.   But when He describes the work of salvation on His part, He uses phrases like “the strong arm of the Lord worked salvation”.  What a difference! 
 
God does many things for us at the moment of salvation.  In II Corinthians 5 He mentions that we become a new creation.  Lets take a few moments and look at that topic specifically.  To understand the idea of being a new creation, we must first grasp the concept that it is a creation—something created by God, from nothing.  He does not just rearrange the old parts of us and clean them up and repurpose them.  He does not restore in the same way that we might restore an old car.  If I have a hobby and a weak spot, it is restoring classic cars.  I love the process, in fact, I still drive a 1965 Chevy pickup that has been fully restored.  During the process of restoration of my pickup, I unbolted everything that could be unbolted and either rebuilt it completely, or bought new parts at the auto parts store.  New bearings, new gears in the differential, new springs in the suspension system, new glass all the way around, new interior, new paint, new motor—everything new—but still a 1965 Chevy pickup.  Spiritually, God’s project in us is different than simply restoring an automobile.  He takes our life, and makes it completely new by creating in us a spiritually alive individual that did not even exist before that moment, made from nothing at his spoken command.  Beginning at the moment of Salvation, we are a brand new creation. 
 
As I have been talking to you, you have been watching me play with some Elmer’s glue.  Just plain white glue.  I wanted to make it a new creation but I can’t do what God does.  This is as close as I can get in a demonstration.  What used to be sticky, gooey, runny, white glue has now completely changed its behavior.  The old has gone and something new is in its place.  What has actually happened is that a chemical reaction has taken place and what used to be glue is now a polymer and what was once a glob of glue has entirely new properties.  No longer can it ever be used as glue.  Its stickiness is completely gone.  It is now a bouncy ball.  If I have done this correctly and enough time has passed for the chemical change to take place, it should bounce nicely when I throw it to the ground.  Let’s see if it works……..Yes!
 
God steps into our lives at Salvation and changes us dramatically.  We become a new creation.  Something that did not even exist a moment before, comes into existence and is from that point on, a permanent part of our lives.  We are made spiritually alive.  Why is that important?  Without it, we are not God’s child and will never see the grandeurs of Heaven.  And, aside from Heaven some day, being made spiritually alive means that we have the ability to communicate with God on a whole new level.  The Holy Spirit takes up residence in our hearts and is ever reminding us of our relationship with God, convicting us of our sin, comforting us during trials, and giving us hope when needed, just to mention a few of the things that He does.  May I ask a direct question of you today?  Have you come to the point in your life that you realize that you need God?  He wants to create you brand new.  What a great deal to consider!
 
 
 
 
 
 
Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
 

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