The New Birth Is an Exchange

The New Birth Is an Exchange

“Command the people, ‘Take twelve stones from here, from the middle of the Jordan, from where the priests’ feet stand firm. Carry them over with you and set them down in the place where you lodge tonight.’ So Joshua called the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, and said to them, ‘Cross over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites.’”( Joshua 4:3–5)

Our text recounts a remarkable moment of divine exchange. As Israel crossed the Jordan River, Joshua instructed that twelve stones be taken from the riverbed and carried into the Promised Land, while another set of stones was left behind. Each stone represented one of the twelve tribes of Israel, marking a clear transition from where they had been to where God was taking them.

This act was deeply symbolic. The stones left in the river pointed to what was buried and left behind, while the stones carried into the land testified to a new beginning. In the same way, this foreshadows the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. At salvation, an exchange takes place: the old life is buried, and a new life emerges.

When a person gives their life to Christ, they exchange their sinful nature for a new nature in Him. The old self is put to death, and a new person—created in Christ Jesus—is raised to life. This is why the Apostle Paul declares, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.” The new birth is not an addition to the old life; it is a complete exchange.

This divine exchange is available to you today in Christ Jesus.

Brief Reflection

What old things are you still holding on to that God has already buried? The new birth calls us to walk forward in the reality of who we now are in Christ. Just as Israel did not return to the riverbed to retrieve the stones, we are not meant to return to our old life. Embrace the new identity and freedom Christ has given you.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for the great exchange accomplished through Jesus Christ. Thank You that my old life of sin has been buried and I have been raised to new life in Him. Help me to walk daily in this new identity, leaving the past behind and embracing all You have prepared for me. I receive Your grace with gratitude and faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Have a fruitful day,
(Dr.) Emmanuel Okoro
(aka Dr. Lift) 

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