84 - Walking by Faith not Sight

2 Corinthians 5:7 AMP

“For we walk by faith, not by sight [living our lives in a manner consistent with our confident belief in God’s promises].”

It can be difficult for us as Christians to fully grasp that our spiritual self—reborn, renewed, transformed, holy, and righteous—coexists alongside our physical walk in the body. We are transformed by the renewing of our minds, and yet, we continue to live in a body that is still undergoing this process. Our challenge is to see ourselves as new creations, changed and made holy, even as our physical experience continues to be transformed.

We must view our newness in Christ as a complete reality, not as separate parts. Often, we look at ourselves through the lens of sin and struggle, believing we are not yet what we should be. This view can lead to guilt and a sense that we are failing to live up to God’s standards. However, the transformation from our past life in sin into who God has now made us is a process. We are already holy, righteous, and pure in Christ, and this transformation does not negate who we truly are.

The guilt we feel from not measuring up to God’s expectations comes from our old nature, which has passed away. In Christ, we have been born again. Our minds must now be set on who we are in Christ, allowing the renewal and transformation of our walk in the body to take place. Ephesians 4:24 AMP tells us to "put on the new self the regenerated and renewed nature, created in God’s image, god-like in the righteousness and holiness of the truth—living in a way that expresses to God your gratitude for your salvation." This is the process I’m speaking about: putting on the new self by renewing our minds and setting them on the truth of who we now are as spiritual beings.

We no longer focus on our sins or the imperfections in our lives. Although these still exist as part of our transformation, our minds are set on the truth that we are holy, righteous, and pure in Christ. This is the reason the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are able to dwell within us—we have been made holy. Even as our walk in the body is transformed, this process does not change the fact that we are new creations in Christ.

Our old nature is gone, even though we are still experiencing the change from old to new. In Christ, our minds are new, set on the things of the Spirit, focused on who we truly are. This is our mindset: pure, undefiled, and untainted. We see ourselves as clean. By believing this truth, we allow our minds to be renewed, which enables the changing of our walk in the body. It is not about striving to be right before God through our actions but about fully believing that we already are right before Him. This belief naturally leads to a walk in the body which aligns with who we are in the Spirit.

There is no contradiction. We are holy and set apart for God, and at the same time, by His power and work through the Holy Spirit, we are being changed. Our walk in the body is changing to match the reality of who we are in Christ. We are already who God has made us, and nothing changes that. We now have a right mind before God. Galatians 2:20 AMP says, "I have been crucified with Christ that is, in Him I have shared His crucifixion; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith by adhering to, relying on, and completely trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me."

This explains the process: we are new, yet we live in the body, which is changed through faith. When Paul says, "I have been crucified with Christ," he is declaring that his old self is gone, and Christ now lives in him. This is the new reality for us—the old is dead, and the new has come. Our minds no longer focus on the old but on who we now are in Christ.

Our walk by faith means trusting that God is changing our lives in the body to reflect the new self He has already created within us. This is not something we accomplish on our own. It is through faith—believing who we now are—that God continues His work in us. Jesus gave us this understanding before His crucifixion when He said in Matthew 23:26 AMP, "Clean the inside of the cup and of the plate examine and change your inner self to conform to God’s precepts, so that the outside your public life and deeds may be clean also."

Before Christ’s sacrifice, people could not cleanse their inner selves. They struggled with the law, sin, and guilt, never able to fully please God. But Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice has cleansed us completely, making us holy and righteous before God. We are now able to see ourselves as God sees us—through a godly lens, not through the sinful nature that once controlled us.

We have been set free from the inner war, from the guilt that once told us we were unworthy. Now, we can walk in the truth of who we are. As we live in the light of this reality, Christ continually cleanses us from all unrighteousness, enabling us to maintain a clear view of ourselves. This allows our minds to be renewed so that the process of transformation can continue.

We are holy and right before God. The old is passing away, and this transformation is taking place by faith. It is not through anything we have done but through the finished work of Christ. This is our faith, our belief, and our new view of life—a life being transformed into who He has already made us. We are, and we are perpetually becoming, who we are in Christ.