Fresh Wineskins

Luke 5: 37-39 (NASB) “No one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled out, and the skins will be ruined. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. And no one, after drinking old wine wishes for new; for he says, ‘The old is good enough.’” This is another of Christ’s parables that is full of truth and deep meaning. So what is He telling us?

This would go well with His private discussion with Nicodemus on the night when Christ told him, “You must be born again.” Jesus was about to explain our need for a complete overhaul in our lives. We need to be “born again!” Meaning, we need to start over. That can only be accomplished by the Spirit of God (The new wine!). And we need a new vessel to contain the Holy Spirit. We cannot just add the Spirit to our old selves. We must be remade!

This fits well with 2 Corinthians 5: 17 (NASB) “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold new things have come.” New things! What could the new things possibly be? Could it be a completely new life reborn in God? It seems so! Why?

2 Corinthians 5: 18-21 (NASB) “Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Reconcile means, to make friendly again or win over to a friendly attitude, or to settle a difference. When we start our lives in this world, we begin with a life that is indifferent to God and His ways. We consider ourselves as the top of the food chain and that we need answer to no one! As long as we cling to this attitude of superiority there is no reconciliation between us and God. Yet, if we trust the word of God then it is evident that we need His pardon. And He will only grant us that pardon through His Son Jesus Christ.

Without trying to get too complicated, there is also the Holy Spirit. He is the one who is here on earth to work those changes in us which are the new things. Yet He requires a heart that is pure and fresh. We cannot spiritually accept His new ways without being new ourselves. Our old ways and His new ways simply will not blend. That is why we must become fresh wineskins so we can live a new life.

Our old self says the old wine is good enough. But that is only because we do not yet understand just how good the new wine is! Let’s keep our wineskins new and pliable. A great life awaits!

Amen?