If anyone fit the definition of a new creation, it was Saul, who even stopped using his Hebrew name and began using his Greek name, Paul. But the fact of the matter is that anyone who is converted to Christianity has some radical changes to make.

The Lord Jesus Christ went through the most painful of circumstances on His way to Joseph’s new tomb. The Lord Jesus Christ did so in order to provide us with salvation, to pay the penalty that we owe for the sins that we have committed. And when Paul says that he knows how to be abased and how to abound, Paul is simply recognizing that in his ministry, his will have to endure some painful situations as well as some pleasant situations as he spreads the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to the world.

That which grows from that which is sown is glorious. The seed of the rose plant sits in the hand as a negligible object, but throw it in the ground, and we cherish the glorious rose flower that comes from that same seed that we would never put in a vase on put on our table. And that same cycle of life exists for us.

Since the New Testament is the historical source document for the information that we have about the Lord Jesus Christ, we have to examine the New Testament to ascertain whether the history that the New Testament transmits to us meets the burden of historical proof. If it does, then we have to reevaluate our preconceived ideas about the Lord Jesus Christ to put them in line with that which the New Testament tells us.