Chapter 12. Putting New Wine In New Skins

"No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse. And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles" (Mark 2:21-22).

First things first

Jesus told a parable about new wine, illustrating how He wants to fill us with good things. The parable also illustrates a very important point about the order of steps in the process of becoming a new creature.

"And no man putteth new wine into old bottles [skin, bag]; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved. No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better" (Luke 5:37-38).

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise." Ps. 51:17. Man must be emptied of self before he can be, in the fullest sense, a believer in Jesus. When self is renounced, then the Lord can make man a new creature. New bottles can contain the new wine. The love of Christ will animate the believer with new life." (The Desire of Ages - 280.4).

"Being justified by Christ, the receiver of truth is constrained to make an entire surrender to God, and is admitted into the school of Christ, that he may learn of Him who is meek and lowly of heart...Grasping the rich promises by faith, he becomes a partaker of the divine nature. His heart being emptied of self, the waters of life flow in; the glory of the Lord shines forth. Perpetually looking unto Jesus, the human is assimilated by the divine. The believer is changed into His likeness. . . . The human character is changed into the divine" (Our High Calling, 203.4).

It is interesting to note the repeated reminders in all these terms, that a person must first hand over "self", so that Christ can eliminate those overwhelming selfish desires of the mind (your selfish nature). Once that "old wine skin" (i.e. the old man, the hard heart, etc.) is removed and the new heart (spiritual nature) is in place, then the "new wine," or the good things the Holy Spirit provides, can fill the life, transforming the character. The Spirit is always working to teach us right and wrong and draw us to Christ and repentance by influencing us, but Jesus only pours the Holy Spirit into (in the sense of dwelling inside) those who are first equipped to benefit eternally from that phase of the Holy Spirit's work. This also illustrates how a person's attempts to "be good" before the new heart is in place, will not achieve the end goal of character transformation. The Spirit can influence you to modify your behavior prior to a new heart, and many people do achieve varying degrees of success by trying really hard to be good. However, if the heart isn't renewed first, then not only will these improved behaviors not always be accompanied with pure thoughts, but the "good" things seep out and are eventually lost. Jesus also portrayed this same concept with clothing, in speaking about the Pharisees' pride and selfishness.

"No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse" (Matt. 9:16).

"A genuine conversion changes hereditary and cultivated tendencies to wrong. The religion of God is a firm fabric, composed of innumerable threads, and woven together with tact and skill. Only the wisdom which comes from God can make this fabric complete. There are a great many kinds of cloth which at first have a fine appearance, but they cannot endure the test. They wash out. The colors are not fast. Under the heat of summer they fade away and are lost. The cloth cannot endure rough handling. So it is with the religion of many. When the warp and woof of character will not stand the test of trial, the material of which it is composed is worthless. The efforts made to patch the old with a new piece do not better the condition of things; for the old, flimsy material breaks away from the new, leaving the rent much larger than before. Patching will not do. The only way is to discard the old garment altogether, and procure one entirely new. Christ's plan is the only safe one. He declares, "Behold, I make all things new." "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature." . . . The patchwork religion is not of the least value with God. He requires the whole heart. Jesus gave His life . . . for us, and shall we not give Him our best affections, our holiest aspirations, our fullest service?" {Maranatha 237.2-5}

"When men and women hunger after knowledge for the purpose of blessing their fellow men, God will bless them. He will prepare the new bottles for the new wine. There will be an expansion, a development of the higher faculties, so that men will become deep thinkers" (20MR 245.4).

It is only possible to understand and accept new things when old prejudices and self-importance are fully laid aside.

Receiving this new wine is an exciting thought. We'll disuss more about the Holy Spirit's work after moving into your soul in upcoming chapters. But first, we have to consider that this new creature you've become is growing and therefore hungry. What should you eat?

Next Bible Term: Eating the Bread of Heaven