Where's the fun in being the new man?

¹⁷ This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of^d]">[d] the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, ¹⁸ having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; ¹⁹ who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
²⁰ But you have not so learned Christ, ²¹ if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: ²² that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, ²³²⁴ and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,

A week ago, we had a discussion in our bible study regarding the significance of 'putting off the old man' and 'putting on our new selves'. Paul is quite obvious as to the meaning of these phrases; we should no longer indulge in the sinful lives we inhabited before Christ, but should strive to live in holiness and Godliness. As Christians then, we are called by God to live a different lifestyle than many of our un-Christian friends. And undoubtedly, as those friends see our different behavior and mannerisms, they inquire as to the cause and purpose of such a lifestyle. Undoubtedly, it is good that they see the difference Christ has made in our lives, but do they understand why?

To Christians, the reward for living without these indulgences and sinful passions is inherently obvious. Our continued fellowship with God and Christ, and the benefits that come from such should far outweigh the fleeting pleasure gained from sinful activities. However, for the non-Christian, a life without the joys of partying, sex, drugs and other vices seems empty, hollow, devoid of life and fun. And for many, the idea of sacrificing such 'pleasures' for the intangible promise of eternity seems a bit far-fetched. However, when non-Christians survey the benefits and sacrifices of faith in Christ, what they notice is those sacrifices, not the benefits.

The challenge then, in presenting the gospel to someone, is showing them why the new man is much more appealing. When asked by a non-Christian why we don't partake in certain behaviors, do we simply answer with a, "Because I'm a Christian," or do we explain that our fellowship with God makes those things seem joyless and fruitless to us? The Christian faith is not a legalist one, or something based on works, but is about a relationship with Christ, a relationship that changes our wants and desires. And if we expect that the people we talk to will find value in that relationship, we need to explain that our abstinence from certain things isn't based on an arbitrary set of rights and wrongs, but because we have a direct connection to the God who gave everything for us. The 'fun' in being the new man is that we have contact with the God of the universe, who loves us and cares for us unconditionally. And compared to that, what could bring more joy?

Now, we simply must find a way to show that joy to those who have yet to find it.