"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." 2 Corin. 5:17
Here is one of the most wonderful verses in the Bible describing what God has done for us by grace! First, who is the verse talking about? Anyone in Christ. Anyone, whosoever, any person at all is included in this verse. If anyone wishes, they can identify with Christ. Christ has already identified with us. When He was born a human baby He was born "one of us." When He was baptized, He was saying, "I identify with humanity, I will live my life as a human and represent the human race in all I do." He included us in His obedient life, in His dying for sin on the cross, in His burial and resurrection, in His going to the right hand of the Father and sitting down after His finished His work. When we believe in Christ, we are identifying with Him, and all that He did in our place becomes reality and experience in our lives; we come alive to all He did 2000 years ago as our representative! That means all that happened to Christ happened to you. When He died to sin and its power, you died to sin and its power. When He rose in victory and newness of life, you rose in victory and newness of life. When He ascended and sat down in authority in heaven, you did too, in Him! All that comes 'online' for you when you believe in Christ!
What does the verse say is true if anyone is in Christ? They are a new creation! The old you has died and the new you has begun! You aren't just a patched up version of the old self you were before you got saved. You are totally different, totally new. The word for 'new' in this verse is kainos, and it means fresh, novel, of a new kind, unprecedented, unheard of. The new creation you is something that is totally new and uprecedented. This new creation is so novel and different it has never been around before. It is a totally new thing that God has created or made! Jesus at His resurrection started a whole new creation. He started a whole new realm of existence or environment, and He started a whole new being or species/race of people to go in this environment. Everything about the new creation is new, new, new! When you were born again, you were born as a new creation, born into this new creation realm. You are a citizen of heaven and belong to the heavenly realms! Through the Spirit, you have been born from above, born of God Himself! You are a totally new creation!
What does the verse say has happened to the old you? Old things have passed away! Everything about your former life is gone! The old you is gone and passed away, and doesn't exist anymore! Everything connected with that old self is gone, too, including all the guilt, problems, worries, sin issues, and so on. So now any hangups, struggles, sinful
thoughts, fears and oppressions coming at you are seen for what they are -
lies of the old existence. They don't represent you anymore! They are
part of the old self, and that self died with Christ on the cross. You are
now a new self, who was raised with Christ in the resurrection!
Hey, what a revelation that you don't have any hangups, problems, issues,
or sin struggles. The person who had those problems is dead! When God
made the new creation, He didn't make a flawed and messed up person
with sin issues, no! He made a righteous, beautiful, pure and lovely new
creation, created in righteousness and true holiness after the image of
Him who created it (Eph. 4:24-5)
In the verse, how many things have become new? ALL of them! There is absolutely nothing left of the old self in you! Sure, you haven't gotten a heavenly body yet, but the REAL you inside is already completely changed and new, with nothing old left. That is the real you. The thoughts in your brain, the desires sometimes felt in your body, these aren't the real you at all anymore! They are projections of the enemy onto your body, an attempt to deceive you into thinking you are still the old self, still have sin problems, still have struggles and fears and hangups. NO! Don't believe that lie! The verse says old things have passed away - that means they are gone forever!
And the verses also says ALL things have become new. You are completely new without one trace of evil, wrong, problems, struggles, lusts, doubts or fears. That is the real you! You are a beautiful person. You are righteous. You are acceptable. You are approved. You are holy and pure. You are strong. You are healthy. You are blessed. You are complete. You are whole. You are of a sound mind. You are perfect in God's sight!
How can we say that? Because He made you that way! He re-made you in Christ, and in Christ means that you have the qualities He has. As He is, so are you. You have His holiness, purity, righteousness, strength, power, blessing, wholeness, approval, etc. In fact, because He is the very source of life inside you, because you have been re-made with Him as your very life, HE is actually all those things in you! He is righteousness, love, power, purity, completeness in you! Your amazing qualities are the Person of Christ in you, for you were formed with His spiritual DNA and with His very Life as your own life material! You are part of Christ and knit together with and in and by Him! You are pretty awesome! What a wonderful new creation He has made of you in Christ!
