2Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man is in Christ, [he is] a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
This verse begins with the words, ‘if any man is in Christ’. What does it mean to be in Christ?
Being in Christ means you are a genuine Christian, that your heart and life has been changed. It does not matter what ‘religion’ you call yourself, or what church you attend, or even if you have been baptized in a certain church. It is not what you have done, or how good you are, or what your parents taught you. It is what Christ has done and His love for us. It is having Christ dwell in your heart by faith. Being in Christ means you are joined with Him; united to Him in faith because of God’s grace.
I love to work in my garden. In February, you will find me outside pruning our two dozen fruit trees and grapevines. Once branches or limbs are cut off from their source, they are thrown away because they are no longer useful. Instead of being attached, receiving all their nourishment and support from the tree or vine, having been solely sustained by it, they are removed. This is a good picture of not being in Christ. There is no attachment, there is no union, no life to be had; there is no strength, and no purpose that will last. In the same way, anything someone does outside of Christ, or in their own strength, has no real lasting value.
John 15:4 "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither [can] you, unless you abide in Me.
Consider your relationship with Jesus. If you are abiding in His truths and trusting in Him, then you are alive in Him. All your strength comes from Him. You have a position with Him, being part of His family. You are His child, and you have been freed from the power of sin, and freed to the pursuit of holiness. You have been renewed to think upon heavenly things rather than earthly things. This is what it means to be ‘in Christ’.
If you are in Christ, your heart has been changed, along with your thoughts and feelings. What differences do you see in your thinking and behavior? There must be some difference – our verse goes on to say, ‘he is a new creature’.
This literally means new or fresh. You are not the same, you are no longer bound to this earth and worldly thinking, but instead you are heavenly minded. You have a new nature quite different from anything you were before.
“That a change is produced so great as to make it proper to say that he is a new man. He has new views, new motives, new principles, new objects and plans of life. He seeks new purposes, and he lives for new ends … There is a change so deep, so clear, so entire, and so abiding, that it is proper to say, here is a new creation of God--a work of the Divine power as decided and as glorious as when God created all things out of nothing. There is no other moral change that takes place on earth so deep, and radical, and thorough, as the change at conversion. And there is no other where there is so much propriety in ascribing it to the mighty power of God”, Albert Barnes’ NT Commentary.
When I consider my motivations and thoughts before I was saved, I hardly even recognize myself. I used to seek approval of others, getting my worth from their reactions. I was afraid of not doing what was expected because others would be upset with me or show displeasure. I tried to follow a set of man-made rules in order to please those around me. I really didn’t even know what I believed or what my goals were. I was fearful of rejection, so I learned to please people. Now, I am much more concerned about pleasing God in my thoughts, actions, and words. My value is in being His child. My strength and purpose is in doing God’s will, rather than being accepted or approved by others. I truly am a completely different person. This is the testimony of God’s work in my life – because of Him, I am a new creature.
Being a new creature in Christ, is more than being mended, or putting a band aid on a problem. It is removing the problem altogether. Love of self, love of sin, love of the world, prejudices, opinions, habits, pride, and selfish ambition, are being transformed to love of God, hating my sin and the sin in the world around me, learning to see others through the lens of Christ’s love for them, growing in the knowledge of God’s will, seeking to please Him in all things, confessing my own sin, and desiring to live for God’s glory.
‘the old things passed away’
This is marvelous, perhaps the best rejuvenation recipe ever to be found! Your ‘old self’ is gone and has been replaced by a new self! Literally, your former ways of thinking in regard to spiritual things has changed. You now look to the future. One commentary writes, “All the old, out-worn conditions of our sinful nature … are now gone and past”, (Hall’s Explication of Hard Texts).
Think! Something cannot be new and old at the same time. We used to be controlled by sin – now Christ controls us. We used to live for ourselves – now we live for Jesus. This is a 180° turn in our thoughts and actions. You were headed in one direction, now you have been turned towards the opposite direction.
Ephesians 4:21-24 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in [the likeness of] God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
For example, my name is still Sharyn, and on the outside, I look the same. I even have the same soul, but I am characterized by new qualities, new understanding, new thoughts, and new goals. And all are centered on Jesus and what He has done for me. My old way of thinking ended when God touched my heart, opened my eyes, and allowed me to accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Now my life is in Christ – my affections, my motives, my thoughts, and my hopes have been placed in Him. The purpose of my life, the feelings in my heart, the reasons for my actions, have all changed.
“All is new. There are new views of God and of Jesus Christ; new views of this world and of the world to come; new views of truth and of duty; and everything is seen in a new aspect and with new feelings … The Bible seems to be a new book; and though they may have often read it before, yet there is a beauty about it which they never saw before, and which they wonder they have not before perceived. The whole face of nature seems to them to be changed, and they seem to be in a new world. The hills, and vales, and streams; the sun, the stars, the groves, the forests, seem to be new. A new beauty is spread over them all; and they now see them to be the work of God, and his glory is spread over them all, and they can now say--- "My Father made them all." The heavens and the earth are filled with new wonders, and all things seem now to speak forth the praise of God. Even the very countenances of friends seem to be new; and there are new feelings towards all men; a new kind of love to kindred and friends; a love before unfelt for enemies; and a new love for all mankind”, Albert Barnes NT Commentary.
William Burkitt’s New Testament commentary says, “Old things are passed, or passing away daily, the old carnal inclinations of mind are wearing off, the old will is changed, the old life is reformed; and in a word, whatever was old and carnal, is now become new and spiritual” … “the change of the new creature consists in a new mind, a new will, a new judgment, new affections …”.
Notice the text again, it says, “the old things passed away”. This means they have gone; not been set aside or had something added to them, but gone, ceased in their existence. Have you heard someone say, “Well, this is just how I am, I can’t help it”? In Christ, there is nothing further from the truth. God can do anything, He can change anyone, and certainly, He will fulfill His promise of making His children more like Himself. We may not be very successful in changing ourselves, but God never fails. In our own strength we absolutely fall into sin; in His strength we are free to choose holiness.
Everyone who is ‘new’ in Christ should think upon heavenly things rather than earthly. Think! What occupies your thoughts most often?
Ezekiel 11:19-20 "And I shall give them one heart, and shall put a new spirit within them. And I shall take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances, and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God.
