Made New
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." -2 Corinthians 5:17
What a beautifully profound verse of Scripture. In Christ... if anyone is in Christ, that person is a new creation! The wonder, the privilege, the joy, the assurance, the awe, the security it is to be IN CHRIST! The significance of these two words, in Christ, is inexhaustible. These words speak of our security due to the fact that Christ bore the wrath that sin deserves and if you are in Him you will not bear that wrath. These words speak of the fact that God accepts those who are in Christ because He accepts Jesus as the perfect and final sacrifice. These words speak of admittance into heaven for those who are in Christ because He is the resurrection and the life. Not only do these words speak of our pardon from sin, our imputed righteousness of Christ, and future promises of God, but they tell us we are new!
The new creation comes from the new birth. To be a new creation is to be born again! You can try to reinvent yourself, you can try to hit the refresh button, you can count to ten and hope to re-spawn, you can give it your all, but to be made new you must be born from above! The obvious outcome of being made new is that the old dissipates. Former values, beliefs, priorities, and the like are transformed. You might have the same old frame, but your heart is made new and you begin to desire as Christ desires. Sin is still present but you recognize it and are no longer controlled by it. You are able to repent and say, "Lord, your will be done, not mine!" And you begin to live for eternal things, not temporal things. You are able to live by faith, not by sight!
I write on this verse today specifically for my brothers, sisters, and myself. That we would remember that we are new creations, that we would remember we are in Christ, that we would remember that in Him we live and move and have our being, and that we would pray to the Lord of the harvest that we would see many others being made new in our homes, in our churches, in our small groups, in our communities, in our nations, and to the ends of the earth. To Him be the all glory and honor forever and ever.