2 Corinthians 5:17 - New Life in Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV) Therefore, if
anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The
old has gone, the new is here!
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT) This means that
anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new
person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
INTRODUCTION
Christians are brand-new people on the
'inside.' The Holy Spirit gives them new life, and
they are not the same anymore. We are not
reformed, rehabilitated, or reeducated--we are
re-created (new creations), living in vital union with
Christ (Colossians 2:6, 7). At conversion we are
not merely turning over a new leaf; we are
beginning a new life under a new Master. [Life
Application SB]
COMMENTARY PEARL
Supernatural Change
Butterflies aren't the only creatures
that go through dramatic changes - metamorphizing
from tiny eggs to colorful winged creatures.
There's a sea creature that looks completely
different as an adult than as a juvenile: the crown of
thorns starfish. It's easy to see why this
beautiful marine invertebrate got its name; it's
completely covered with dangerous sharp spikes. When it
first hatches, however, it looks like a
translucent, floating blog. But over time, it grows arms,
then spikes, and then it attaches itself to rocks
and feeds on coral.
The transformation of a sinner into a
child of God is nothing short of miraculous.
Today's Bible promise speaks of those in Christ as
"a new creation: It's not an evolutionary
process but a change so distinct that only God can
be glorified for it. And this is no partial
alteration: "Behold, all things have become new"!
How can this promise of change happen?
Paul explained that we must be "in Christ:" It
was one of his favorite ways to describe a
Christian, saying that when he became converted, he was
baptized "into Christ Jesus" (Romans 6:3). When the
life is centered in Christ, attached to Him as a
branch to a vine (John 15:4), the creative energy
that made our world will flow into us and bear
heavenly fruit in our lives. It is not a natural
process like the life cycle of a starfish; it is
foreign to the human experience.
Jesus was willing to wear a crown of
thorns and sacrifice His life for you. That means
you can be supernaturally changed into a new
person with a new heart that reflects the beautiful
character of your Savior.
Heavenly Father, I submit my heart to
You. I confess my sinfulness and choose to be in
Christ from this time on. [The Most Amazing Bible
Promises by Amazing Facts]
COMMENTARY
Consider, says Jesus, how the lilies grow;
how, springing from the cold, dark earth, or from
the mud of the river bed, the plants unfold in
loveliness and fragrance. Who would dream of the
possibilities of beauty in the rough brown bulb of the
lily? But when the life of God, hidden therein,
unfolds at His call in the rain and the sunshine,
men marvel at the vision of grace and
loveliness. Even so will the life of God unfold in every
human soul that will yield itself to the ministry
of His grace, which, free as the rain and the
sunshine, comes with its benediction to all. It Is
The Word Of God That Creates The Flowers, And
The Same Word Will Produce In You The Graces Of
His Spirit. MB97
By what means, then, shall we determine
whose side we are on?
Who has the heart? With whom are our
thoughts? Of whom do we love to converse? Who has our
warmest affections and our best energies? If we are
Christ's, our thoughts are with Him, and our sweetest
thoughts are of Him. All we have and are is
consecrated to Him. We long to bear His image, breathe
His spirit, do His will, and please Him in all
things.
Those who become new creatures in Christ
Jesus will bring forth the fruits of the Spirit,
"love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness,
goodness, faith, meekness, temperance." Galatians
5:22, 23. They will no longer fashion themselves
according to the former lusts, but by the faith of the
Son of God they will follow in His steps,
reflect His character, and purify themselves even as
He is pure. The things they once hated they now
love, and the things they once loved they hate.
The proud and self-assertive become meek and
lowly in heart. The vain and supercilious become
serious and unobtrusive. The drunken become sober,
and the profligate pure. The vain customs and
fashions of the world are laid aside. Christians will
seek not the "outward adorning," but "the hidden
man of the heart, in that which is not
corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet
spirit." 1 Peter 3: 3, 4. SC57-9
He who has determined to enter the spiritual
kingdom will find that all the powers and passions
of unregenerate nature, backed by the forces of
the kingdom of darkness, are arrayed against
him. Each day he must renew his consecration,
each day do battle with evil. Old habits,
hereditary tendencies to wrong, will strive for the
mastery, and against these he is to be ever on guard,
striving in Christ's strength for victory. AA476-7
While reorganizing my office, I found my
name tag from the first writing conference I
attended. I picked it up and remembered how I'd
covered it with my notebook whenever I got near the
editor who had been assigned to evaluate the
manuscript I'd submitted. Up until the last day, an
inner voice whispered to me: When he reads it,
he'll wonder why you even came to a writers'
conference. You don't belong here. If these people knew
you had zero writing talent, they would kick you
out.
More than twenty years later, I still
hear that nagging voice sometimes. I think most
of us struggle with circumstances, places, or
people that make us feel as though we don't measure
up. Our insecurity can make us afraid to let
others see who we truly are. Self-doubt can cause
us to miss wonderful opportunities that God
intends for us. That's why I need to focus on who
Jesus says I am.
Once I became a new creation in Christ,
He gave me a new identity based on His
sacrifice for me. Now I'm God's adopted child,
accepted and unconditionally loved even when I fail
miserably. Regardless of what other people think about
me or how I feel about myself on any given day,
Jesus has written a new set of name tags for me:
Forgiven, Free, Beloved, Esteemed. There's never any
need to cover those up. Dianne Neal Matthews
Faith Step: Pray and ask Jesus who He
says you are. Then make a name tag for yourself
with those words. Pin it to your shirt and wear
it as a reminder to see yourself as He sees
you. [Mornings With Jesus 2024 Devotional by
Guideposts and Zondervan]
My first house was a 100-year-old
rowhouse in a quaint colonial Maryland town, which
was then a tourism hot spot. Sold by a
disinterested, faraway daughter after her mother died, it
was a real deal for me.
The house had gleaming hardwood floors,
an oak banister, a marble fireplace, and
probably most important, all new plumbing, wiring,
and drywall. Sometime in its history, my new
home had been stripped to the studs and
everything had been replaced or upgraded to current
code.
A friend bought a similar property right
up the street, but it had not yet been
renovated. She and her husband got to work. As they
tore away plaster, they found rotting wood,
termites, moldy newspaper insulation, dangerous old
wiring, and rodent remains. It was a mess. Once they
were done, though, it was gleamingly beautiful.
It took a long time.
Just as old houses can be updated, so can
I. The Bible tells me that in Christ, I'm a new
creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), but the renovation
process - sanctification, making me more like Jesus
- happens over time. Sometimes this process of
spiritual growth feels like gutting an old house. My
outside can still look rough, even though there's
work in progress on the inside. But no job is too
big for Jesus. He makes all things new,
including me and my lifetime of debris. Isabella
Campolattaro
Faith Step: Draw a picture of a house and
decorate it with words to describe all the ways Jesus
has transformed you since your own renovation
began. [Mornings With Jesus 2020 Devotional by
Guideposts and Zondervan re Rev. 21:5]
CLOSING THOUGHT
Open to Change
All of us have practiced certain areas of
wrong from our youth. It is a pattern of life that
comes "second nature" to us. As a result, it
strongly resists change. We gloss over our resistance
with the varnish of excuses:
"Well, nobody's perfect."
"I'll never be any different; that's just
the way I am."
"I was born this way - nothing can be
done about it."
"You can't teach an old dog new tricks."
Jeremiah tells us why such excuses come
easily:
I warned you when you were prosperous,
but you replied, "Don't bother me." You have
been that way since childhood - you simply will
not obey me! Jeremiah 22:21
We have made doing evil a pattern, a
habit. In one sense, we have learned to act and
react in sinful, unbiblical ways with ease and
(dare I admit it?) with a measure of pleasure.
Admittedly, there are many times we do so unconsciously;
and on those occasions, the depth of our habit
pattern is most revealing.
It is vital - it is, in fact, essential -
that we see ourselves as we really are in the
light of God's written Word then be open to
change where change is needed. The number-one enemy
of change is the hard-core, satisfied sin
nature within. It has been gratified and spoiled
all these years, and it won't give up without a
temper tantrum. Change is its greatest threat.
Change must be allowed to face and conquer the
intimidations of inward habit - and I repeat the warning,
it will never be an easy confrontation.
But because of Christ, we are already in
the process of being made new!
This means that anyone who belongs to
Christ has become a new person. The old life is
gone; a new life has begun! 2 Corinthians 5:17
That's the way God sees you - a new
person with a brand-new nature. Why don't you start
living that way... today, if you're ready for real
change! [Chuck Swindoll www.insight.org.]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY
2 Corinthians 5:17 - New Life in Christ.
https://www.abible.com/devotions/2023/20230831-0901.html
2 Corinthians 5:17 - Conversion is
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2019/20191106-1130.html
2 Corinthians 5:17 - Becoming Friends With
God (Reconciliation).
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2008/20080901-1303.html
Ezekiel 18:30-32 - Get A New Heart And
Spirit And Live
https://www.abible.com/devotions/1997/19971116-0000.html
Romans 6:6, 7 - Free From The Power Of Sin!
https://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20200422-1010.html
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
https://abible.com/links/
