New Creatures in Christ

Day By Day By Grace

Bob Hoekstra

April 1, 2010


Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things
have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
(2 Corinthians 5:17)

Everyone who is "in Christ," through faith in His name, is a "new
creation." We are new people. We are no longer who we were before we
put our trust in the Lord Jesus. We are not the "old man" reformed or
improved, we are a "new creation." Yes, we have the same bodies, but
they are mere tents in which we dwell. "For we know that if our earthly
house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house
not made with hands, eternal in the heavens" (2 Corinthians 5:1). Some
day in glory, we will trade these temporal, earthly tents for eternal
heavenly ones. Meanwhile, though we live in the same old tents we had
in Adam, we are new tenants, a "new creation." We may have the same old
physical brain, but we are learning to think an entirely new way. "We
have the mind of Christ... be transformed by the renewing of your mind"
(Romans 12:2 and 1 Corinthians 2:16). Christ lives in us, and His
Spirit also dwells in us. His Spirit takes the word of God and unfolds
the thinking of our Lord for us. As we embrace God's way of thinking
more and more, we are transformed to walk in the newness that is ours
in "in Christ."

In all the ways that matter before God, "old things have passed away;
behold, all things have become new." The old guilt is replaced by new
forgiveness. "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are
in Christ Jesus...in whom we have...the forgiveness of sins" (Romans
8:1 and Colossians 1:14).

The old foolishness is replaced by new wisdom. "For the wisdom of this
world is foolishness with God...But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who
became for us wisdom from God" (1 Corinthians 3:19 and 1:30). The old
unrighteousness is replaced with new righteousness. "All our
righteousnesses are like filthy rags...For He made Him who knew no sin
to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him"
(Isaiah 64:6 and 2 Corinthians 5:21). The old hope of changing
(self-help) is replaced by new hope of changing (sanctification, God
changing us). "Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his
strength...You are in Christ Jesus, who became for us...sanctification"
(Jeremiah 17:5 and 1 Corinthians 1:30). This is grace upon grace.

O Lord, my hope, I thank You for making me a new person in Christ.
Please strengthen my heart to spend time in Your word that I might hear
more of these grand truths. Lord, I yearn to walk in more of this rich
newness of life, in Jesus' name, Amen.