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

You are a new creation in Christ Jesus, so what are the old things that have passed away? Remember that all mankind falls under the curse of Adam and therefore all are sinners. Now that you have trusted Christ, those old relationships have passed away. You are not associated with Adam any longer. You are also not associated with this worldly system. You are now connected with Jesus Christ. You have been baptized into the body of believers and you now belong to Him. The old things have passed away, and the new thing is this new relationship to the Lord Jesus Christ. You are now in a relationship with the glorified Christ. You believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. You trust in Him. Therefore, He assures you that you have eternal life and will not come into judgment; you have passed from death unto life. This makes you a new creation, no longer subject to judgment and death. You have passed into life. Never try to base your confidence on experience. Jesus says you are a new creation, so that is who you are. You are no longer part of the old creation that fell in Adam. The new creation stands in Christ Jesus.

Challenge:

I have been on this earth for over 50 years now. That is hard for me to believe. I don’t feel that old. Well, not all the time anyway. If something is 50 years old, we would never call that ‘new.’ But in Jesus, I am 50+ years NEW simply because of what my Lord has done for me. God sees you, and He sees me, as His creation and that creation is new. You are to be different and you need to stand out in the world around you. People need to see how different our behaviors as Christians are from the behaviors of the those who do not trust in Christ. I want you to challenge yourself this week to see yourself from God’s point of view rather than man’s point of view. God has justified you in Christ. If He considers you a new creation, then that is who you are. If He says that the old things have passed away, you need to believe that your old nature is now under God’s authority. Rather than living in the weakness of your flesh, live in the newness and the power of God. When temptations come before you this week, rebuke them in the authority of Jesus, which has been given to you. Stand strong in Christ and in the grace that is available to you this week. May the Lord bless you.