04.01

New Creatures in Christ "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."