“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 ESV
Reflection: how can we know whether someone is truly a new creation in Christ?
Wouldn’t you like to be able to go back to the beginning, to observe when God created the universe? In fact that is how the Bible begins, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1 ESV. And we can read in the following paragraphs how the creation unfolded by the words of our almighty God. He spoke and it was so. And as we read the account of the creation, written down by Moses, many questions might come up, especially for the people that are curious, perhaps science minded. I am sure you have heard many such questions. But isn’t it interesting that, just because the human race doesn’t understand and fully explain something, many have a hard time believing it? The earth, and all that is in it, is very observable. We can still see and experience all its beauty, even without understanding how everything was created.
Paul talks in or focus verse today about another creation that is taking place. He says that for those who are in Christ, they are a new creation. Now what is so interesting about this creation is that it is happening right before our very eyes! It is an observable phenomenon, observable creation. “How?” you might say. If you think about a person before and after meeting Jesus Christ, you can notice the difference. You can experience the creation work of God in them.
They change. Right before your eyes.
Paul explains “The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself” 2 Corinthians 5:17b-18a ESV. Just think, for all those who have received Christ, God is creating the new, eternal man in them. It is creation work being done. We don’t have to speculate, because we can see it. People who we have known from the past to be full of bitterness, hate, or living a life in sin, being totally transformed. It is a choice of letting the work of the Holy Spirit be done in us. To transform us to be more and more like Christ.
Paul wrote, “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.” Colossians 3:5-12 ESV
And the new creation in Christ, the Spirit will lead us to “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” Colossians 3:13-14 ESV
The Bible also refers to this as “fruit”. You might wonder about those that say they are a Christian, saying they believe in Jesus Christ, but there is no creation of God taking place. No change going on. No fruit of the work by the Holy Spirit. We are not to judge them, because we don’t know their hearts. But we certainly can observe the fruit, or lack thereof.
So today, marvel in the creation work God is doing, that we can literally observe in all His children, His creation. He is building heavenly mansions.
