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Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)
When I was in Bible College, the building we married students lived in was literally one of the oldest buildings in the metropolitan city the College was located in. The building was rich in history but definitely was showing its age. The windows seemed to do little to stop the cold northerly winds. The heating and electrical system was inefficient and, at times, non-operational. The college did everything they could to keep the building updated and safe while we were there.
A few years ago I read that they had torn down the old building and erected a new one in its place. All the years of patching and repairing and fixing and re-fixing had finally come to an end. It was just no use trying to keep the old building in use.
Now, I’m a huge fan of trying to repair and restore old building rather than putting up new ones. However, reality is, sometimes the old just gets to a point where it won’t work anymore. It’s true in buildings. It’s true in cars and it’s true in the spiritual life as well.
In our original form, in the Garden of Eden, we were perfect. That perfection went far beyond our physical appearance. It included our emotional stability, or intellect and most importantly our ability to interact spiritually with the Creator-God of the Universe.
Then sin came into the picture and everything changed. Our physical bodies learned about illness and aging and eventually death. Our emotional well-being was challenged by our view of ourselves in comparison with others and we were hurt by the offenses of others. We began to deteriorate the moment we were born!
Our Heavenly Father looked down on us and realized that just fixing us would never be enough. The damage was too great. His desire for you was so deep that he decided the only way he could restore the relationship he longed to have with you was to start over with a brand new person, inside and out.
The Bible doesn’t say that Jesus came into the world to remodel you or recondition you. He didn’t come to repair what was broken. He came to make a brand new you. The old self is gone the minute you ask Christ to forgive you of your sin.
The enemy wants to remind you constantly that you haven’t changed. He’ll bring up all the things you still struggle with. He’ll point out your flaws. His words are nothing but lies. In Christ you are a brand new Creation!
PRAYER: Dear Jesus. As I stand here admiring your creation through the beauty of nature help me to remember that I am completely forgiven because of you. I’m not reconditioned. I’m not repaired or remodeled. In you I am a brand new creation. Thank you for your love. Amen.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17
We are not remodeled. We are not restored. We are not refurbished. We are new creations. What an amazing truth to ponder. To remodel, restore or refurbish means that we take what is good from an object (car, building, etc.) and try to recreate it to its previous state, or improve upon its previous state to make it better and more useful.
The Bible tells us that when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior we are new creations. Our Father doesn’t reach down and try to refashion us into what we once were. He doesn’t take the good parts and set them aside, remove the bad stuff and then rebuild us. He makes us new.
The Apostle Paul says, in Corinthians, that all of the old is gone now. The past has been removed. In Jesus Christ we are brand new creations. That means that we no longer need to live in the shadows of our past. The poor choices, the broken relationships, the addictive tendencies no longer need to rule over us.
Does that mean that we won’t ever struggle with sin? NO! In Romans Paul tells the candid truth that even this great man of God struggled daily with sin. He says, “The things I want to do, I don’t do. The things I hate to do I find myself doing!” As long as we live on earth we will struggle with the temptation to do things wrong. But Jesus wants better things for us. He died to remove sins penalty. He rose to give victory over the grave. He ascended to Heaven to prepare a place for us. He sent His Spirit to empower us to live more fully for Him each day.
You are a new creature in Jesus. Don’t let the past haunt you any longer. The things of your past no longer have any control over who you are. In a sense you no longer have a ‘past’, only life with Christ. Walk daily with Jesus. Let Him direct your paths and show you the way to living live fully in Him. Jesus alone can free you from the barriers of the past and empower you to live completely new lives in Him.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father. I thank you for the love you have shown through Jesus. Thank you for the way you made me in your image. I confess that the sins of my past have kept me from living the life of fullness you have for me. I pray that I will learn to walk more closely to you and that through your Spirit the baggage of my past will be left behind. Help me to live as the new Creation I am. Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 