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2 Corinthians 5:17 - New Life in Christ.2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT) This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! INTRODUCTION When we pledge our faith to Jesus Christ, we become brand-new people on the inside. The Holy Spirit gives us new life, and we are not the same people anymore. We are not reformed, rehabilitated, or reeducated - we are re-created, new creations living in vital union with Christ (Colossians 2:6-7). At conversion we do not merely turn over a new leaf; we begin a new life under a new master. While each individual becomes a new person, Paul is implying that much more actually occurs. Not only are believers changed from within, but a whole new order of creative power begins with Christ. We have a new covenant, a new perspective, a new spirit, a new community. We are not experiencing a superficial change that will quickly fade away. We are able to see an entirely new order of all creation under Christ's authority. It requires a new way of looking at all people and all of creation. Does your life reflect this new perspective? [Life Application SB 2019] COMMENTARY PEARLS Consider, says Jesus, how the lilies grow; how, springing from the cold, dark earth, or from the mud of the river bed, the plants unfold in loveliness and fragrance. Who would dream of the possibilities of beauty in the rough brown bulb of the lily? But when the life of God, hidden therein, unfolds at His call in the rain and the sunshine, men marvel at the vision of grace and loveliness. Even so will the life of God unfold in every human soul that will yield itself to the ministry of His grace, which, free as the rain and the sunshine, comes with its benediction to all. It Is The Word Of God That Creates The Flowers, And The Same Word Will Produce In You The Graces Of His Spirit. MB97 By what means, then, shall we determine whose side we are on? Who has the heart? With whom are our thoughts? Of whom do we love to converse? Who has our warmest affections and our best energies? If we are Christ's, our thoughts are with Him, and our sweetest thoughts are of Him. All we have and are is consecrated to Him. We long to bear His image, breathe His spirit, do His will, and please Him in all things. Those who become new creatures in Christ Jesus will bring forth the fruits of the Spirit, "love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance." Galatians 5:22, 23. They will no longer fashion themselves according to the former lusts, but by the faith of the Son of God they will follow in His steps, reflect His character, and purify themselves even as He is pure. The things they once hated they now love, and the things they once loved they hate. The proud and self-assertive become meek and lowly in heart. The vain and supercilious become serious and unobtrusive. The drunken become sober, and the profligate pure. The vain customs and fashions of the world are laid aside. Christians will seek not the "outward adorning," but "the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit." 1 Peter 3: 3, 4. SC57-9 He who has determined to enter the spiritual kingdom will find that all the powers and passions of unregenerate nature, backed by the forces of the kingdom of darkness, are arrayed against him. Each day he must renew his consecration, each day do battle with evil. Old habits, hereditary tendencies to wrong, will strive for the mastery, and against these he is to be ever on guard, striving in Christ's strength for victory. AA476-7 COMMENTARY A Changed Life During a visit to the Pacific Northwest several years ago, I met a man who told me he'd been heavily into alcohol and drugs. His marriage, he said, had been hanging by a thread. One day, he loaded a gun, planning to kill himself. Then he turned on the TV. There on the screen was a Harvest Crusade, where I was sharing a message called, "How to Get Right with God." The man said, "God began to speak to me. When you led those people in prayer, I prayed and asked Jesus Christ to come into my life." After he found Christ, the man realized he needed to reconcile with his father. So, he rode his motorcycle across the country to see his dad. That's a long ride on a motorcycle. That sounds like a conversion to me. That sounds like a man who had met God, because there was a change in his life. That's a familiar pattern in Scripture: have a personal encounter with the Lord and then find that your life is changed as a result. In 2 Kings 5, after the military commander Naaman was healed from his leprosy, he immediately rejected all idols and wanted to show his gratitude with a gift. In Acts 9, after Saul encountered Jesus on his way to arrest Christians, he changed the entire trajectory of his life. He became a leader of the people he had been persecuting. In Acts 16, after the Philippian jailer became a believer, he washed the backs of the prisoners he had previously whipped. And in Luke 19, after the tax collector Zacchaeus encountered Jesus, he vowed to give half his wealth to the poor and repay the people he'd cheated four times what he owed them. Let's be clear: None of these people changed so that they could make themselves good enough for the Lord. They didn't earn their salvation or righteousness with their good deeds. The change came after their encounter with the Lord, as a result of His impact on their life. The apostle Paul - the man known as Saul in Acts 9 - wrote, "This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" (2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT). After you give your life to Christ, your next step is to foster this new person and embrace the changes that will occur in your life. The Holy Spirit, who takes up residence inside you when you receive Christ, will guide you in this step. He will remind you that certain attitudes, habits, and routines are part of your old life. He will help you adjust to the changes that Jesus initiates. He will help you enjoy the "rich and satisfying life" (John 10:10 NLT) that only Jesus offers. Reflection question: What has changed in your life since you became a believer? [Greg Laurie from Harvest Ministries; https://www.harvestdaily.com] CLOSING THOUGHT Supernatural Change Butterflies aren't the only creatures that go through dramatic changes - metamorphizing from tiny eggs to colorful winged creatures. There's a sea creature that looks completely different as an adult than as a juvenile: the crown of thorns starfish. It's easy to see why this beautiful marine invertebrate got its name; it's completely covered with dangerous sharp spikes. When it first hatches, however, it looks like a translucent, floating blog. But over time, it grows arms, then spikes, and then it attaches itself to rocks and feeds on coral. The transformation of a sinner into a child of God is nothing short of miraculous. Today's Bible promise speaks of those in Christ as "a new creation: It's not an evolutionary process but a change so distinct that only God can be glorified for it. And this is no partial alteration: "Behold, all things have become new"! How can this promise of change happen? Paul explained that we must be "in Christ:" It was one of his favorite ways to describe a Christian, saying that when he became converted, he was baptized "into Christ Jesus" (Romans 6:3). When the life is centered in Christ, attached to Him as a branch to a vine (John 15:4), the creative energy that made our world will flow into us and bear heavenly fruit in our lives. It is not a natural process like the life cycle of a starfish; it is foreign to the human experience. Jesus was willing to wear a crown of thorns and sacrifice His life for you. That means you can be supernaturally changed into a new person with a new heart that reflects the beautiful character of your Savior. Heavenly Father, I submit my heart to You. I confess my sinfulness and choose to be in Christ from this time on. [The Most Amazing Bible Promises by Amazing Facts] LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY 2 Corinthians 5:17 - New Life in Christ. https://www.abible.com/devotions/2025/20250115-1510.html https://www.abible.com/devotions/2024/20240611-0844.html https://www.abible.com/devotions/2023/20230831-0901.html 2 Corinthians 5:17 - Conversion is... http://www.abible.com/devotions/2019/20191106-1130.html 2 Corinthians 5:17 - Becoming Friends With God (Reconciliation). http://www.abible.com/devotions/2008/20080901-1303.html Colossians 2:6, 7 - Living In Christ. https://www.abible.com/devotions/2024/20240803-1211.html Ezekiel 18:30-32 - Get A New Heart And Spirit And Live https://www.abible.com/devotions/1997/19971116-0000.html Romans 6:4 - RESURRECTION POWER https://www.abible.com/devotions/2025/20250114-1325.html LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT https://abible.com/links/ |