A New Creation

             One of the awesome blessings of being in Christ is that of being justified – or having sin remitted.  To be justified means to be declared “Not Guilty”; “Remission” is a banking term where any debit charged to your account has been removed and the balance of what you owe has been eliminated.  These two terms are used in a spiritual sense to describe the effects of Jesus’ atonement:  By an act of His amazing grace, God has paid your debt of sin (life) and has restored you to a place of honor in His presence.

            Paul explains all of this in 2 Corinthians 5:17 by describing us as a “new creation.”  It may refer back to Genesis 1 & 2 to God’s original design for mankind.  We were, after all, created to share a loving relationship with Him.  But sin ruined this and separated us from His presence.  Thankfully, His love for us prompted Him to come (as Jesus) and pay the debt we owed so He could remove the barrier that divided us.  So the atonement of Christ has provided us with a new spiritual status – we are now “new creations” in Him.

            The word Paul uses for “new” in this verse means new from the standpoint of use, not of time.  You look the same, sound the same, live in the same place, have the same job; but your soul now has a new perspective, new goals, new attitudes, a different outlook on life.  No longer do you see people as objects to use to get what you want, or challenges to teach patience, or standards to judge your faithfulness by.  No longer do you grovel in self-pity, guilt and shame trying to “prove” your worthiness to a harsh, overbearing God.  No . . . all of those things that separated us and stood against us have been removed.  You have a new standing with God; a home to look forward to; a new desire to be and do what He created you to be and do.

            As New Creations, then, let’s strive to fulfill our created purpose.  Quit living in the past (which you cannot change) and make the most of every day.  Make every effort to see non-Christians as souls in need of a Savior and all others as special blessings brought to you by God to enhance and enrich your life.  Stop allowing Satan to cloud your mind with all that is wrong in others and in the world and begin to envision things from a new perspective; from God’s perspective.  In other words, live from now on as a “New Creation.”

Doug