“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
God’s encouragement…
God promises us that in Christ, we are a new creation. The old has passed away. Depending on how we view our past, this can seem like remarkably good news or something we neither want or need. As with all God’s promises, He gives us free will we can use to claim it, but He doesn’t force it on us. At first, I wasn’t sure I wanted to be a new creation.
My old self had become comfortable and familiar, a way to relate to life that I counted on. So I held on to my old self, the me that adapted outwardly as circumstances changed. People seemed to accept me as I presented myself and keeping my misgivings, doubts and questions locked inside felt safe. I thought I was quite clever to have figured out how to do this and I wasn’t sure people would accept me if I stopped.
My journey with Jesus has changed me and I now welcome this remarkably good news! My relationship with God through Christ has been tested by trials and losses, and blessed by insights and depth. My confidence that His ways are always higher and better than mine has blossomed. I no longer have to carry the unbearable weight of pretending to be someone I’m not. Instead, I can wholeheartedly embrace my desire to be who Jesus promised me I am—a new creation, reconciled to God.
Our role in this transformation is responsive. God, through His Son, has already completed everything that must be done for us to become new creations. The passage goes on to entrust us with a new and important purpose, too—to share His message of reconciliation with others (2 Corinthians 5:18-19). A new creation with a new purpose, reconciled to our Creator! May your love for the Father blossom through His Son. May you feel as light as a butterfly as you carry His message to others.
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Image: original mixed media (watercolor and color pencil) “A New Creation” by Robin Lybeck
