If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.
Paul on the radical do-over the gospel offers.
The episode in a glance.
- 01'In Christ' is the location — new creation flows from union.
- 02Not a new edition — a new creation.
- 03'The old has passed away' — past tense.
- 04'The new has come' — past tense too. It's already true.
Read along.
2 Corinthians 5:17 — 'Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.'
'In Christ' is the key phrase. The new creation flows out of being joined to him. Not a self-improvement program. A union.
And it's not a new edition — Paul 2.0, with bug fixes. It's a new creation. The same word used for God making heaven and earth. A fresh act of God in you.
'The old has passed away.' Past tense. The self that lived for sin is dead and gone. You may still feel its echoes, but its rule is over.
'The new has come.' Also past tense. The new you isn't a project you're trying to start. It already exists. You're learning to live like who you already are in Christ.