Good morning. Today’s Bible verse is 2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
There are only two kinds of people in the world: those who are spiritually dead and those who are spiritually alive. The spiritually dead remain in darkness, resisting God’s grace. The spiritually alive, having believed the gospel of grace, have been made new in Christ through the washing of the water of the Word and the regeneration of the Holy Spirit.
A person who’s spiritually dead might try to keep their sinful behavior in check on the outside, even though they still want it on the inside. Sometimes they hold back just because of consequences or what others might think. Nevertheless, before a holy God, both the desire and the action are still sin.
Someone who’s spiritually alive is different. God has given them a new nature. They’re not resisting sin to earn anything; they’re resisting because they already are forgiven, accepted, and loved through faith in the grace of the gospel.
This is why Paul’s words matter so deeply. Believers are not trying to become new; God has already made them new in Christ. The old life no longer defines or controls the believer. The past no longer speaks the loudest. Believers learn to walk in what God has already done for and in them.
Tomorrow, we’ll review how this new identity guides our daily walk — salvation, sanctification, and the freedom to say no to sin and yes to God.
The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), 2 Co 5:17.
Reflection: In Christ, you’re not becoming new — you already are.