NEW CREATION IN CHRIST

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Cor. 5:17 NKJV).

Because of what Christ has done for mankind - dying on the cross and rising from the grave - if any man puts his faith in Christ, he is a new creature. This person is not only mended, but he is new made; he is a new creation.

The great changes reconciliation brings upon the sinner are changes only the Gospel can bring to man. However, the “All things are become new” do not include such things as changes in the physical (if a man with one leg gets saved, he will still have only one leg; if a blind man gets saved, he will still be blind. The change is on the inside and with our relationship with God – from being at enmity to be reconciled.

Further, we will have a new view of Christ; we do not worship a Babe in a manger; we worship a glorified Savior on the throne. And because “all things have become new,” we must also have a new view of people around us. We must see them as sinners for whom Christ died. We no longer see them as friends or enemies, customers or coworkers; we see must them the way Christ sees them, as lost sheep who need a shepherd.

Finally, the transformation that is brought about by being “a new creation” is not only an instantaneous miracle but also a lifelong process of sanctification. For those so transformed, everything changes; “old things have passed away.” And all things literally “become new.” The word “become” is in the perfect tense indicating a past action with continuing results. This means that God is continually working in our lives. When we are made anew in Christ, old values, ideas, plans, loves, desires, and beliefs vanish, replaced by the new things that accompany salvation. We have a new position in our standing and our relationship with God when we are saved. Yes, all the blessings and new things that the Christian enjoys are from the Lord.

(Adapted from Mattoon’s Treasures From 2 Corinthians Vol. 1)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“Being in Christ, it is safe to forget the past; it is possible to be sure of the future; it is possible to be diligent in the present!”

Alexander MacLaren (1826 - 1910)

English Non-conformist Minister

Word Study

New

In 2 Cor. 5:17 we read, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new!” (NKJV).

New is the Greek word kainos (καινός = kahee-nos'). It denotes that which is unused; not “new” in time, or recent. In classical Greek, kainos conveys the idea of that which is new, fresh. In the Septuagint kainos is used to describe that which is entirely new. In the New Testament kainos denotes not “new” in time, recent, but “new” as to form or quality, of different nature from what is contrasted as old. Kainos denotes the new and miraculous condition that is emphasized especially in the church age. Thus we see kainos as a key term in eschatological statements -- the new heaven and earth (Rev 21:1), New Jerusalem (Rev 3:12, Rev. 21:2), new name (Rev. 2:17), and new song (Rev. 5:9).

When a person comes to faith in Jesus Christ, a radical change takes place: they became a new person in Christ. The power of the old man will be been broken (Rom. 6:6, 11) as God makes us new persons, created in “true righteousness and holiness” (Eph 4:24). This means that believers now have a brand new life with a brand new source of power (the Holy Spirit) to live out that life to the full.

Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus

Old Testament Prophecy – Messiah would be a descendant of Zerubbabel (Hag. 2:23).

New Testament Fulfillment – Luke 3:27-32

Did You Know…

In the Bible it states that the Lord Jesus came to taste death for everyone (Heb. 2:9).

Bible Quiz

What gift did Samuel’s mother bring to him once a year?

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz: According to Matthew, did the Wise Men visit the Lord Jesus as a baby or a young child? As a young child (Matt. 2:11).

Names For God Found in the Bible

“Yahweh Shammah”

"All the way around shall be eighteen thousand cubits; and the name of the city from that day shall be: THE LORD IS THERE” (Ezek. 48:35 NKJV).

1. Meaning – Yahweh Shammah means “The Lord is there or the Lord is present.” This name shows us the omnipresence of the Lord, which is or exists everywhere a continuous presence, in each part of time, in the hereafter, in the present, and the future.

2. Insights – In context, this chapter speaks of the allotting of the land of Palestine in the millennium. This will be a new city for the new nation and the new era. Jerusalem’s gates have always been significant, but now the city will have twelve gates, each one named after one of Jacob’s twelve sons. Instead of Ephraim and Manasseh having a gate each, there will be one gate for Joseph, and one gate for Levi. Any Gentile coming to the city to learn about the Lord will have to enter the city through one of these gates and be reminded that “salvation is of the Jews” (John 4:22). However, the most important thing about the new city will be the presence of the Lord among His united people (Ezek. 35:10). The new name will be “Jehovah Shammah - the Lord is there.”

Did You Know...Christian History

William Edward Biederwolf was born September 29, 1867 in Monticello, Indiana. He was an American Presbyterian Evangelist.

Biederwolf was converted as a teen-ager under the evangelistic ministry of Frank N. Palmer, pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Monticello. Biederwolf then attended Wabash College, Indiana (1889–1890), and Princeton University, where he received his B.A. and M.A. (1890–1894). After graduating from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1895, he spent two years at the Universities of Berlin and Erlangen in Germany, and the Sorbonne in Paris. He then became a chaplain in the Spanish-American War.

After pastoring a Presbyterian church in Logansport, Indiana (1897–1900), he became an assistant to revivalist J. Wilbur Chapman. In 1906 he launched out on his own, organizing the Family Altar League in 1909, which he directed. He then spent much of the next three decades in evangelistic campaigns, primarily in small towns and medium-sized cities in the U.S. Biederwolf combined soul-winning with advocacy of civic reform, prohibition and Americanism. In his later years premillennialism was a favorite theme. He wrote several books on the topic, including The Millennium Bible (1924). Biederwolf was also active in efforts to reduce corruption among revivalists.

In 1922 Biederwolf became director of the Winona Lake Bible Conference, rescuing it from near-bankruptcy. In 1923 he became director of the Winona Lake Bible School of Theology, a position he held until he became its president in 1933. Later he organized and owned The Winona Publishing Company of Chicago. In his final decade (1929–1939), he also pastored the Royal Poinciana Chapel in Palm Beach, Florida, called by some the “richest congregation in the world.” Biederwolf held this position until his death, September 3, 1939.

A Little Humor

A preacher was asking for contributions to the church’s program to buy food for the needy. The town gambler, who also owned the saloon and several other shady operations, offered the preacher $500. “You can’t take that,” a scandalized deacon told the preacher. “That’s the devil’s money.” “Well, brother,” said the preacher, cheerfully accepting the gift, “in that case, the devil has had his hands on it long enough. Now let’s see what the Lord will do with it.”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Life is a one-way street; we are not coming back!”