“The New Creation” Day 1: It’s not just a matter of an outward change.

Over the last several days, we have been discussing how we can live the resurrected life of Jesus. Several years ago, the Lord gave me a lesson on, “The New Creation.” Today we will begin looking at that lesson, taking some of the main points, along with the scripture references regarding each point. It is being this new creation that allows us to live the resurrected life of Jesus.

We begin our consideration of the new creation with the fact that when we are made a new creation through Christ Jesus, this is not just an outward change, in terms of our way of being and doing; although, those things will certainly follow. It is not just a change in how we perceive things; although that certainly follows as well. The new creation is just that: We have become a newly created being through the work of Jesus Christ. And, as a result, the Holy Spirit brings us back into unison with the Divine Order. In the new creation, sensitivity to the Holy Spirit is restored and the Holy Spirit is now in contact with our inner, eternal person. Unlike a refurbishing, this is a ground up new creation:

“What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun! All this newness of life is from God, who brought us back to himself through what Christ did. And God has given us the task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others. We are Christ's ambassadors, and God is using us to speak to you. We urge you, as though Christ himself were here pleading with you, "Be reconciled to God!" For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.”

2 Corinthians 5:17-21 NLT

In fact, God had promised long ago that He would provide a New Covenant wherein His laws would be able to be written on the human heart!

“But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day, says the Lord:

I will put my laws in their minds

so they will understand them,

and I will write them on their hearts so they will obey them.

I will be their God, and they will be my people.”

Hebrews 8:10 NLT

The outward sign of circumcision, required in the Old Covenant, was replaced with the inner sign of a new creation in the New Covenant:

“As for me, God forbid that I should boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world died long ago, and the world's interest in me is also long dead. It doesn't make any difference now whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we really have been changed into new and different people. May God's mercy and peace be upon all those who live by this principle. They are the new people of God.”

Galatians 6:14-16 NLT

Indeed, as Jesus told Nicodemus, we can only see the Kingdom of God by becoming a new creation:

“Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?” Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.””

‭‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭3‬-‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Next time, we will go further in our consideration of the new creation.

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!