God is making all things new, and He has started His work already with you.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” II Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)
The very first words of the Bible show the God who created all things. The rest of Scripture echoes this truth by reiterating that you are fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God. Jesus comes into the world as the firstborn of all creation and with Him a new covenant for His followers. After His death, burial, and resurrection He pointed to the hope of His return and a promise to make all things new.
Between the initial creation and the new creation, there is a lot of time and space. You would not be alone in growing weary while waiting. The idea of a glorified body with no more tears, sickness, or pain in a new heaven and new earth, where the lion lies down with the lamb, seems so foreign, mysterious, and unattainable. Like Abraham wandering in the wilderness, chasing a promise of a kingdom, and longing for a child, so you might feel that you won’t live to see the promises fulfilled.
But you have already seen the beginning of the promise. You have been given a greater gift than Abraham ever had. You have received Christ. You have God’s Word recorded for you in Scripture. You are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. You are a new creation, a glimpse of things yet to come.
Do People Ever Change?
It is easy to fall into the fallacy of thinking that nothing ever changes. As Solomon said at the end of his life, “There is nothing new under the sun.” It’s true. Every day you wake up is going to be similar to the day before. The grueling cycle can be discouraging if not outright devastating. If you have ever tried to help someone out of a habitual problem then you have probably found yourself thinking that people cannot change. Maybe you even feel that way about yourself and the indwelling sin that so easily besets you.
The truth is that any change that actually does take place happens gradually. It is difficult to see how much you have changed because it happens slowly over time and you forget the progress you have made. But you are being transformed into the image of Christ. You just have a really long way to go from who you are, to who you will be.
However, there are significant changes that have already taken place in the life of a believer. You are a new creation and you can be greatly encouraged when you see the work that Christ has already begun in you and it can inspire you when you know how that change will eventually work out.
You Are New
When you first put your faith in Jesus Christ, something drastic happened. You were born again. You, who were once dead in your trespasses and sin, were brought to life. Your eyes were opened for the first time and you were able to see the truth that set you free. It was like a lightbulb went off in your brain. The Holy Spirit rushed into your life and you became a new creation.
Maybe it has been a long time since you’ve thought through the implications of what Christ has done for you. It might even feel like the novelty has worn off and the excitement about your faith is gone.
Part of your struggle is that you are a new updated software stuck in the old hardware. Your flesh and your heart may fail, but God is the strength of your heart. These bodies are just temporary vessels. One of the evidences that you have changed is that you no longer feel at home in your own flesh. You are aware of the struggle and you long for Christ’s work to be completed in your body.
You Are Reconciled to God
John Newton was a slave trader before he came to Christ. During that time he was unhappy with himself. He knew something was wrong, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. God had mercy on him and over time he realized his need for a savior. It wasn’t an immediate change, but after Christ began a new work in him, he grew disgusted with his sin. He left the slave trade to go into the ministry and eventually penned the hymn ‘Amazing Grace.’
Newton understood what it meant to be an enemy of God. You might not feel like you’ve done anything as bad as selling slaves, but this is the starting point for every true believer. It’s not about comparing yourself with the world’s worst offenders, it is about comparing your righteousness with God’s righteousness. When you do that, you are crushed.
The Bible says that in your sins you are an enemy of God, but it was while you were still sinning that Christ died for you to reconcile you back to God. The only way that you could have a right relationship with God is by humbling yourself, asking for God to forgive you, and trusting in the work of Jesus Christ to save you from your sins.
Something happens when you are reconciled to God. You are not only forgiven of your sins, but you are given a righteousness that you could never earn. Christ became sin for you so that you could receive His righteousness. This cannot be emphasized enough. Your righteousness exceeds that of the angels in heaven because your righteousness is God’s righteousness. If you are a believer then you are adopted into God’s family. You are a joint heir with Christ and you will rule and reign with Him in all eternity in the new heaven and the new earth.
John Newton once said this about his righteous standing with Christ. “I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be, I am not what I hope to be in another world; but still I am not what I once used to be, and by the grace of God I am what I am”
Your Desires Have Changed
The old British preacher, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, described the idea of becoming a new creation as a pig turning into a man. If you put a fancy dinner on a table and a bucket of slop on the floor, the pig would choose the bucket every time. But if that pig were immediately turned into a man, he would gag at the slop. If you think that’s gross, remember the proverb that says a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool repeats its folly (Proverbs 26:11).
When you were made new, your desires changed. You recognized that sin had blinded your eyes to the goodness of God and you learned to hate what God hates. When you stop and realize how much God loves you, to give His only Son to die in your place, you discover your true worth. You are aware of how holy God is and how sinful you are. You begin to detest your sins, confessing them to God and beg for His forgiveness. Grace has captured your heart and you long to please your savior.
When you have tasted the mercies of God, you cannot return to the bucket of slop anymore. Like the disciples, when Jesus talked about being the bread of life, many abandoned Him. But the twelve, led by Peter, proclaimed, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God” (John 6:68-69).
A New Perspective on Life
Because you have been reconciled to God, now you are given the ministry of reconciliation. You know what it’s like to be a slave to sin. You have experienced the life changing love of God. Therefore, you ought to love one another as Christ has loved you. And if you need any further motivation, just consider the cross again and remember what Christ suffered on your behalf. No one has ever offended you as much as you have offended God. And no one has ever loved you as much as God has loved you.
This newfound perspective can also give you strength and perseverance in tackling sin. The closer you draw near to God the more your sin will start to tug at your heart. But you have a new power. You have a new desire. You have a new knowledge of sin’s destructive power. You have an awareness of the joy in conquering sin. Lay aside the weights and the sin that so easily besets you and look to Jesus the author and finisher of your faith.
All of this is just a foretaste of what is yet to come. You are a new creation, and when Christ returns, you will have a new body. Press on, persevere, and preach the gospel to yourself. God is making all things new, and He has started His work already with you.