IS IT POSSIBLE?

When we stumble across God’s promise that in Christ we are a new creation, we can often ask ourselves, “Really? Is that possible?” The gap between God’s truth and our reality is so wide that it seems impossible to reconcile the two. 

But understanding this whole new creation thing is essential to be a follower of Jesus, because in His own words: 

“Jesus declared, ‘I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again’ (John 3:5).”

Born again. In other words, unless he or she becomes a new creation. So how does it all work? 

The Bible says that when we’re born again, all the old stuff passes away, all the new blessings of God become our new reality. But, come on, when we give our lives to Jesus it’s not like He waves a magic wand over our lives. It’s not as though all our problems simply evaporate. It’s not like we’re instantly changed on the inside and become perfect. You wake up the next day and all that stuff is still there, and it might go on for years. 

So how do we know this is for real? 

When I gave my life to Christ, I was going through difficult times and in one sense – the sense of the reality of my circumstances – nothing changed. There was no magic wand. But in another sense – in the sense of what was going on inside me, what I felt and what I experienced – everything changed. Everything truly was new.

There was so much change ahead of me, so much cleaning up my act, so much transformation that God had to do to help me look and speak and see things and behave more and more like Jesus. Yet in that instant when I gave my life to Him, I knew that the power of the past over me was broken. I knew I was a new creation in God’s eyes.

And I know the same thing can happen to you, for you. In you. If you are in Christ then you are a new creation, all the old muck has passed away. Look and see, study and pray. Get a grip on this: everything in your life has become new.

If you’re not yet in Christ, well, your complete makeover awaits!

LIFE APPLICATION QUESTIONS

• What is it that you have planned for the rest of your life? How would you like that to play itself out?
• To what extent is your sense of identity, perhaps your sense of guilt, limiting your hopes and your dreams?
• Do you believe that what God is saying in 2 Corinthians 5:17 is true for you? What, if anything, is holding you back from believing that?
• How differently would you view your present and your future if you believed implicitly in the truth revealed in 2 Corinthians 5:17? Pray right now for the Holy Spirit to help you believe!