At salvation, we immediately become new creations in Christ. Then we spend our lives discovering who we really are and what parts of our lives are shadows of our former selves.
At the moment of salvation, by God's grace, we immediately become new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). Then, in an exciting but sometimes confusing way, we spend the rest of our earthly lives discovering who we really are — and what parts of our lives are shadows of our former selves.
To joyfully embrace the freeing truth that we are already complete in Christ, while gaining wisdom for discerning what to build on, what to transform, and what to leave behind.
When I was a campus minister at Harvard, one student who came to faith experienced a remarkable transformation. After months of asking tough questions about Christianity, he started to read the Bible and go to church. After weeks of asking God to reveal himself, he was surprised that one day, God did show up! Shortly afterward, he got baptized, joined his church, and started to grow as a Christian.
But eventually, Nick had to sort through other parts of his identity. Where would he live? What would he do for a career? Who would he marry? How would he raise children?
Initially, the spiritual and moral revolution in life seemed to change everything about him. But then, new questions inevitably emerged.
Does knowing God change our tendencies towards introversion or extraversion? How should we drive through busy streets? Which hobbies do we pursue? What are the ways in which we experience anxiety? Who will be our friends?
When I've ignored these questions, it's meant compartmentalizing my faith into narrow, religious channels. It's effectively saying: my new life in Christ has nothing to do with this part of life.
But when I've obsessed over them, I've ended up questioning everything about myself in a way that created impossible expectations.
Over time, I've realized that being a new creation in Christ isn't about me making myself into an entirely different person. Instead, it's a joyful, renewing, lifelong journey of discovering the gift that God has already given to me.
This paradox—being completely new while still discovering what it means to be new—is central to the Christian experience.
But unfortunately, it's often neglected. When was the last time you reminded yourself that you are a new creation in Christ?
While I wish it was much clearer, easier, or obvious to tell what it means to be made new by Jesus, what keeps our faith dynamic and alive is the ongoing recognition of our new identity in Christ.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17
To truly grasp what it means to be a new creation, it helps to see our personal story within God's grander narrative for all of existence. This larger story can be understood in four acts: God's good Creation, how humanity's sin brought brokenness, God's work of restoration through Christ, and the ultimate promise of a New Creation. Our personal renewal in Christ is a vital part of this cosmic restoration He is accomplishing.
The next time you're at church, look around. Does it feel like what you might experience at a concert or a lecture? Is it just a gathering of strangers who have come together to see a show or a community of brothers and sisters in Christ? Can you sense a distinctive culture of love, kindness, and joy?
In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul speaks to this tension. He says that before he became a Christian, he looked at everyone and everything, even Christ, from a worldly perspective. How could a humiliated, condemned, crucified criminal be the Savior of the world?
But then God revealed to Paul that Christ not only died, but was raised to new life. As the one who defeated all the powers of sin and darkness—and even death—Christ is the archetype of the new, renewed, eternal work of God. His resurrection is the pattern for not only our new lives but for the new cosmos that we will one day see before our very eyes, in the presence of God, forever.
As St. Augustine explained this verse, "We are then truly free when God orders our lives, that is, forms and creates us not as human beings—this he has already done—but as good people, which he is now doing by his grace, that we may indeed be new creatures in Christ Jesus" (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture).
Similarly, the Biblical scholar David Garland explains this new reality, "The new heaven and new earth and the complete transformation of believers remain a future hope, but for Christians they are so certain to be fulfilled that their lives are controlled by this new reality that still awaits consummation."
So, how does this new reality control our everyday lives?
**A New Standing:** Because we are a new Creation in Christ Jesus, God no longer counts our trespasses against us. In his death, Jesus accepted the price of our sin so that we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:18-21). Righteousness is more than a legal status; it becomes who we are.
**A New Relationship:** Because we are reconciled to God, we are now at peace with God. We are God's beloved sons and daughters, united to God in Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit. To be "in Christ" is to be so inextricably united to him that our primary identity is discovered by experiencing God's love.
**A New Nature:** As new creations, it is fitting that the early Christians called one another saints, or holy ones. God's grace is so powerful that it transforms us from sinners into holy people, from spiritual death to eternal life, and from brokenness to wholeness.
**A New Mission:** This new standing and relationship also orient us outward. Because God has reconciled us to Himself through Christ, He 'has given us the ministry of reconciliation...and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us' (2 Corinthians 5:18-19). To experience the radical love of God naturally and inevitably results in a desire to share about God with others. As Paul said, "The love of Christ compels us" (2 Corinthians 5:14).
We aren't becoming a new creation gradually; it's as finished and as certain as the resurrection of Jesus. It isn't theological jargon, but an accurate description of who we are.
It's like adoption. In one moment, the child is an orphan without parents. The judge certifies the adoption: instantly, the child has a new name, new rights, and a new family. But then, going forward, the child still needs to learn how to live in their new family, move into their new home, and experience the love of his or her parents, brothers, and sisters, to grow into a mature adult. (See 2 Corinthians 6:16-18).
Since we are new creations, it's confusing that we don't always live differently!
For instance, when Paul wrote to the Corinthians about a particularly shocking sin, he effectively said to them, "I can't believe what I am hearing about you" (1 Corinthians 5:1-2). Or when he wrote to the church in Galatia, he expressed exasperation over their abandonment of the gospel: "I would like to be with you right now and change my tone of voice, because I don't know what to do about you" (Galatians 4:20).
For me, one of the darkest periods of my life came when Christian leaders, whom I had deeply trusted to do what is right, resorted to bullying, lies, and spiritual abuse to protect their power and position. The shock of their betrayal nearly decimated my faith in God.
For others, when they started to follow Jesus, they inadvertently found themselves enmeshed in a cult that controlled every area of their lives in the name of God. Only after they escaped these communities were they slowly able to recover an understanding that God valued their humanity, and they could once again enjoy the freedom of choosing their own work, hobbies, and friendships.
Whoever controls our identity, controls our lives. That's why it's absolutely necessary for us to define ourselves in relationship to our Creator, Savior, and Redeemer.
But to sort out what it means to be a new creation in Christ, we need the wisdom of the Scriptures, the guidance of the Spirit, the gift of godly mentors and friends, and a maturing discernment about God's will for our lives.
**What to Keep: Created in God's Image**
Many aspects of our lives reflect God's original design and are to be affirmed, not discarded:
**What to Transform: Redemptive Renewal**
In these aspects of our life, we identify the gift, the twist, and the grace.
For instance, God may have gifted us with a capacity for charismatic leadership. The 'twist' might be ways in which our gift of leadership deforms itself into controlling others to keep our status. The grace is how God redeems our charisma to empower others, even if doing so reduces our visibility.
Likewise, for all of us, God designed us to seek significance, security, belonging, connection, purpose, and meaning. As Christians, we discover the joy of finding the fulfillment of these desires in God's love and guidance.
For instance, when we don't find our significance in success at work, we're liberated to come into the office with the freedom of serving our ultimate Boss - Jesus, the one who washed our feet.
**What to Discard: False Identity**
Regarding our new identity in Christ, these are the areas of our lives that are most frequently discussed at church:
What powers this transformation? Paul gave the secret earlier in his letter to the Corinthians, "We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:18). As we look at Jesus, we are being transformed into his likeness.
We keep looking at Jesus to see who we are becoming. As we live our lives in God's presence, God transforms us into Christlikeness.
The process isn't intended to be a burden, but a liberation from the burdens of defining ourselves, proving ourselves, and living for ourselves.
Even though we are new, we know we need daily renewal! Here are three ways that our new identity fuels our daily growth in Christ:
**Accept Your New Identity As A Gift From God**
Consider how much time and money are wasted trying to answer this fundamental question of life! But as Christians, we already know who we are: Beloved. Saint. Friend of God. Disciple of Jesus. Temple of the Holy Spirit.
How will you remind yourself of your true self?
As God enables us to gain a new understanding of ourselves as new creations in Christ Jesus, the rest of our lives naturally align to match our identity.
If we think of ourselves as wicked sinners, it's hard to live as righteous saints.
But if we know that we are God's beloved, it becomes increasingly automatic to love God and our neighbors. Love is who we are.
Instead of questioning your faith every time you sin, or drowning in guilt and shame, you can make a better confession: "God, that decision is not how you identify me. Living that way doesn't match with who I am in Christ. Holy Spirit, help me to live as a disciple of Jesus."
**Trust the Process of Transformation Even When It Is Awkward**
When Jesus called his disciples, he didn't hire them with a probationary period. He said, "'Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.' Immediately they left their nets and followed him" (Matthew 4:19-20). He declared their new identity, they accepted it, and immediately, their lives were transformed. One day they were fishing for fish; the next day they were participants in God's mission.
But did the disciples understand what it meant to follow Jesus? Each of the Gospels shows us how they bumbled around, made mistakes, failed Jesus, and consistently struggled. Even when Jesus told Peter, "Get behind me, Satan!" (Mark 8:33), he turned this rebuke into an opportunity to clarify their identity and mission. The disciples were to lose their old selves so that they could experience their new life in Christ (Mark 8:34-9:1).
It's extremely awkward that Peter, a leader in the early church, helped to circulate a biography of Jesus, where he was sternly rebuked. But Peter knew firsthand that getting it wrong is normal for disciples of Jesus and it's not the end of the road.
**Experience Renewal in Community**
The default assumption of our new identity is not an individualistic one, but a corporate transformation. As Paul explains: "What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your consciences" (2 Corinthians 5:11). Look closely, and you'll see the predominant pronouns: we, us, you (plural).
It's the same with the metaphors and the images: the children of God, the Body of Christ, the temple of the Holy Spirit.
Even the language of 'new creation' is cosmic in scope! Yes, as individuals, you and I are part of this new reality. But the emphasis is on who we are in relationship to God and his comprehensive work of salvation.
Therefore, we cannot understand what it means to be a new creation on our own. As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, 27, "For just as the body is one and has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body—so also is Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and we were all given one Spirit to drink...Now you are the body of Christ, and individual members of it."
We are intended to honor, serve, and care for one another, that we might each learn to play our role in the Body of Christ.
Outside of the Bible, perhaps Christina Rossetti expressed it best in her poem, "A Better Resurrection":
I have no wit, no words, no tears; > My heart within me like a stone > Is numb'd too much for hopes or fears; > Look right, look left, I dwell alone; > > I lift mine eyes, but dimm'd with grief > No everlasting hills I see; > My life is in the falling leaf: > O Jesus, quicken me. > > My life is like a faded leaf, > My harvest dwindled to a husk: > Truly my life is void and brief > And tedious in the barren dusk; > > My life is like a frozen thing, > No bud nor greenness can I see: > Yet rise it shall—the sap of Spring; > O Jesus, rise in me. > > My life is like a broken bowl, > A broken bowl that cannot hold > One drop of water for my soul > Or cordial in the searching cold; > > Cast in the fire the perish'd thing; > Melt and remould it, till it be > A royal cup for Him, my King: > O Jesus, drink of me.
At times, we might feel like we are dead stones, faded leaves, or broken bowls.
But when we come to Christ, we find that in his grace, he has remade us into royal cups fit for God.
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Identity: How do you define yourself? How does Paul define the saints in Colossae? What does it look like to see and define fellow Christians primarily as new creations, rather than through worldly metrics like attractiveness, wealth, or power?
Paradox: Paul tells his readers they 'have taken off the old self and have put on the new self' (v.9) yet he still tells them to 'put to death' certain behaviors (v.5). How do you integrate the tension between already being new and still needing renewal?
Discernment: What aspects of yourself do you recognize as part of your 'earthly nature' (v.5) that need to be 'put to death'? What virtues mentioned in verses 12-14 do you feel God is inviting you to 'put on' as expressions of your true identity?
Community: Read the text again, replacing each 'you' with the Southern vernacular 'y'all' (or your own, local idiom for saying 'all of you'). How does Paul's understanding that God is changing us affect how you view yourself?
Practice: Considering how God is transforming us to be like Christ, what is the one new habit you want to focus on?
Father, thank you for making me a new creation in Christ. Help me to live today from the reality of that identity.
Jesus, when I feel discouraged by ongoing struggles, remind me that you have already secured my complete transformation. Help me to sort through what reflects your life in me and what doesn't.
Holy Spirit, you are the seal of my new identity and the guide for my ongoing renewal. Lead me to discover more fully who I already am in Christ.
Triune God, thank you for creating me with a unique personality, story, and gifts. Show me how to offer these to you as expressions of my redeemed identity.
Share a story when you realized how God had unexpectedly transformed your identity so that you had started to live like Jesus.
Discuss Colossians 3:1-17 together. What insights or challenges stood out to you from your personal study?
Have you ever struggled knowing which aspects of yourself to embrace and which to change? What do you feel you need to keep, transform, or discard?
How can we, as a community, affirm each other's identity in Christ while encouraging ongoing renewal? Instead of shame and guilt, how can we develop relationships that are filled with grace and encouragement?
How would you explain to someone the difference between 'becoming a new creation' (which implies a gradual process) and 'being a new creation' (which is an immediate reality)? Why does this distinction matter?
In what areas of your life do you find it easiest to live from your identity in Christ? In what areas do you find it most challenging?
What false identities (ways you define yourself apart from Christ) might be hindering you from fully embracing who God says you are?
Choose one key verse about your identity in Christ (e.g., 2 Cor 5:17, Col 3:3, Rom 12:1-2) to memorize. When you find yourself thinking in ways contrary to your true identity, recite this verse as a reminder of what is true.
Duration: 15 minutes
Take 15 minutes for a 'sorting' reflection. In your journal, create three columns: 'Keep' (aspects of yourself that reflect God's original design), 'Transform' (good things that have become distorted), and 'Discard' (patterns contrary to your identity in Christ).
Create a physical reminder of your dual reality. For example, place your hand on your heart each morning and declare: 'I am a new creation in Christ' (identity), then open your hands and pray: 'Holy Spirit, continue to renew me today' (process).
Share with a trusted friend one aspect of your false identity you're struggling to release, and one aspect of your true identity in Christ you're discovering. Ask them to check in with you about this specific area in the coming weeks.
Consider adopting this simple liturgical response to start each group meeting:
Leader: 'Who are we in Christ?' Group: 'We are new creations, holy and dearly loved.'
Leader: 'What is God doing in us?' Group: 'Renewing us day by day into the image of Christ.'
Review your life plan. How does it remind you of your new identity in Christ?
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