A Reflection on 2 Corinthians 5:14-17
I want to start by talking to you about two things that, when changed, make us see completely different people: a man without a beard and a woman without makeup. Who here has never seen a man who shaved his beard or a woman without makeup and said, “It’s a new creature!”? Whoever saw them before and sees them now immediately says, “It’s a different person! It’s impossible. They look completely different; everything has changed.”
It is interesting to note that there are some characteristics in everyone’s life that, when changed, completely impact the perception we had of that person. This happens because we accustom our brains to the image of someone exactly as we see them every day, as if they were going to be like that forever. But people change, and that is normal.
Just as the image illustrates the moment a caterpillar becomes a butterfly: before, it was just a caterpillar, and no one imagined it any differently. However, everything changed, and now it has transformed into something completely new. Therefore, things change, and this is a principle that accompanies life.
But now, leaving the realm of aesthetic changes, we stand before the text of 2 Corinthians 5:17. Here, Paul speaks of a change in real people. People like you and me… who not only have an ID card, a Social Security number, a first and last name, but people made in the image and likeness of God. Paul speaks of a faith that brings us a result far greater than anything this earth can give us. Paul is talking about eternity. This is a result that is only possible for those who are completely transformed, and these will be known as: new creations.
The Believer Has Died with Christ
When we look at the text of 2 Corinthians 5:14, we can note an important statement from the apostle Paul: “one died for all, and therefore all died.” What Paul is recalling here is the death of someone who gave Himself completely on behalf of many—Jesus Christ, our Lord. This death gives new meaning to the lives of those who have believed in Jesus, causing them to experience a similar death in baptism. This moment is experienced when a Christian publicly confesses Jesus Christ as Lord: the person is immersed in the waters, bringing the old creature to death, and then emerges, symbolizing the birth of a new creation in Christ.
Now, this person experiences a new life; there is, therefore, a “new creation.” The old life was a life of sin, but the new life to which they have been resurrected is a life of righteousness. Christ’s love compels them to no longer live for themselves, but for Christ. Thus, a new creation is born, one who lives entirely to satisfy the will of Jesus, who chooses to sink the old self into the sea of forgetfulness never to return, because now, a new life is required.
HOW IS THIS NEWNESS MANIFESTED?
First, this newness of life is manifested in the believer’s spirit. The Bible makes it clear that when a person believes in Jesus as their sole and sufficient Savior, they receive the Holy Spirit of God, who is the guarantee of our inheritance, as described in Ephesians 1:14. Formerly, that person had a downcast spirit that sought satisfaction in the world and never found it, but now the very Spirit of God is present in their life. Where sadness, dissatisfaction, and incompleteness once dwelled, this person is now filled with the peace that surpasses all understanding, with satisfaction in Christ, and with the feeling of finally being whole.
This newness of life is also manifested in our speech. It used to be common to use foul language that hurt people and cursed lives, but now this speech is transformed, giving way to a person whose words produce life, not death. Another major change is a transformed character. Before this life-changing encounter with the person of Jesus, perhaps this individual was known as “characterless” or untrustworthy, but behold, everything changes, and this person is now well-regarded because a great transformation took place in their life. In the past, their actions revealed someone who could not be trusted, but behold, this person has become a new creation.
Now it is possible to live out Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 5:17: “[…] the old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” God forgives us, He transforms us, and what was done is thrown into the sea of forgetfulness to be remembered no more, because it is now God’s desire that new chapters be written in your life. New stories must now take residence, stories that will highlight your transformation and what the Lord has gloriously done in you.
THIS NEWNESS PROVIDES A TEST
“You must be born again” (John 3:7). The word we find in John shows us something that goes far beyond the mere symbolism of a new birth; it also points to the evidence that this new creation must display every day. A test is issued to verify if, in fact, we are now what we proclaim to be in our daily discourse. We are tested in our respect for others when no one is watching; we are tested when the cashier gives us too much change and we must choose whether or not to return the money; we are tested when we have the ability to help those in need and yet we do not.
The faith we have in Christ, as sinners now transformed, must be accompanied by a true change. We are in no way in Christ unless, through Him, we become new creations. Everyone can become a new creation when they are found by Jesus. The worst of sinners can be transformed, just like the person with the highest morals in this world. This newness of life should not be expected only when we enter another world; it belongs to this realm in which we currently live. Unless we are new creations in this world, we will not be in the next. It is on Earth that “new creations” are especially needed. This is the only opportunity to show that we are regenerated people and, thus, live for Christ.
The test is ongoing. May we live in the way that Jesus expects from each one of us.
Three points for reflection:
- We need to constantly analyze ourselves in this new life we are living;
- Our actions declare who we are;
- We must be born again.
See more:
- Young Christian creates the “Fala Comigo” app for non-verbal autistic children
- John’s Vision of Revelation
- The Example of Daniel in Babylon
Read about me: Teólogo Pedro Barros
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