Length: 6 minutes

Being a “new creation” is a bigger deal than you think!

2 Corinthians 5:17-18 (NKJV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God… 

This verse is packed with meaning that I don’t believe most people realize the half of. Let’s break it down piece by piece. Here’s the first piece:

Two Creations

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation…

When the Lord refers to us as “new creations“ here, this is much bigger than you think. First, there are actually two creations. Maybe you didn’t know that. There is the first creation, which we currently live in. The first creation was created in Genesis 1. And then there is a new creation. The heavens and the earth will be completely re-created soon (2 Peter 3:13), as well as everything in them.

So, when Paul refers to you as a new creation, he is saying that you are a part of that second creation. The earth has not experienced a re-creation yet, but you have! So, you are a part of the second creation, before the earth has experienced it. In fact, James 1 says that you are the first of your kind! He says that you are the first of God‘s creation (referring to the new creation).

James 1:18 (NKJV) …He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures [or rather, creation].

This word “creature” here, doesn’t mean a “creepy, crawly thing,” but rather “something created.” It’s actually the related word to 2 Corinthians, where it says, we are “new creations.”

So, James is saying here that you are the first products of the new creation. When the Lord calls you a new creation, He is saying that you are of the world to come. You are of the second creation, not of the first. You are of the age to come, not of the present one.

Hebrews 6:5 (NKJV) …and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come…

OK, so let’s move onto the second piece of our verse.

The Former Things

2 Corinthians 5:17 …old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 

Because we are a new creation now, the Lord says that “old things have passed away, and all things have become new.“ You may not have realized this, but the Lord will say the same thing about the new heavens and the new earth, when He re-creates them. When everything is fully manifest from all believers, this is what He says: 

Revelation 21:4-5 (NKJV) And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.”

When everything is fully manifest from believers (Romans 8:19), and the earth is re-created, the Lord will say that the former things have passed away and He makes all things new. The awesome part of this whole thing is that the Lord already says that about you! In the age to come, everything will be recreated, but you are already a part of the new creation now! The old things have already passed away for you! And the new things have already come for you! What I mean is, these former things are not realities anymore inside of you. Inside of you dwells all the new things now!

So, what are the former things that have passed away? Well, regarding the age to come, the Lord describes the former things like this:

“…there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

So, the former things have to do with death, sorrow, crying, and pain. And it’s true that all those things will manifestly pass away in the age to come. But the Lord tells us in 2 Corinthians 5, that the old things have already passed away for us! And yes, He is referring to death, sorrow, crying, and pain. God says those are the former things. And who are we to tell God what He means when He says “the former, old things.”

In your spirit right now, you have been re-created and have all the likeness of the second creation in you. There is not a trace of the first creation inside of you. You therefore are no longer bound to the former things, of this present creation. Those things have passed away for you. You’re of the new creation now!

When people read about “the old things passing away“ they think that’s just referring to the fact that they live differently now, concerning morality or godliness. But “the old things passing away“ is much bigger than that. “The former things“ or “the old things“ is referring to everything of this present earth. Everything.

Behold

Now that we have been made a new creation, now that all the former things of this present earth have passed away for us, the Lord says, “behold, all things have become new.“ Some of us may just skip over that word “behold,“ but that word is vitally important. That means the Lord doesn’t just want you to be a new creation, He wants you to see it!

The word “behold“ means to see something. So, God is trying to tell us that it’s not good enough for you to become of the new creation, and for the former things to have passed away. You need to renew your mind and get used to who you are now, because most Christians are far from it!

Although all Christians are new creations, and all Christians have been made free from the old things (which includes death, sorrow, crying, and pain), they don’t see it. They don’t behold it. They have it, but they are completely unaware of what being a new creation means. They have everything in them, but they have never beheld it.

In fact, there are many Christians that will read this article and disagree with it. They won’t believe that physical death has really passed away for them. They won’t agree that they’re free from that. They won’t agree that sorrow or hurting have really passed away from them entirely! They still believe that hurt and trouble are an inevitable part of life. This right here shows me, that although they are of the new creation, they are not “beholding“ it!

In summary, all physical death, hurt, sorrow, pain, and reason for crying have passed away from you, as a believer. The power to these things is inside of you. Now, all that’s left is to behold it, to see it. Get used to what you received when you were first saved. It’s much more than you think. It’s better than you think. And God wants to reveal these things to you so that you can behold it, and manifest it in your life!

…If you enjoyed this article, share it with someone who would receive it. More people need to understand this awesome truth!