155. A New Creation
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
The promise for those who believe in Christ is that they are new creatures, or better put, they are a new creation. The new creation is the new life, the eternal life, which lives in me, within my spirit. This is the new man, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has already designed that we should walk in them. This new creation replaces the old one that has been ruined by sin and death.
Old things are passed away. The old things are the things that belong to the old man, the sinful self. The old things that are a part of original sin are passed and gone, drowned and dead. The old things are the sins that arise from the self-centered old man of the flesh.The old man and the sins coming from him are reckoned as dead. That old life and the old things of it are by faith regarded as dead. This happens by repentance and faith in the Gospel.
All things are become new. The all things in this verse apply to all the things that come from the new creation. All these things are good works, loving acts, kindnesses, blessings, and caring patience. These are the new things that the new man does in daily life. They are new and they become new because they come from the new man, the Spirit-activated life arising from faith in Christ. New is good; old is sin. The one is dead; the other is alive. Reckon ye yourselves dead to sin and alive to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord. It is already done. We do not do it or make it happen. Believe it, receive it, live it, and enjoy it.