The new creation is described in 2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if
anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has
come!” The word “therefore” refers us back to verses 14-16 where Paul
tells us that all believers have died with Christ and no longer live for
themselves. Our lives are no longer worldly; they are now spiritual.
Our “death” is that of the old sin nature which was nailed to the cross
with Christ. It was buried with Him, and just as He was raised up by the
Father, so are we raised up to “walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4).
That new person that was raised up is what Paul refers to in 2
Corinthians 5:17 as the “new creation.”
To understand the new creation, first we must grasp that it is in fact a
creation, something created by God. John 1:13 tells us that this new
birth was brought about by the will of God. We did not inherit the new
nature, nor did we decide to re-create ourselves anew, nor did God
simply clean up our old nature; He created something entirely fresh and
unique. The new creation is completely new, brought about from nothing,
just as the whole universe was created by God ex nihilo, from nothing. Only the Creator could accomplish such a feat.
Second, “old things have passed away.” The “old” refers to everything
that is part of our old nature—natural pride, love of sin, reliance on
works, and our former opinions, habits and passions. Most significantly,
what we loved has passed away, especially the supreme love of self and
with it self-righteousness, self-promotion, and self-justification. The
new creature looks outwardly toward Christ instead of inwardly toward
self. The old things died, nailed to the cross with our sin nature.
Along with the old passing away, “the new has come!” Old, dead things
are replaced with new things, full of life and the glory of God. The
newborn soul delights in the things of God and abhors the things of the
world and the flesh. Our purposes, feelings, desires, and understandings
are fresh and different. We see the world differently. The Bible seems
to be a new book, and though we may have read it before, there is a
beauty about it which we never saw before, and which we wonder at not
having perceived. The whole face of nature seems to us to be changed,
and we seem to be in a new world. The heavens and the earth are filled
with new wonders, and all things seem now to speak forth the praise of
God. There are new feelings toward all people—a new kind of love toward
family and friends, a new compassion never before felt for enemies, and a
new love for all mankind. The things we once loved, we now detest. The
sin we once held onto, we now desire to put away forever. We “put off
the old man with his deeds” (Colossians 3:9), and put on the “new self,
created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians
4:24).
What about the Christian who continues to sin? There is a difference
between continuing to sin and continuing to live in sin. No one reaches sinless perfection
in this life, but the redeemed Christian is being sanctified (made
holy) day by day, sinning less and hating it more each time he fails.
Yes, we still sin, but unwillingly and less and less frequently as we
mature. Our new self hates the sin that still has a hold on us. The
difference is that the new creation is no longer a slave to sin,
as we formerly were. We are now freed from sin and it no longer has
power over us (Romans 6:6-7). Now we are empowered by and for
righteousness. We now have the choice to “let sin reign” or to count
ourselves “dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans
6:11-12). Best of all, now we have the power to choose the latter.
The new creation is a wondrous thing, formed in the mind of God and created by His power and for His glory.
Recommended Resources:
Who am I in Christ by Neil Anderson and Logos Bible Software.
As Christians, the two things we can do to stand up for Christ are to
live according to His Word and grow our own knowledge of Him. Christ
said, “Let your light shine before men…” (Matthew 5:16). This means that
we should live and act in a way that supports the gospel. We should
also arm ourselves with knowledge, both of the gospel (Ephesians
6:10-17) and of the world around us. First Peter 3:15 says, “But in your
hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer
to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.
But do this with gentleness and respect.” All we can do is live and
teach as Christ would and let Him take care of the rest.
Critics of Christianity have become more vocal recently. This is partly
because there are many people who do not believe in God or understand
the truth about Him at all. Yet the apparent increase of anti-Christians
is also due to perception. As with many topics, those who truly despise
Christianity are the loudest and most vocal of the non-believers. The
vast majority of those who do not believe don’t care enough to bother
believers. The few angry, vocal, bitter unbelievers make enough noise to
seem more numerous than they are.
The typical insult from the non-religious crowd is to refer to believers
as “ignorant,” “stupid,” “brainwashed,” or to otherwise suggest that
those who have faith are less intelligent than those who do not. When a
Christian stands up intelligently for his faith, the terms change to
“bigot,” “extremist,” or “zealot.” When people who know that the
believer is kind and loving hear this, the atheist starts to look like
the fool that he or she is (Psalm 53:1). Most non-believers have no
personal reason to see Christians negatively, but they sometimes hear so
much from the loud anti-Christians that they just assume it is so. They
need examples of Christ-like living to see the truth.
Of course, when someone claiming to be a Christian says or does
something that is not Christ-like, the angry, loud crowd is there to
identify him as a typical religious hypocrite. This is something we have
been warned to expect (Romans 1:28-30; Matthew 5:11). The best thing to
do is to cite a passage of the Bible that speaks against what the
person did. And remind the atheists that just because a person says he
is a Christian, and even if he thinks he is a Christian, that does not
mean that he is. Matthew 7:16,20 tell us that true Christians will be
known by their actions, not merely by their profession. And remind
critics that absolutely no one lives without sinning at all (Romans
3:23).
An important thing to remember is that no one, no matter how persuasive,
can force anyone to believe anything he doesn’t want to believe. No
matter what the evidence, no matter what the argument, people will
believe what they want to believe (Luke 12:54-56). Conviction is not a
Christian’s job. The Holy Spirit convicts people (John 14:16-17), and
they choose whether or not to believe. What we can do is present
ourselves in a way that is as Christ-like as possible. It is sad that
there are many atheists who have read the entire Bible looking for
ammunition against Christians, and that there are many Christians who
have hardly read the Bible at all.
It’s hard for the angry crowd to accuse a Christian of being a hateful,
cruel bigot when that person demonstrates a life of kindness, humility,
and compassion. When a Christian can discuss, debate or debunk secular
arguments accurately, the label of “ignorant” no longer fits. A
Christian who has read the secular arguments and can politely expose
their flaws helps to deflate the stereotypes advanced by atheists.
Knowledge is the weapon, and it is invincible when we let Christ direct
us in how to use it.
Recommended Resources:
Living Loud: Defending Your Faith by Norm Geisler and Logos Bible Software.
Each of the many names of God describes a different aspect of His
many-faceted character. Here are some of the better-known names of God
in the Bible:
EL, ELOAH: God "mighty, strong, prominent" (Genesis 7:1; Isaiah 9:6) – etymologically, El appears to mean “power,” as in “I have the power to harm you” (Genesis 31:29). El
is associated with other qualities, such as integrity (Numbers 23:19),
jealousy (Deuteronomy 5:9), and compassion (Nehemiah 9:31), but the root
idea of might remains.
ELOHIM: God “Creator, Mighty and Strong” (Genesis 17:7; Jeremiah 31:33) – the plural form of Eloah,
which accommodates the doctrine of the Trinity. From the Bible’s first
sentence, the superlative nature of God’s power is evident as God
(Elohim) speaks the world into existence (Genesis 1:1).
EL SHADDAI: “God Almighty,” “The Mighty One of Jacob” (Genesis 49:24; Psalm 132:2,5) – speaks to God’s ultimate power over all.
ADONAI: “Lord” (Genesis 15:2; Judges 6:15) – used in
place of YHWH, which was thought by the Jews to be too sacred to be
uttered by sinful men. In the Old Testament, YHWH is more often used in
God’s dealings with His people, while Adonai is used more when He deals with the Gentiles.
YHWH / YAHWEH / JEHOVAH: “LORD” (Deuteronomy 6:4;
Daniel 9:14) – strictly speaking, the only proper name for God.
Translated in English Bibles “LORD” (all capitals) to distinguish it
from Adonai, “Lord.” The revelation of the name is first given to
Moses “I Am who I Am” (Exodus 3:14). This name specifies an immediacy, a
presence. Yahweh is present, accessible, near to those who call on Him
for deliverance (Psalm 107:13), forgiveness (Psalm 25:11) and guidance
(Psalm 31:3).
YAHWEH-JIREH: "The Lord Will Provide" (Genesis 22:14) –
the name memorialized by Abraham when God provided the ram to be
sacrificed in place of Isaac.
YAHWEH-RAPHA: "The Lord Who Heals" (Exodus 15:26) – “I
am Jehovah who heals you” both in body and soul. In body, by preserving
from and curing diseases, and in soul, by pardoning iniquities.
YAHWEH-NISSI: "The Lord Our Banner" (Exodus 17:15), where banner is understood to be a rallying place. This name commemorates the desert victory over the Amalekites in Exodus 17.
YAHWEH-M'KADDESH: "The Lord Who Sanctifies, Makes Holy"
(Leviticus 20:8; Ezekiel 37:28) – God makes it clear that He alone, not
the law, can cleanse His people and make them holy.
YAHWEH-SHALOM: "The Lord Our Peace" (Judges 6:24) – the
name given by Gideon to the altar he built after the Angel of the Lord
assured him he would not die as he thought he would after seeing Him.
YAHWEH-ELOHIM: "LORD God" (Genesis 2:4; Psalm 59:5) – a
combination of God’s unique name YHWH and the generic “Lord,”
signifying that He is the Lord of Lords.
YAHWEH-TSIDKENU: "The Lord Our Righteousness” (Jeremiah
33:16) – As with YHWH-M’Kaddesh, it is God alone who provides
righteousness to man, ultimately in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ,
who became sin for us “that we might become the Righteousness of God in
Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
YAHWEH-ROHI: "The Lord Our Shepherd" (Psalm 23:1) –
After David pondered his relationship as a shepherd to his sheep, he
realized that was exactly the relationship God had with him, and so he
declares, “Yahweh-Rohi is my Shepherd. I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1).
YAHWEH-SHAMMAH: "The Lord Is There” (Ezekiel 48:35) –
the name ascribed to Jerusalem and the Temple there, indicating that the
once-departed glory of the Lord (Ezekiel 8—11) had returned (Ezekiel
44:1-4).
YAHWEH-SABAOTH: "The Lord of Hosts" (Isaiah 1:24; Psalm 46:7) – Hosts
means “hordes,” both of angels and of men. He is Lord of the host of
heaven and of the inhabitants of the earth, of Jews and Gentiles, of
rich and poor, master and slave. The name is expressive of the majesty,
power, and authority of God and shows that He is able to accomplish what
He determines to do.
EL ELYON: “Most High" (Deuteronomy 26:19) – derived
from the Hebrew root for “go up” or “ascend,” so the implication is of
that which is the very highest. El Elyon denotes exaltation and speaks of absolute right to lordship.
EL ROI: "God of Seeing" (Genesis 16:13) – the name
ascribed to God by Hagar, alone and desperate in the wilderness after
being driven out by Sarah (Genesis 16:1-14). When Hagar met the Angel of
the Lord, she realized she had seen God Himself in a theophany. She
also realized that El Roi saw her in her distress and testified that He is a God who lives and sees all.
EL-OLAM: "Everlasting God" (Psalm 90:1-3) – God’s
nature is without beginning or end, free from all constraints of time,
and He contains within Himself the very cause of time itself. “From
everlasting to everlasting, You are God.”
EL-GIBHOR: “Mighty God” (Isaiah 9:6) – the name
describing the Messiah, Christ Jesus, in this prophetic portion of
Isaiah. As a powerful and mighty warrior, the Messiah, the Mighty God,
will accomplish the destruction of God’s enemies and rule with a rod of
iron (Revelation 19:15).
Recommended Resources:
The Names of God by Ken Hemphill and Logos Bible Software
The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most important event in
history, providing irrefutable evidence that Jesus is who He claimed to
be – the Son of God. The resurrection was not only the supreme
validation of His deity; it also validated the Scriptures, which
foretold His coming and resurrection. Moreover, it authenticated
Christ’s claims that He would be raised on the third day (John 2:19-21;
Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:34). If Christ’s body was not resurrected, we have
no hope that ours will be (1 Corinthians 15:13, 16). In fact, apart from
Christ’s bodily resurrection, we have no Savior, no salvation, and no
hope of eternal life. As the apostle Paul said, our faith would be
“useless” and the life-giving power of the gospel would be altogether
eliminated.
Because our eternal destinies ride on the truth of this historical
event, the resurrection has been the target of Satan’s greatest attacks
against the church. Accordingly, the historicity of Christ’s bodily
resurrection has been examined and investigated from every angle and
studied endlessly by countless scholars, theologians, professors, and
others over the centuries. And even though a number of theories have
been postulated that attempt to disprove this momentous event, no
credible historical evidence exists which would validate anything other
than His literal bodily resurrection. On the other hand, the clear and
convincing evidence of the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ is
overwhelming.
Nonetheless, from the Christians in ancient Corinth to many today,
misunderstandings persist relative to certain aspects of our Savior’s
resurrection. Why, some ask, is it important that Christ’s body was
resurrected? Couldn’t His resurrection have just been spiritual? Why and
how does the resurrection of Jesus Christ guarantee the bodily
resurrection of believers? Will our resurrected bodies be the same as
our earthly bodies? If not, what will they be like? The answers to these
questions are found in the fifteenth chapter of Paul’s first letter to
the church in Corinth, a church that he established several years
earlier during his second missionary journey.
In addition to growing factions in the young Corinthian church, there
was rampant misunderstanding of some key Christian doctrines, including
the resurrection. Although many of the Corinthians accepted that Christ
has been resurrected (1 Corinthians 15:1, 11), they had difficulty
believing others could or would be resurrected. The continuing influence
of Gnostic philosophy, which held that everything spiritual was good
whereas everything physical, such as our bodies, was intrinsically evil,
was essentially responsible for their confusion regarding their own
resurrection. The idea of a detestable corpse being eternally
resurrected was, therefore, strongly opposed by some and certainly by
the Greek philosophers of the day (Acts 17:32).
Yet, most of the Corinthians understood that Christ’s resurrection was bodily and not spiritual. After all, resurrection
means “a rising from the dead”; something comes back to life. They
understood that all souls were immortal and at death immediately went to
be with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8). Thus, a “spiritual” resurrection
would make no sense, as the spirit doesn’t die and therefore cannot be
resurrected. Additionally, they were aware that the Scriptures, as well
as Christ Himself, stated that His body would rise again on the third
day. Scripture also made it clear that Christ’s body would see no decay
(Psalm 16:10; Acts 2:27), a charge that would make no sense if His body
was not resurrected. Lastly, Christ emphatically told His disciples it
was His body that was resurrected: “A spirit does not have flesh and
bones as you see I have” (Luke 24:39).
Again, however, the Corinthians’ concern was regarding their personal
resurrection. Accordingly, Paul tried to convince the Corinthians that
because Christ rose from the dead, they also would rise from the dead
some day, and that the two resurrections – Christ’s and ours – must
stand or fall together, for “if there is no resurrection of the dead,
then not even Christ has been raised” (v.13).
“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of
those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the
resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all
die, so in Christ all will be made alive” (vv. 20-22).
When Jesus Christ was resurrected, He became the “first fruits” of all
who would be raised (see also Colossians 1:18). The Israelites could not
fully harvest their crops until they brought a representative sampling
(first fruits) to the priests as an offering to the Lord (Leviticus
23:10). This is what Paul is saying in verses 20-22; Christ’s own
resurrection was the “first fruits” of the resurrection “harvest” of the
believing dead. The “first fruits” language Paul uses indicates
something to follow, and that something would be His followers – the
rest of the “crop.” This is how Christ’s resurrection guarantees ours.
Indeed, His resurrection requires our resurrection.
And to allay their concerns regarding connecting the spirit to what was
deemed an undesirable body, Paul explained to them the nature of our
resurrected bodies and how they would differ from our earthly bodies.
Paul likened our deceased earthly bodies to a “seed,” and God would
ultimately provide another body (vv. 37-38) that would be like Christ’s
glorious resurrected body (1 Corinthians 15:49; Philippians 4:21).
Indeed, just as with our Lord, our bodies which are now perishable,
dishonored, weak, and natural will one day be raised into bodies that
are imperishable, glorious, powerful, and spiritual (1 Corinthians
15:42-44). Our spiritual bodies will be perfectly equipped for heavenly,
supernatural living.
Recommended Resources:
The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus by Gary Habermas and Logos Bible Software.
