2 Corinthians 5:17 - A Commentary On New Life In Christ
2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (NIV)
This verse is very exciting news to those who choose to accept Christ as their Savior. It means that we are finally able to have a right relationship with Almighty God!
Under the old covenant, God’s people were required to sacrifice animals to “cover up” for their sins, because God does not tolerate sins. But when Jesus died and resurrected, He initiated a new covenant of reconciliation with God, which is what 2 Corinthians 5:17 is referring to.
When anybody believes in Christ Jesus and becomes “friends” with him, he or she becomes completely transformed. No longer is it difficult to please God, because that person thinks like Christ, acts like Christ, and lives like Christ would live.
That is one of the greatest breakthroughs of the new covenant - that we are now a “new creation” in Christ. In other words, as a new person, you are no longer subject to the curses of this fallen earth. No more bondage to sin, no sickness, no more poverty, no more depression or oppression.
What was once impossible is now possible. Those who are not in Christ cannot experience the fullness of health, prosperity, and divine protection. But thank God, we who are “in Christ” are not like those other people. We are free to live full, meaningful lives, because, as 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, we are “a new creation!”
