II 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.
We become new creatures when we are in Christ. Being in Christ is an everyday experience and does not stop with accepting Jesus at water baptism. Our old life with all its sinful nature and past is buried in the water and the newness of our nature begins when we are up and out of the water.
It is important that we continue to “be in Christ.” Our life and our style of living and everything that concerns us should revolve around being in Christ and never out of Christ. In Christ, we live and breathe. Christ becomes the very essence of our life, we cannot do without Him. What is the meaning of being a new creature? It means we are no more us, but that we are Christ’s. Our old ways of indulging in things that brought us wrong pleasure should be put away from us. Our old way of speaking and cursing should be replaced with words of encouragement and blessing. Our new nature should be that of producing the fruit of the Holy Spirit such as faith, patience, love, joy, etc.
All things are to become new, not just one or two things. It is not just giving up smoking or drinking or fighting. It is about ALL things becoming new. How do we handle our subordinates, our relationships, our career, ministry? All these things should see the “new us” just like how Jesus would handle these things. Let Christ’s nature be seen in our life. Continue to “be in Christ” for the new you.
