“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” – 2 Corinthians 5:17 

Scripture reading: 2 Corinthians 5:1-6:2

Have you ever run across someone who you knew years ago, and when you see them again, they are totally different than they were in the past? Sometimes the changes are for the worse. The person you knew with so much potential turns out to be addicted to drugs, ensnared in immorality, or ruled by alcohol.

But other times you meet people who have changed for the better. Sometimes those who were living apart from the Lord are transformed, as Saul of Tarsus was, and are clearly new creations in Christ. When God graciously gives us new life – salvation from sin through faith in Christ – a metamorphosis takes place. Just as a caterpillar is transformed into a beautiful butterfly, we are transformed into new creations in Christ. As new creations in Christ, our goal becomes to die to self and to live for Christ (15). We gain a transformed view of the world (16), and we become committed to the message of reconciliation (19, 20), motivated by the love of Christ which compels us to witness to others the wonderful truth that “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (21).

Our transformation is not instant (though our justification is), but our sanctification is a gradual yet definite growth in grace, knowledge and love for God and others; it is a result of God’s gracious work of spiritual growth within the life of every true believer.

Suggestions for prayer

If the Lord is graciously transforming your life, prayerfully thank Him and strive to live as a new creation in Christ. And if you are still resisting the Lord, like Saul of Tarsus, know that now is the day of salvation (6:2) and pray for God’s saving grace in your life.

Pastor Ted Gray is an emeritus minister of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Before serving in Oak Lawn, Pastor Gray served Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida, and Christian Reformed churches in Vermont and Illinois. He and his wife, Karen, reside in Crown Point, Indiana. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com.