If you are a Christian, that is, if you have had a revelation of who Jesus Christ is and what he did and continues to do for you through his death and resurrection and believe it, then I’m sure during your faith journey you have heard more than once that you are a new creation. If you have never been told or read these words during your walk then now is the time.

It was Paul who wrote the words in 2 Corinthians “if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here”. He is responsible for a lot of the new testament writings and was a pretty full on dude. Sometimes we (The Church) can throw around Christianese phrases so much that they can appear to be less powerful when spoken, so we end up rolling our eyes and switch off. But I believe this is one of those often quoted scriptures that cannot be walked away from and ignored, even if you have experienced over use of it.

It has been a long time since my last blog post, I have had a lot going on in my life, but whenever I have thought about blogging again this has been what I wanted to write about. I have spent years struggling with the idea and truth that as a Christian I have been given a new life. One of the hardest truths for some Christians to walk in while understanding what it means to follow Christ I reckon. I Sometimes catch my self in the act of thinking, speaking and acting in a way that doesn’t reflect new anything, and then I start to wonder how many followers of Christ actually believe they are new creations.

If you are reading this and already rolling your eyes then pay no more attention to me. Paul who wrote the words knew exactly what he was talking about. He was a super religious guy who hated Christians and wanted to put an end to this new movement-passionately. In the book of Acts (9:1-2) its says that he was breathing murderous threats against the disciples. Stop now and go and read it for yourself. This guy was old school and was going to put a stop to anything new. As he was on his way to get more authority to continue his rampage, he had the privilege of meeting Jesus. The rest is history.

I have come to realise that in order for me to mature in my faith,  grow where I need to,  and pursue understanding in areas such as my vocation, spiritual gifts and how I can contribute to both the kingdom of God and the world I live in, then the words of Paul, and the impact that Jesus has had on my life combined are things I need to get a hold of, understand the significance and meditate on continuously. If I leave these 2 behind and chase after all the other stuff I will have the missed the point and end up frustrated and ineffective. I am committed to not just understanding the truth that i am a new creation in Christ, but also letting go of the old so the new stuff can flourish! Sheesh,  it is not easy and there are days where its easy to think what’s the point, its all to hard. But then i think of Paul.

Firstly his name was Saul before it was Paul, and the interaction he had with Jesus left him blind! The bible says he was without sight for 3 days, but after that from what we read he was certainly a new creation. I have no doubt there were struggles while he came to understand all that was going on, but from the new testament we can clearly see a guy who understood what it was like to be a new creation and had to deal with the old stuff as well. A new name, new identity, new role to play and a new understanding of God. This is what i want.

We are new creations because of Jesus, nothing else. The old has gone and the new is here. Clearly we also have a role to play as Christians when we enter into the family of God. We must participate in these truths by not ignoring them and doing all we can to understand, think differently and apply. Can those around you see that you are new creation? Or do you continue to hold on to the old leaving no room for anything new? What steps will you take next to ensure that like Paul, after being given new sight, you start a new life.

Peace to you!