A New Creation

DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE GALATIANS

A NEW CREATION

Gal 6:15-18

15 Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation. 16 Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule, even to the Israel of God. 17 Finally, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.

NIV

We have included this one verse from our last look into the concluding remarks by Paul because we did not deal with this one point about the new creation. That is that nothing regarding the operation of the flesh counts in the new creation. That is what we do about the law, or our form of the law, our rules, even those who seem to be biblically based, have no bearing on the new creation. What counts is a new creation. We are living in a new creation. This has a twofold meaning. What Paul is making reference to is the new creation of our being. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and savior, we have put off the old self and clothed ourselves with the new self in Christ. All things have been new. We are a new person, a new creation in Christ. Paul makes this very clear in his letter to the Corinthians.

2 Cor 5:16-18

16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

NIV

This says it all. We are no longer the same as we were originally created, or born into the human race as a descendant of Adam, carrying this original sin within us and as a result expressed it through our personal lifestyle of sin, not being concerned about God or his ways. However, after Jesus ascended he sent the Holy Spirit to convict us of our both our original and personal sin. We, having responded to his convicting power, were born again. The old self was put to death, it died on that cross with Jesus. A dead person has no rights, it cannot rule over us, it is dead. However, having been born again, we are a new creation, a new person, actually, an infant who needs to be trained in the ways of the Lord. We learn a new language, we learn how to walk in the Spirit, and we learn how to run the race to the finish line. But there is another new creation, and that is the one God has established for us. We give up our citizenship in this world and become a citizen in this new creation, the Kingdom of God. We do not have dual citizenship, as we died being citizens of the world. How then can we still carry its passport, for the only destination it is valid for is hell? We forfeited our citizenship in the world and voided its passport. We received, in our new birth, new citizenship in the Kingdom of God and a new passport which is valid for one destination, heaven. Everything is new, ourselves and our living quarters. Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule. Aha, there is a rule we need to follow. We need to follow the rule of the old self is dead, and the new self is alive in Christ. We are a new creation. Of course, we could also consider that this whole world and heaven will pass away someday and God will create a new earth and new heaven. That could also be seen as a new creation. However, that might well also been seen in a spiritual sense when we become born again, having left the old world and starting a new life in the new creation.