All Things New

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

How does one get “in Christ”? And what happens when it happens?

Let’s take the second question first. 

What happens when one becomes “in Christ”?

1. He is then a new creation.

2. Old things have then passed away.

3. All things have then become new.

My problem with the teaching of mainstream Christianity is its failure to understand that even they, as now constituted, are sinners. And by sinners I am referring to the biblical definition of sin which is “coming short of the glory of God”.

None of us, no matter how many times we repent, walk the aisle, pray the sinner’s prayer, are baptized, or how much we tithe and bless others, are right now a “new creation”. “Old things” have NOT "passed away". “All things” have NOT "become new". 

We have them now only by FAITH – believing that God will do in the future what He has said in the past.

Yet Christianity seems to teach that when one joins the particular church of their choice they are saved and are then a new creation, that old things have passed away and that all things have become new. No they haven’t…if we are honest. 

And when people are told they are a "new creation" and then reality sets in and they "fall short", it leads to depression, not peace, sadness, not joy, hopelessness, not hope. And too often they are told they never were really saved in the first place...

"Sorry comforters are you all.  Is there no limit to windy words?" (Job 16:2-3)

No amount of pious rhetoric, comforting words or good deeds will prevent mankind , including those of us who call ourselves Christians, from receiving the “wages for sin”, which is death because we have ALL “fallen short of the glory of God”.

“For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God…the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 3:23;6:23)

We have the promise of newness of life which we may appropriate in faith to give us peace and joy in the hope of our salvation. The bible clearly teaches that mankind will become "a new creation", "old things will pass away", and "all things will become new".  And that will occur, not at some ceremonial baptism or bar mitzvah, but when Christ Jesus literally returns to raise the dead.

So now back to the first question above. How does one get “in Christ”?

When we are raised from the dead and “made alive” at the resurrection! 

I urge you to read and study 1 Corinthians 15 until you understand completely what it says about our future hope. And remember…

“…if we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied. But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive…sown a perishable body, raised an imperishable body; sown in dishonor, raised in glory; sown in weakness, raised in power; sown a natural body, raised a spiritual body….Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away… And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. Then He who sat on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.And He said to me, Write, for these words are true and faithful.” (1 Corinthians 15:19-22; Revelation 21:1-5)

You Are Not Born Again - Yet

"Jesus answered and said to him, truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot SEE the kingdom of God…Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the spirit he cannot ENTER into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." (John 3:3-6)

In the zeal of Christian apologists to have people join their particular branch of Christianity, they have equated the term "born again" with being saved. It amazes me that almost all Christians buy into this teaching when the above passage says no such thing.

Jesus was simply stating that no one can SEE or ENTER the Kingdom of God until he is RESURRECTED to spirit from the death of the flesh. Just as we all were born when our mothers WATER broke, so shall we be born again of SPIRIT after we have died and are resurrected to new spiritual life. Nicodemus, like most Christian teachers today thought Jesus was talking about something that happens in this life. Jesus rebuked Nicodemus and told him he was talking about heavenly things...

"If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?" (John 3:12)

1 Peter 1:3 is the only other place in Scripture that uses the term “new birth” and Peter was clearly thinking about our "living hope" of resurrection from the dead so that we can claim our inheritance that is now kept in heaven …

“In his great mercy he has given us NEW BIRTH into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:3-4)

And Jesus, after his resurrection, instructed Paul to teach both Jews and Gentiles about this new "spiritual" creation in great detail in his letter to the Corinthians...

"So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory...it is sown a natural body, it is raised a SPIRITUAL body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So also it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul.” The last Adam became a life-giving SPIRIT. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual." (1 Corinthians 15:42-45)

No one, except Jesus, has yet been born again to become "a life-giving Spirit", but we all can die with that hope and expectation. For me it is clear that the term “born again” refers to our hope of being resurrected just as Jesus was resurrected, and at that time we will be saved from death to enter the "kingdom of God". Quoting Psalm 49:15 Luke speaks of Jesus in Acts 2:27...

"Thou will not leave my soul in hell (sheol - the grave)..." (Psalm 16:10)

My faith is that God will not leave anyone in the grave, but will changed from a former "living soul" into a  "live-giving Spirit".

A Really Good Thing

“This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. “But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” (John 3:19-21)

There once was a vicious evil predator who did all manner of horrible crimes against humanity. He eventually was arrested, tried, sentenced to death, executed and his body cremated and returned to the dust out of which that body was formed.

Death is a good thing.

Out of the ashes came forth a new creation, immortal and full of love, grace and mercy who will spend all of eternity doing all manner of good for all that he would encounter. Those horrible but temporary crimes having been drowned out by the wonderful and eternal good of a life redeemed.

A redeemed life is a good thing.

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away. And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." (Revelation 21: 4-5)

“Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb...On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations…and they will reign forever and ever… and he said to me, “These words are faithful and true”…”I am coming quickly.”…The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.” (Revelation 22:1-20)

Grace freely given to sinners is a really good thing.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life...” (Romans 6:23)

The End of the Age

"So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 13:49-50)

I find it hard to believe that bible teachers cannot seem to understand the context of the above passage. If they would just read and study the above along with Mark 13, Luke 21, Matthew 24 and 25 and the books of Daniel and Revelation they would not apply the above verses to their horrible views about a mythological “hell” being the "furnace of fire" and a place of eternal torment for all mankind except Christians.

The above passage and those related to it deal with Israel as a Nation, the chosen people of God among all the people of the earth, most of whom rejected Jesus as their Messiah at his first coming.  And at "the end of the age" (this age in which we are still living) most in Israel will still be rejecting Jesus as they are today.  All who reject Jesus are wicked for such rejection and will be excluded from reigning with Jesus when Jesus returns to establish the Kingdom on this earth. Instead, they will be cast out into the figurative “furnace of fire”, and they will be “wailing and gnashing of teeth” because they have been excluded from reigning with Jesus. They will all die during that age and not resurrected until the end of that 1,000 year Kingdom Age. Those who followed Jesus and have believed during this age will be resurrected to immortality at the beginning of the Kingdom Age to rule and reign with Christ for the ages of the ages.

However, God is not done with unbelievers, for they will later be “made alive” and “confess that Jesus Christ is Lord”, all to the “glory of God” who will then make “all things new”.

"As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive...every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father...Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying; and there shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. And He who sits on the throne said, Behold, I am making all things new. And He said, Write, for these words are faithful and true." (1 Corinthians 15:22; Philippians 2:10-11; Revelation 21:1-5)

So Much for Circumcision

“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation” (Galatians 6:15)

So what does a person have to do to be “in Christ” and a "new creation". Pretty simple it seems to me. First, be born into this present world as a “natural” man and die just like “the first man Adam”. Second, be resurrected into the “new creation” as a “life-giving spirit” just like “the second Adam”.

“As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive… So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual.” (1 Corinthians 15:22-46)

So again. What must you do to be saved? You must be born a sinner – congratulations – you’ve succeeded! God has handled all the details of saving you in Christ Jesus, a free gift from God.

So what do I do now? Well, start by thanking Him, then start living in a manner that would please Him. You will have less to be ashamed of later.

“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets…For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: Love your neighbor as yourself…so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed...” (Matthew 7:12; Galatians 5:14; 1 John 2:28)

Entombed Will Be Set Free

“We, then, were entombed together with Him through baptism into death, that, even as Christ was roused from among the dead through the glory of the Father, thus we also should be walking in newness of life. For if we have become planted together in the likeness of His death, nevertheless we shall be of the resurrection also...for in that He died, He died to Sin once for all, yet in that He is living, He is living to God. Thus you also, be reckoning yourselves to be dead, indeed, to Sin, yet living to God in Christ Jesus, our Lord.” (Romans 6:4-11)

Paul is not talking about water baptism but identification with Christ in his death. I heard someone say that “you cannot reform a corpse”. We cannot, but God can and will make all corpses into a new creation...not reformed, but NEW...

“...if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here!...may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.” (2 Corinthians 5:17: Galatians 6:14-15)

Our only hope is this new creation and it is by faith believers are “reckoning” ourselves to already be that new creation in Christ. And the Bible says that we can and should live as though God has already raised us up to this promised new, immortal, newness of life.

"Let not Sin, then, be reigning in your mortal body, for you to be obeying its lusts. Nor yet be presenting your members, as implements of injustice, to sin, but present yourselves to God as if alive from among the dead, and your members as implements of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be lording it over you, for you are not under law, but under GRACE." (Romans 6:12-14)

The "wages of sin is death", and God is righteous in putting we sinners to death. But the Grace of God raising the sinner into an immortal, new creation is also righteous...

“The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23)

If the Bible is the Word of God, then the Grace of God has guaranteed that all sinners will be resurrected into a new creation following death. All are included in the Grace of God, but only believers are comforted by the promise....

“...we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word...the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

We will all be "entombed" and we will all be set free!

“Thus says the LORD God of Israel—because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and you humbled yourself before Me, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you, says the LORD…your eyes shall not see all the calamity which I will bring on this place and its inhabitants." (2 Chronicles 34:26-27)

Seventeen years ago on October 4 I and several other men from Sayre stood together with over one million other men in Washington DC on the National Mall in an event sponsored by the Promise Keepers organization. It was termed a sacred assembly and labeled “Stand in the Gap”. An aerial picture of that assembly hangs on the wall of my office today. The purpose was for Christians and Messianic Jews to collectively confess the sin of our Nation to God and ask for His Mercy. I was convinced that God would hear our prayer and defer judgment on the USA like He had done for Israel. Whether it made a difference for the USA I do not honestly know…but it had a lasting impact on me.

I have since learned, however, that it is in the loving, righteous JUDGMENT of our heavenly Father that will finally rescue MANKIND from this present evil age to become what God intends for mankind to be. Paul writes….

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins so that He might RESCUE us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen” (Galatians 1:3-5)

I still pray for my family and friends, but I no longer pray for God to withhold his judgment on the world. I trust Him to do whatever is necessary, IN HIS TIME, to bring to a conclusion this present “evil age”, so that in the ages to come God can receive from His creation the sincere and unforced Love that is due.

The JUDGMENT of God on the whole world is coming. Revelation and other portions of Scripture tell us about it in great detail. But His judgment will CLENSE mankind, not eternally condemn them. It will RESCUE mankind from itself, not enslave them to God for all eternity. It will PREPARE mankind for its eternal destiny to be made into the very IMAGE of God…full of love, grace and mercy. Then there will be no more evil or sin for God will make all things new…

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the former things have passed away. And He who sits on the throne said, Behold, I am making all things new. And He said, Write, for these words are faithful and true. Then He said to me, it is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life WITHOUT COST…” (Revelation 21:4-6)

The Bible closes with the following words which remains the hope of mankind…

“Yes, I am coming swiftly…Come, Lord Jesus. The GRACE of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen” (Revelation 22:20-21)

Speaking to the Jews, Jesus told them…

“I will come again and receive you to myself…” (John 14:3)

As time went by without the return of Jesus some Jewish followers begin to wonder if he would actually come. Peter wrote them and said…

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise… but is longsuffering toward us not willing that any should perish…” (2 Peter 3:9-13)

Peter was reminding them that the fact that Messiah Jesus has not yet returned to established the Kingdom on earth promised to Israel did not mean he had changed His mind, but that God was being patient with Israel. Peter warned them that there would be “scoffers” among them as time went by and Jesus had not returned. Nevertheless, Peter told them that…

“…we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” and that with the Lord “one day is as a thousand years” (2 Peter 3:3-13)

All mankind have the promise from God of the return of Jesus and so should patiently wait for God to complete his plan to save ALL and make everything new…

"Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying; and there shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. And He who sits on the throne said, Behold, I am making all things new. And He said, Write, for these words are faithful and true." (Revelation 21:1-5)

"Sue Ann, if you were a Christian you would pour me another glass of tea," I said as I shook my empty glass of ice as usual. Without batting an eye she said, “I'm not a Christian.  Are your legs broken?"  And after I stopped laughing, she poured me another glass of tea.  As usual.

I just love my wife.  She puts me in my place, states her mind, and then proceeds to actually live her life in a way that mirrors Christ. She would not agree with that last part.  She thinks of herself as “unspiritual” because she does not get all glazy-eyed over the latest inspirational book or the next women's retreat. Her favorite verse is...

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not to your own understanding, in all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

And for some unknown reason, she loves me.  Go figure.  And not only that, she agrees with my views on the Scripture and encourages me to post them.

"Robert," says the theologian, "if you were a Christian you would do more witnessing to the lost," as the theologian shakes the empty creed of manmade doctrine in my face. "Well then," I say, "I am not a Christian".  And after complete silence, I prepare another post.

But I do love God and His Word, and I no longer fear Him.  I used to.  But love has cast out that fear. I am sincerely and eternally grateful for the Lord Jesus Christ, and those like Sue Ann, who trust God.  Not so much the theologians.

“In the beginning was the word, and the word was toward God, and God was the word...And the word became flesh and tabernacles among us, and we gaze at his glory, a glory as of an only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth...” (John 1:1, 14 Concordant Version)

There is only one God, and He is the Word.  He always has been. Out of God came the Son of His love...the first born of all creation. The Son became flesh in order to express God to the world.  No man has ever seen God. Jesus was the Word in that sense - God's image to mankind. He was the first fruit of what we are all to become when the ages have run their course and all mankind is saved and reconciled to God.  Forever a new creation made in the image of God.

“So that we, from now on, are acquainted with no one according to flesh. Yet even if we have known Christ according to flesh, nevertheless now we know Him so no longer. So that, if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: the primitive passed by. Lo! There has come new! Yet all is of God, Who conciliates us to Himself through Christ.” (2 Corinthians 5:15-18)