Well, now we come to the preaching of God's Word.
And as I mentioned, tonight we're going to be considering our identity as a new creation.
And while there's many passages in the New Testament that focus on this theme,
we're going to be concentrating on 2 Corinthians 5 this evening, starting in verse 14.
But let's turn to the Lord again in prayer before we read His Word.
Thank you.
We pray this in the name of your Son, Jesus. Amen.
2 Corinthians 5, starting in verse 14.
For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this,
that one has died for all, therefore all have died.
And He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves,
but for Him who for their sake died and was raised.
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.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come.
The old is gone. The new is here.
All this from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ,
and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.
That God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ,
not counting people's sins against them.
And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us.
We implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.
God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us,
so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.
And this is the Word of God.
Now, I'm sure many of you know the Christian author and apologist of the 20th century, C.S. Lewis.
And probably many of you are familiar and have even read one of his most popular works,
The Mere Christianity, where he makes his argument in defense of Christianity.
Much of the mindset and the thinking that he went through in coming to know Christ Himself.
And in this book, there's four main sections.
He argues for the existence of God.
He gives a defense of Christian theology.
He discusses Christian ethics and then considers the doctrine of the Trinity.
But it's interesting how he concludes his book,
because he anticipates a very basic question for anyone who's reading the book
and has thought through and considered all that he says.
It's as if the question is, someone says,
Okay, all that you've said is well and good,
but if Christianity is true,
why are not all Christians obviously nicer than non-Christians?
And C.S. Lewis admits this is a very reasonable question to ask.
When someone becomes a Christian,
we expect them to have some marked change in their life.
We recognize that when a Christian behaves badly,
this is a bad testimony.
It makes Christianity very unbelievable to the outside world.
And so Lewis points out,
he recognized that niceness, though, is not the goal of Christianity.
He says that although niceness is an excellent thing,
we should make every effort to produce a world where people grow nice.
He said we must not suppose that even if we succeeded in making everyone nice,
we should have saved their souls.
He says for mere improvement is not redemption.
God became man to turn creatures into sons,
not simply to produce better men of an old kind,
but to produce a new kind of man.
It is not like teaching a horse to jump better and better,
but like turning the horse into a winged creature.
Of course, once it's got its wings,
it will soar over fences which could never have been jumped
and thus beat the natural horse at its own gain.
And so what Lewis is discussing here is the exact topic
that we're going to be focusing on in our passage this evening,
this new creation.
The fact that Christ didn't die for us to become better versions of ourself.
He didn't die for us to simply be able to alter our behavior
or to alter our appearance.
He died that we may bring about internal change
and eternal change,
that we are transformed from dead to living,
from old to new.
And so this is a theme, like I said before,
this resonates throughout Paul's writings.
I could have chosen any number of passages this evening
to consider what Paul talks about new creation.
And so while we focus on 2 Corinthians 5,
we are going to be jumping around a bit,
considering a few different passages,
especially in Romans.
But the three things I'd like for us to consider this evening
are first, our need for new creation.
Second, the means of new creation.
And third, the effect of new creation.
And so let's consider first our need for new creation.
Now when we talk about new creation,
it's with the assumptions kind of implied
that this is not a first creation.
There must have been some old creation or original creation.
And we see that by going to the very beginning of the Bible
in the book of Genesis,
where it talks about God creating the world out of nothing.
In the span of six days,
He separated darkness from light.
He made the sea and dry lands.
We see that He made the sun and moon and stars,
the birds of the air and the fish of the sea and land animals.
And each day, God looked at His creation and said,
this is good.
But on day six, we see the climax of His creation.
Because on day six, this is when God created man.
God created man to be distinct from the rest of His creation.
He says that God created man in His own image.
In the image of God, He created man.
Male and female, He created him.
And so we recognize that the very essence of our beings,
the very essence of our human nature,
is being created in the image of God.
And so after the creation of man and woman,
God placed Adam and Eve in the garden, as we know,
to work and to keep the land.
He gives them this priestly duty of ruling
and subduing creation to extend God's blessing
throughout the earth.
And with His command comes,
or with His role, rather, comes a command,
that you shall not eat of the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil,
for if you do, you will surely die.
And so we see then, at the very beginning of this relationship,
that God makes a covenant with Adam.
What we call the covenant of works.
It's a promise to Adam.
He says, keep the law.
Keep it exactly, and keep it perpetually,
and you will have life.
And I will be with you.
I will be your God and live with you,
and you will live with me.
But obviously we recognize in this story
that this goal isn't achieved by Adam and Eve.
They are tempted by the serpent.
They eat of this forbidden fruit.
And ironically, in this attempt to become more and more like God,
they actually become less of God.
They become less than what they once were.
And so because of their obedience,
sin enters the world.
This image of God that man had possessed becomes defaced.
And we know when Adam fell, all man fell.
We are all corrupt.
We are all totally depraved.
It says in Romans,
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
And so consider the state in which we've fallen.
This is something that the Westminster Shorter Catechism talks about,
the misery in which we have fallen.
And it says, this is question 19.
The answer is this.
He says,
So is there any question that we are in need of new creation?
Do we recognize the condition in the state that we were once in before Christ?
If you are not in Christ,
do you recognize the severity of the state in which you stand now?
Without new creation, we stand as sinners condemned,
unable to keep the gospel,
unable to keep the law,
unable to save ourselves,
helpless and hell bound.
And so in recognizing this reality,
then this leads us to our second point,
the means of new creation.
We recognize our need for new creation.
Well, how does this new creation come about?
How do we avoid this outcome of death and hell?
The temptation may be for some within the church,
certainly from those on the outside looking in,
the thought that Christianity is about trying harder
or being better.
Be a good person and God will accept you.
Do your best and God will do the rest.
But we recognize that's not the gospel.
That's not how it works.
It's important for us to understand the function of the law
when we consider the means of this new creation
because the law was created before the fall.
And Adam and Eve had the ability to keep the law.
They also had the ability to break the law.
And we know that they chose to break the law.
So after the fall, this dynamic changes.
No longer do we have the ability to keep the law perfectly.
We certainly have the ability to break the law.
And so consider what the law does for us then.
The law serves as a mirror for us, first and foremost,
that we may look at the law and recognize our own sinfulness.
We recognize that we cannot keep the law.
We think about the Westminster Confession again
when it talks about the law.
In chapter 9 it says,
The law causes us to discover the sinful pollution of our nature,
our hearts, and our lives.
And so while the law can still be useful to us as believers,
it's a rule of life.
It convicts us.
It reveals our need for Christ.
It shapes us into becoming more and more Christ-like.
It cannot save us.
And so this is what Paul argues over and over again in his epistles.
In Galatians 2 he says that if righteousness were through the law,
then Christ died for no purpose.
Romans 8, throughout Romans actually Paul refers to the law,
he talks about the law as being the law of sin and death.
So he's not talking about a law that gives life.
He's talking about a law that brings judgment.
And so to the church, even in Galatians,
in thinking Galatians again,
there's this desire within the church
to adhere to religious ceremony and custom
and thinking that's a way that God is going to be pleased with me.
And Paul says there,
Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision mean anything.
What counts is new creation.
And so that's the point that he's making here in 2 Corinthians 5.
It's not about our own efforts that bring about new creation.
How does it happen?
Paul tells us here,
it's through Christ and his representation.
And so what does that mean when we think about Christ as our representative?
Well, as some of you know,
before I moved to Scotland,
I practiced law.
I practiced medical malpractice defense law.
So I defended and represented doctors
who had been sued by their patients.
And so my responsibility was to represent these doctors
in the course of their case going through the court system.
And so I would represent them in filing documents,
in going to court for hearings,
in depositions of expert witnesses,
in arguing in front of a jury.
And as I did so,
I did so as their representative.
But in the eyes of the court,
it was as if that doctor himself
was taking all these steps.
When I would sign a motion with the court,
I'd write my name,
but it would always say under it,
as a representative for Dr. So-and-so.
And so if we think about this representation
from a spiritual perspective,
there's two options when it comes to representation.
We can have a representative in Adam,
or Christ can be our representative.
And so Paul talks about this in Romans.
Romans chapter 5,
if you have your Bibles,
you want to turn there,
Romans chapter 5,
verses 17 and 18.
He says this,
For if by the trespass of one man
death reigned through that one man,
how much more,
with those who received God's abundant provision of grace
and of the gift of righteousness,
reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ?
Consequently, just as one trespass
resulted in condemnation for all men,
so also one righteous act
resulted in justification and life for all men.
So it's a lot of words to say this.
As Adam as a representative,
he brings condemnation and death.
Christ as a representative
brings justification and life.
And so is there really any question
who we want to be our representative?
Christ as our representative
brings about new creation.
How does this happen?
Look at verse 14 of our text.
It says,
We have concluded this,
that one has died for all,
therefore all died.
All have died.
Christ is our representative
in his death.
His suffering
is our suffering.
His death
is our death.
And so this may be
a little
different
for some of us,
perhaps,
when we think about this,
when we consider our death
along with Christ's death,
because often we may think of
Christ as being our substitute.
We think of the Passover lamb
whose blood was placed
on the doorpost.
Christ's blood was shed for us.
That's absolutely correct.
Christ is our substitute.
But Paul is saying
more than that here.
Not only is he our substitute,
he is our representative.
Because we see
a substitute dies
so that others don't have to.
A representative
serves as a delegate
for his people,
including them
in his sacrificial act.
And so this is what
Christ did for us.
If he is our representative
in our death,
if we die in Christ,
what do we die to?
Well, he says in verse 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.
And so this worldly point of view,
this is the NIV translation.
I think it's probably
more accurately translated
in the ESV.
It's literally
according to the flesh.
We regard no one
according to the flesh.
We no longer live
in the flesh.
The flesh
no longer controls us.
And so if we think
and go back to Romans again,
Romans 7 this time,
verses 4 through 6,
we see a passage
that's very similar,
a very similar parallel
to 2 Corinthians 5 here.
But Paul uses
different language.
Rather than talking about
just flesh
or dying to flesh,
he says something else.
He says,
we have died to the law
through the body of Christ.
And so we see
in these two texts,
Paul is equating
the law
and the flesh.
And so if we stay
in Romans 5,
chapter,
verse,
Romans chapter 5,
verse,
I'll get this right,
Romans chapter 7,
verse 5,
see how this comes together.
He says,
for while we were living
in the flesh,
our sinful passions
aroused by the law
were at work in our members
to bear fruit for death.
Consider that deadly sequence
he puts together here.
This language of flesh
and sin
and law
and death.
This is what we die to.
In Christ,
this is how we are crucified
with him.
Our old self
is no longer
a slave to sin.
We have been set free
from the bondage
of sin
and death
and law
and sin.
And so Christ
is a representative.
Yes,
he is our representative
in our death,
but also
our representative
in our life.
We are also
raised with him.
Verse 15
of our text.
And he died for all
that those who might live,
those who live,
might no longer
live for themselves,
but for him
who for their sake
died and was raised.
Verse 17.
Therefore,
if anyone is in Christ,
the new creation has come.
The old has gone
and the new is here.
And so we see
this drastic
change
and transformation
from death
to life.
We die
with Christ
and we are raised
with Christ.
And so this transformation
is really
something we see
all around us
in creation, right?
We think about this
time of year,
the autumn,
the trees changing colors
and falling to the ground.
We do not rake them up
so that we can collect them
and try to stick them
back on the tree
the next year, right?
Because we recognize
that with their death
comes new life
behind them,
new leaves
in the spring to come.
Think about seeds
that fall from a plant
and they go into the ground.
What has to happen?
The outer husk
of that seed
has to die
so that new life
will come through it.
And so this is what
Paul is saying here
going back to Romans 6 again,
Romans 6, 4.
We were buried with him
by baptism into death
in order that
just as Christ
was raised from the dead
by the glory of the Father
we too
might walk
in newness
of life.
This is a total
transformation
from death
to life.
And so it's important
though what Paul
gets at in this passage
is not only pointing
out this transformation
but how it happens.
That it is the work
of the Trinity
that brings about
this transformation
in our lives.
Think about this.
Notice in verse 18
he says,
all this is from God.
The one who created
the heavens
and the earth
now brings about
new creation
working to restore
his image
in each one of us
that was damaged
by the fall.
And so he says,
the Father then,
how does he do this
through the Son?
We already talked
about Christ
as a representative
but Paul goes
further here.
He says,
this new creation
comes to those
who are in Christ.
It is only in Christ
that the veil
is removed
from our hearts.
That's what he says
earlier in chapter 3.
So it leads
to kind of
the crescendo
of this passage
in verse 21.
He says,
for those who are
in Christ
we become
the righteousness
of God.
So you may say,
well we see
the work of the Father
and we see
the work of the Son
but I'm not really sure
where the Spirit
fits into this passage.
Well we already
talked about
how Paul can
kind of equate
similar phrases
or vocabulary here.
We talked about him
equating death
and flesh
and law
and sin
and uses them
interchangeably.
And he does
the same thing
with the words
life and Spirit.
Go back to
verse 15 again.
He said,
he's died for all
that those who live
might no longer
live for themselves.
And so when he's
referring to those
who live
he's referring to
those who have
the Spirit.
We know this
if we go back
to our passages
in Romans again.
Romans 6
we said,
we're buried
with Christ
in baptism
raised to walk
in newness
of life.
Think about
our passage
chapter 8 again.
It says,
we died to that
which held us captive
so that we
may serve
in a new way
of the Spirit.
And so this
transition from
death to life
again.
Walking in
newness of life
serving in a
new way of the
Spirit.
Two ways of
saying the same
thing.
That the Spirit
is a vital
part of our
regeneration.
And so it's not
Paul that's
making this
connection between
the Spirit
and life.
This is not
his creation
or his imagination
here.
This is what we
talked about
what we read
earlier from
the book
of Ezekiel.
We read
that Ezekiel
prophesied,
I will give
you a new
heart and
a new spirit
I will put
in you.
And I will
remove the
heart of stone
from your
flesh and I
will give you
a heart of
flesh.
And I will
put my spirit
within you and
cause you to
walk in my
statutes and
be careful to
obey my
rules.
The very next
chapter,
chapter 37,
he says,
I will put my
spirit within
you and you
shall live.
And so
Ezekiel's new
heart that he
talks about,
this is precisely
God's spirit
working within
us.
Just like
Ezekiel,
Paul recognizes
that the chief
significance of
the Holy Spirit
is his ability
to produce
life.
For Paul,
life is the
defining feature
of the Spirit.
One commentator,
he puts it
this way,
he says,
life is the
comprehensive
expression for
all that the
Spirit works in
humanity.
And so our
transformation into
this new
creation, it's
accomplished solely
by the loving
and sovereign
work of the
Father and the
Son and the
Holy Spirit.
And so the
question for us
is do we
recognize just
how drastic
of a transformation
this is?
Just how drastic
of a work it
is of the
Godhead in
our lives?
Because I think
sometimes that
just doesn't
sink in.
We think of
our own
salvation,
maybe we've
changed or
improved.
That's not
what God
has done
for us
here.
Maybe some
of you are
old enough
to remember
a TV show,
I think this
was during
my years
of uni,
it was called
Pimp My Ride,
and I looked
in the UK,
it did exist
in the UK
for a few
seasons,
and in my
mind this
was like,
oh this was
a TV show
from like
three years
ago.
No,
this was a
TV show,
it went off
in 2009,
so it kind
of makes
me feel
old.
But if
you're familiar
with the show,
even if you're
not,
the premise
of the show
is they find
these young
kids that
have this
beat up
car and
they transform
it.
They put in
this new
paint job
and this new
interior and
lights and
big screen
TVs and
gaming systems,
but the thing
is they never
touch anything
under the
bonnet.
They don't
touch the
engine or
the transmission,
it's simply
cosmetic work
that they do.
And so
you're left
thinking they've
done all this
to the car,
but they're
going to
drive it
off the
lot,
this car
with 200,000
miles on it,
and it's
likely going
to break
down the
very next
week.
And so
the work
of God
in us
is not
merely a
change like
this,
not merely
a superficial
external
change.
It's not a
mere improvement
or rehabilitation.
No,
we are a
new creation.
We were
dead and
we've been
made alive.
And so
this transformation
only comes
when we
receive God's
grace through
faith.
And so
this is our
greatest priority
in our life,
that we may be
found in Christ,
that we may be
united to Him,
that we may
become a new
creation.
And so
for each of us
here, the
question is,
do you believe
this?
Do you believe
that Jesus
Christ, the
Son of God,
died on the
cross for your
sins to provide
salvation and
new creation
for you?
Because that
brings us
then to our
last point.
What is the
effects of
our new
creation?
Perhaps
you've heard
someone share
their testimony
before and
they've talked
about how
they walked
in sin
before and
the sin
that they
were involved
in, the
things that
they did.
And they
said when
they came
to Christ,
their priorities
changed,
their behavior
changed, and
it was like
they became
a different
person.
When we hear
this, we
think, that
kind of sounds
cliche, right?
You've heard
that kind
of story
a hundred
times, but
this is the
absolute truth.
What happens
in new
creation?
When we
come to
Christ and
he renews
us, we
should not
be the
same.
If we
are in
Christ, we
should look
totally distinct
from the
man or woman
we looked
like before,
totally
distinct from
the world
around us.
And so in
this final
thought then,
as we
consider this
transformation,
the effect that
it has in
our lives,
our passage,
I think,
points out
about three
ways that
we're affected
by new
creation.
We're affected
in our
attitude toward
ourselves,
we're affected
in our
attitude toward
others,
and then
affected in
our attitude
toward Christ.
And so look
at verse 15
again.
It says,
And he died
for all,
that those
who live
might no
longer live
for themselves,
but for him
who for their
sake died and
was raised.
And so as a
new creation,
it says we no
longer live for
ourselves,
we live for
Christ.
And so what
does that
mean?
We no longer
seek to
fulfill our
earthly,
fleshly desires,
to seek our
own comforts,
our own
wants,
we live for
Christ.
His desires
become our
desires.
His mission
is now our
mission.
Paul goes so
far to say in
Galatians 2,
that it is not
I who live,
but it is Christ
who lives in
me.
My life is
Christ's life.
And so is
this true of
us?
Do we hate
our sin?
Do we desire
to become more
and more like
Jesus, to see
his image
restored in
us?
And so this
should be a gut
check.
If we claim to
be in Christ,
but we do not
see any mark of
difference from
ourselves or
anyone outside
of Christ,
we must examine
ourselves.
have we truly
experienced the
renewing power of
Christ in our
lives?
Thinking secondly
of our attitude
toward others,
verse 16,
so now,
so from now on
we regard no
one from a
worldly point of
view.
Like we said,
we regard no
one according to
the flesh.
One of the
problems that
Paul was
addressing here
in the church
in Corinth is
that believers
were pitting
Christ's servants
against one
another.
They were
choosing these
rivals and
thinking,
oh,
this is my
hero.
You know,
for I am
Paul,
I am of
Paul,
or someone
says,
I am of
Apollos.
Paul says,
are you not
behaving like
mere men?
He feels that
some in the
church are
turning a
critical eye
to him.
Paul says,
I'm not
concerned about
being judged
by you and
your worldly
standards.
He says,
stop boasting
in men,
boast in the
Lord.
God,
I am of
God.
And that's
why he
calls us
in verse
20 to be
ambassadors of
Christ,
that our
message may
be one of
reconciliation.
Our goal as
believers is not
to build up our
own little tribe
of who we
think the best
pastor is or
what's the best
denomination.
Our primary
goal is bringing
people to
Jesus,
wanting others
to experience
this transformation
of new life
that we have
experienced in
Christ.
And so
finally,
the new
creation will
affect our
attitude toward
Christ.
Verse 16
again.
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.
Just as Paul
viewed Christ
before he was a
believer,
he viewed Christ
as a heretic
that was worthy
of death.
Well,
some in the
church are still
kind of trying to
figure out who
this Jesus
character is.
Was he just a
good teacher?
Was he a
healer and
miracle worker?
Was he just a
moralist of some
sort?
Paul says,
no, no, no.
We do not look at
Christ from a
worldly perspective
according to the
flesh.
We must see Christ
as the divine
son of God.
Because if we
don't have faith
in Christ's true
identity, then we
cannot rely on him
for new creation.
Philippians 3,
Paul says,
I want to know
Christ.
Yes, to know
the power of
his resurrection,
the participation
in his suffering,
becoming like him
in death,
and so somehow
attaining to the
resurrection from
the dead.
And so when we
think about this
new creation,
when Paul's talking
about this
resurrection,
we've been
thinking about it
as new creation
when it talks
about our own
salvation.
That's a proper
way to view it,
but there's
something else we
need to think
about when we
consider new
creation.
We need to
think about it
from a future
sense as well.
Because when we
come to Christ,
we experience new
creation now,
right, the
indwelling of the
Holy Spirit who
gives us life,
but the thing is
we're still in our
earthly bodies,
right, we still
have to deal with
sin in our lives.
And so we still
should have this
desire, we should
be looking forward
to this day of
Christ's return,
where there's
new creation,
this new creation
will be fully
consummated,
where a new
heaven and new
earth will be
ushered in.
This is what
John talks about
in Revelation 21,
this coming of
this new heaven
and new earth
where we will be
delivered from
the presence of
sin, where death
will be no more,
where Christ will
declare from his
throne, I am
making all things
new.
Because it's at
that point that we
will experience an
even better
Eden, where we
will once again
perfectly bear the
image of God
and we may live
in perfect communion
with our Savior.
Where just as we
died with Christ
and we were raised
with Christ, we are
now glorified with
our Christ.
This is the ultimate
effect of new
creation.
This is what we
should long for.
And so if we are
in Christ, if we
have experienced
this new creation,
may this be our
focus and our
goal, to see
Christ come again,
to see his image
in us restored.
And for those
here that may not
be in Christ,
recognize that this
is what is offered
to us.
Life in Christ
now, the renewing
presence of his
spirit now, the
freeing from sin
and its bondage
now, but also
the coming
completion of
this new creation
where we will
one day live with
our Savior as
his children
forever.
Let's pray.