The Great Identity Problem: Made New
Over the last several weeks we have been looking at what identity is. Who are we? How are we made? Does it matter? Over the next three weeks, we are going to look at three passages from the New Testament, one from 2 Corinthians, one from 1 John, and one from 1 Peter.
Today, we will be looking at 2 Corinthians 5:17. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!” Just take a second and let those words sink in. We have seen that we have been made by God, designed by God, called “very good indeed” by God in Genesis 1. But we have also seen how we have been separated from God in Genesis 3 as humanity falls and as we enter into sin. In 2 Corinthians 5:17, we see a totally different promise.
Instead of condemnation, we see that if we are in Christ we are a “new creation.” We also see that, “the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!” Do you see the splendor of this? If we are in Christ, then simply put, we are made new! We are no longer fallen, instead we have been redeemed. We have been restored; we have been brought back into a relationship with our great God! This verse is a summary of the best news in the world! 2 Corinthians 5:17 is a declaration of the hope that we can have.
The crux of the Great Identity Problem is that we are first sinners, with a distorted view of identity and need to be redeemed. In 2 Corinthians 5:17, we see exactly what the solution is. The solution is not self-help, the solution is the opposite! The solution is us crying out saying, “I am not enough and I need Jesus!” It is only when we cry out to Jesus that we can be saved.
Solving the Great Identity Problem is simple. We have to understand that identity does not come from ourselves, but instead, identity comes from what God has said about us. Identity comes from who we are in God’s eyes. 2 Corinthians 5:17 paints a clear picture of how God sees us. We are seen as a “new creation” if we are in Christ.
Being in Christ is simple. Romans 10:9 says, “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” That is how we are saved! We can be in Christ by simply confessing with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and believing in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead. Let me encourage you today to do that.
Practically, let me encourage you that 2 Corinthians 5:17 gives us a completely new worldview. Now we live as new creation which means that we have a new life! Our life is not defined by anyone else, but instead, as new creation, our life is defined by our creator! That is a freeing reality and one that should drive us forward as we seek to make disciples of the people around us.
Pastor Daniel