New Creature: I Have the Life of God
Main Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:17
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17, KJV)
Seeing Yourself Through God’s Eyes
How do you see yourself? Is your view of yourself shaped by your past experiences, the opinions of others, your present circumstances, or what God has said about you in His Word?
As believers, we must learn to see ourselves through God’s eyes. Our identity is not determined by what people say about us or by what we have experienced. It is established by what God has accomplished for us through Jesus Christ.
In Christ, we are not simply improved versions of who we used to be. We are new creatures. This is not merely a promise of what we might become in the future; it is the reality of who we are now that we are in Christ. The old has passed away, and a new life has begun.
Understanding this truth is essential to living the Christian life. When we do not understand who we are in Christ, we can continue to think, speak and live as though nothing has changed. However, when we begin to understand our new identity, our thinking and our approach to life are transformed by the truth of God’s Word.
Salvation Is More Than a Change in Behaviour
Salvation is much more than changing our habits, improving our conduct or trying harder to become better people. While our behaviour should reflect our faith, the foundation of salvation is the new life we receive through Jesus Christ.
The Gospel is not simply a message about how to live better. It reveals what God has done for us through Christ and the new life He has made available to everyone who believes.
Second Timothy 1:9–10 explains that God saved us and called us according to His purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before the world began. This grace has now been revealed through the appearing of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel.
Salvation, therefore, is not something we achieve through our own effort. It is the result of God’s grace, received through faith in Jesus Christ. We are called to understand and live from this new reality rather than continue to define ourselves by our former lives.
The Gospel Reveals the Life of God
Titus 1:2 speaks of the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before the world began. This shows that eternal life was part of God’s purpose and plan.
The life God offers us is revealed in Jesus Christ. John 1:1–4 declares that the Word was with God, that the Word was God, and that in Him was life. This life was the light of men.
Jesus did not come merely to give us religious instructions. He came to reveal the Father and make the life of God available to humanity. Through Him, we can receive a life that is greater than our natural existence.
Acts 3:15 describes Jesus as the Prince of life. Romans 6:23 also tells us that the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Eternal life is therefore not something we earn through good works or personal achievements. It is God’s gift, made available through His Son.
The message of the Gospel is that, through Christ, we can receive the life God has provided for us. This truth should shape our understanding of salvation and our confidence in what Jesus has accomplished.
We Are Born of God
Jesus explained the necessity of the new birth in John 3:3–6. He told Nicodemus that unless a person is born again, they cannot see the kingdom of God. He further explained that what is born of the flesh is flesh, while what is born of the Spirit is spirit.
The new birth is not simply a religious experience or an outward change. It is a spiritual birth brought about by the work of God. John 1:12–13 teaches that those who receive Christ and believe in His name are given the right to become children of God. They are born not merely through natural descent or human effort, but of God.
This means that our relationship with God is not based solely on religious activities or outward appearances. Through faith in Jesus Christ, we are brought into a new relationship with the Father.
We must therefore learn to live with the consciousness that we belong to God. We are not trying to earn a place in His family through our own strength. We receive this identity through Christ, and we grow in our understanding of what it means to be His children.
We Belong to the Household of God
Our identity in Christ also changes where we belong. Ephesians 2:19 reminds believers that they are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.
This is a powerful truth. Through Christ, we have been brought into God’s family. We are no longer defined by separation from Him; we now belong to Him.
First Timothy 3:15 describes the household of God as the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. As members of God’s household, we are called to understand His Word, grow in our faith and reflect His character in the way we live.
Knowing that we belong to God should influence how we approach life. We can face challenges with confidence in our relationship with Him, knowing that our identity is rooted in His grace and not in the changing circumstances around us.
Living With the Confidence of a Child of God
A child of God must learn to trust the Father’s care, provision and protection. This confidence does not mean that we will never encounter difficulties. Rather, it means that our relationship with God remains the foundation of our faith, even when life presents challenges.
Jesus said in John 10:28 that He gives His sheep eternal life and that they shall never perish, neither shall anyone snatch them out of His hand. This gives believers assurance in Christ and confidence in His keeping power.
When we understand that we belong to God, we do not need to approach life as though we have been abandoned or left to depend entirely on ourselves. We can bring our needs before Him, trust His wisdom and rely on His faithfulness.
Our confidence is not in our ability to control every situation. It is in the character of the Father and the life we have received through Jesus Christ. As we grow in the knowledge of His Word, we learn to respond to life from a place of faith rather than fear.
The Life of God Within Us
First John 5:11–12 declares that God has given us eternal life, and that this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life, and whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
The life of God is found in Jesus Christ. Our confidence in eternal life is therefore not based on our feelings or our personal assessment of ourselves. It rests on God’s testimony concerning His Son.
This truth should shape our understanding of who we are and how we live. We must not allow the opinions of others, our past failures or the pressure of our circumstances to become the final authority over our identity. God’s Word must be the standard by which we understand ourselves.
John 5:16–18 also shows us the unique relationship between Jesus and the Father. Jesus spoke of God as His Father, revealing a relationship that His hearers understood to be a claim of equality with God. Through Christ, we are brought into a relationship with the Father, while recognising that our identity as God’s children is received through grace.
Romans 8:11 further reminds us that the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in believers. The same Spirit who raised Christ gives us a foundation for confidence in God’s power at work in us. This encourages us to live in dependence on the Holy Spirit and to allow His work to be expressed in our daily lives.
Understanding, Believing and Living the Word
Knowing the truth of our new identity requires more than hearing a sermon or reading a Scripture once. We must give ourselves to understanding, meditating on and believing God’s Word.
As we renew our minds with Scripture, our thinking begins to align with what God has said about us. We learn to reject thoughts that contradict His Word and to speak in agreement with the truth He has revealed.
This is not about repeating words without understanding them. It is about allowing the Word of God to shape our convictions, our speech, our decisions and our conduct. What we believe should influence how we live.
When we understand that we are new creatures in Christ, we can approach life with a renewed perspective. We can grow in our relationship with the Father, walk in the reality of our new identity and allow our lives to reflect the grace and truth we have received through Jesus.
Conclusion: I Have the Life of God
The message of the new creature is a reminder that salvation brings us into a new reality in Christ. We have received eternal life through the Son of God, we have been born of God, and we now belong to His household.
Our responsibility is to grow in the understanding of these truths and allow them to shape how we see ourselves and how we live. We must not continue to define ourselves by the past when God has given us a new identity in Christ.
As we meditate on His Word, our confidence in Him grows, our thinking is renewed, and our lives increasingly reflect the truth of who we are.
I am a new creature in Christ. I have received the life of God through Jesus Christ. I belong to the Father, and His Word defines who I am.
Prayer
Father, thank You for the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ. Thank You that, in Christ, I am a new creature and have been brought into Your family. Help me to understand my identity in You and to see myself through the truth of Your Word. Renew my mind, strengthen my faith and teach me to live in the reality of the new life I have received. May my thoughts, words and actions reflect who I am in Christ. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
