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“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:17-21 ESV)
Now, when this says, “If anyone is in Christ..” it is assuming that not everyone reading this is in Christ, not even all who profess to be in Christ. And what did Paul teach us that it meant to be “in Christ”? It means that we are now walking (in conduct, in practice) according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh. “For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8:1-14)
And he said that we have been crucified with Christ in death to sin, and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to God and to his righteousness. So, we are no longer to let sin reign in our mortal bodies to obey its desires, for if sin is what we obey, it leads to death, but if obedience to God is what we obey, it leads to righteousness and to sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God. So, if we have been set free from sin, that means that we are now slaves of God, and the fruit of that is eternal life with God (Romans 6:1-23).
And he taught that the way that we should have learned Christ - assuming that we have heard about him and we were taught in him the truth that is in Jesus, is that we are “to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:17-24). So, being “in Christ” means that we have died with Christ to our old lives of living in sin and we are now living for Christ in walks of obedience to him.
[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-11; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 10:23-31; 1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]
But are we able to accomplish any of this in our own flesh? No! But does that mean that God does it all and that we do nothing? No! For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared in advance that we should walk in them. And the grace of God, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives. For Jesus Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” (see Ephesians 2:8-10 and Titus 2:11-14)
So, when we read this passage in 2 Corinthians 5 we should read it in the context of these other Scriptures and of these other teachings of Paul so that we get the correct context and meaning out of the passage. For this is not teaching us that anyone who says “Lord, Lord,” is truly a new creation in Christ Jesus. And it is not teaching us that God does it all and that nothing is required of us at all. Yes, it all comes from God, and it is all empowered by God and by his Spirit, but it involves our cooperation (partnership) with God and our God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in Christ for it to happen.
So, the old isn’t really gone unless it is really gone. So, if you profess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life, but then you go on living in deliberate and habitual sin against the Lord, and not in walks of obedience to his commands, and not in holy living, then the old is not gone. It is still alive and it is still thriving! And you aren’t a new creation unless you have died to the old self, and to the old life of sin, and unless you are now walking in obedience to the Lord in holy living, empowered by his Spirit. For to be reconciled to God is to exchange your life of sin for a life of holy living.
So, when Paul implored the people to be reconciled to God, he was imploring them to die to their old lives of living in sin and for self and to be transformed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God away from a life of living in sin and for self to now living for God and for his righteousness in holy living and in walks of obedience and in surrender to our Lord and to his will for our lives. Then the old is truly gone and the new has come into being. For Jesus gave his life up for us on that cross so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness, no longer as slaves to sin, but as slaves to God.
Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer
Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897
Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897
Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.
O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.
Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.
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