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Announcer (00:00:00): Think about the Bible like you never have before. You are listening to Christian Questions. Experience more episodes, videos and Bible study resources at ChristianQuestions.com. Our topic is, "What is the New Creation?" There are two scriptures in the New Testament that talk about God developing a new creation. While this might not sound like a big deal, the fact is that in the entire Bible, this is the only new thing God is creating. How is He doing it and why is He doing it? Here's Rick, Jonathan and Julie.

Rick (00:00:33): Welcome everyone. I'm Rick. I'm joined by Jonathan, my co-host for over 25 years. Julie, a longtime contributor, is also with us. Jonathan, what is our theme scripture for this episode?

Jonathan (00:00:46): 2 Corinthians 5:17: "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."

Rick (00:00:58): We don't know much about the spiritual world, especially before the creation of humanity. What we do know is that was an entirely harmonious world with loyalty and obedience to God at its center. God foreknew that when pride crept into Satan's heart and was exposed, it would lead to a massive shift in the way things would run. In heaven, it would no longer be business as usual, for now the lessons of sin and disobedience would be unleashed. These painful but necessary lessons would, under God's power and providence, ultimately bring the whole of creation back into the harmony that it had left behind--only this time that harmony would be for eternity. How would God make this happen?

Jonathan (00:01:49): God knew that His governing would need to expand in a way that never before existed, because what was out of harmony would need to be taught how to climb back into harmony. God would create a brand-new branch of spiritual government for this task. We will call it His "Ministry of Reconciliation." This ministry would be staffed by a brand-new creation who would have the training, humility, and loyalty to aid the glorified Lord Jesus in accomplishing God's loving, just and wise plan.

Rick (00:02:22): As we approach this today, we are suggesting that according to scripture, God's government expands after things were started, and that's what we're looking at as the new creation.

Julie (00:02:37): Well, this seems like the best superhero movie ever! The theme text refers to the "new creature," but different translations refer to it as a "new creation," so we're going to use these phrases interchangeably. Who or what is this "new creation"? Where does it come from? How does it work? These answers are all in scripture, but sometimes just as a subtle hint. We can find some clues hiding in the Old Testament, so we're going to start off by looking at two of these. For example, God made a special promise to Abraham with the first hint that there would be two pathways, two salvations; this new creation. Genesis 22:15-18:

Jonathan (00:03:15): "Then the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven, and said, By myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice." Abraham's "seed" or descendants are described in two parts--"the stars of heaven" and "the sand of the seashore." This is a suggestion here of both a spiritual seed as the stars, and an earthly seed described as sand.

Rick (00:04:03): You've got this suggestion. Now let's follow through. Through Abraham's only son, Isaac, this spiritual and earthly power of blessing the world would expand to ALL the families of the earth. It comes through the promised seed, Isaac, that this is going to happen. Is this suggestion, though, is it just a thought or is it an actual scriptural fact? Let's go a little further.

Julie (00:04:30): Yeah, because having these two specific and opposite parts, one heavenly, one earthly, seems curious, but we're reading into this. One of the reasons why we study both the Old and New Testaments is because the Apostle Paul is going to help us put this together. Paul builds on this promise to Abraham by explaining that if we are in Christ, we are considered Abraham's seed, referring back to that Abrahamic promise.

Jonathan (00:04:56): Let's look at Galatians 3:16, 26-29: "Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, And to seeds, as referring to many, but rather to one, and to your seed, that is, Christ. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourself with Christ. There's neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to the promise."

Julie (00:05:35): If the true disciples of Christ are Abraham's seed and therefore blessers of all nations, how does this happen? What happens to put this privilege in place?

Jonathan (00:05:45): We know that in Abraham's promise, his seed will be blessed first before they will be privileged to bless others. "I will bless you...and in your seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed."

Rick (00:05:57): It's important to understand that in that promise there is an order, there is an intention that we need to put in place. You see that one receiving a blessing makes the blessing of the everybody else possible. We look at the Abrahamic promise and say, "Yeah, this sounds like a pretty solid thought here." Let's go a little further. The Passover lamb gave us another hint about how this is, as it showed that there would be a broad deliverance of the entire nation as a result of the deliverance of the firstborn. Let's continue now, and again, when you look at the Passover lamb, we're jumping ahead in history, and we want to fill in a little bit of the gap there. Julie, just a little bit of the gap of, where are we going with this Passover lamb?

Julie (00:06:47): Sure. The Exodus, when the Hebrews were about to be released from Egyptian slavery, we remember the Ten Plagues. The last plague was the death of the firstborn. In order to save their own children and animals, God gave the Hebrews specific instructions for that night.

Jonathan (00:07:03): That's right, they were to take the blood from the Passover lamb and sprinkle it on their doorposts as a sign. Exodus 12:12-13: "For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments--I am the LORD. The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt." Well, the firstborn were saved that night; and the very next morning the rest of the nation was delivered out of the slavery of Egypt.

Julie (00:07:45): In two parts again. That Passover lamb was another hint showing this idea of broad deliverance for all BECAUSE of the deliverance of the firstborn, and AFTER the deliverance of the firstborn.

Rick (00:07:59): "In thee and thy seed," a deliverance; "shall all the families of the earth be blessed." You have the blessing of the seed of Abraham that transfers onto the rest of the world. We're looking at the Passover lamb and we're saying, "Hey look, it's exactly the same." You have these firstborn who are delivered by the blood of the lamb because it was their lives that were at stake--make no mistake about that--and because they were delivered, the rest of the nation is delivered. You look at these two things and say, "Wow, they look pretty similar." Well, there's more, because the Apostle Paul makes connections for us in several places in the New Testament. We'll just look at two. First, let's look at the book of Hebrews, Hebrews 12:22-23:

Jonathan (00:08:47): "But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect."

Julie (00:09:04): Aha! Paul recalls to their mind the firstborn saved in Egypt and spiritualizes it as the "church of the firstborn." Can we be sure, though, that he actually means this Passover reference?

Rick (00:09:17): Well, we can be sure because the Apostle Paul doesn't make flippant statements without giving us a backup. But you need to look at the broad picture of his writings. He calls it very specifically the "church of the firstborn." When you think about that, the Jewish Law did have a lot about firstborn. But when you talk about the "church of the firstborn," there is a very specific loftiness to that firstborn reference. You don't get any loftier than in the Passover experience, because they were literally there in the balance between life and death. But let's go a little bit further. In 1 Corinthians 5:6-8, the apostle is even more plain, showing Jesus as the Passover Lamb slain for his followers.

Jonathan (00:10:07): "Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough? Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed." Well, that's the answer to your question, Julie. It's definitely a Passover reference. Let's continue: "Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."

Rick (00:10:39): Now we look at those two Old Testament references, the promise to Abraham--"In thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed"…your seed, which in Galatians tells us, if you are Christ's, then who are you? You are "Abraham's seed." We look at the Passover picture and again, there's interestingly, and not just coincidentally, deliverance again. It shows us very specifically that it is the "church of the firstborn." It pictures them. We are seeing Old Testament Scripture and New Testament fulfillment come precisely together to teach us a very critical and important lesson. Our original question is, well, what is the new creation? What is it? This is helping us understand how all of these pieces fit together. Jonathan, Knowing the New Creation; what do we know so far?

Jonathan (00:11:36): The true disciples of Christ ARE Abraham's spiritual seed and therefore destined to be blessers of ALL nations. His seed must be blessed first before they will be privileged to bless others. These firstborn called the "church of the firstborn," are the first delivered by the blood of Jesus as the Lamb, and it is through their deliverance that all others can be delivered.

Julie (00:12:03): This new creation, these "new creatures" are the faithful followers of Jesus. This group goes by other scriptural names like "the church," "the bride of Christ," "the little flock," "the royal priesthood," and many more.

Rick (00:12:17): We have a clear beginning, and that's all we have so far. We have a beginning. We've really parked ourselves in the Old Testament to say there is a basis for something very big and very, very significant here. That's what we are looking at, as called this new creation. We're just introducing the idea and already the new creation is proving to be not only fascinating, but amazingly powerful as well.

Jonathan (00:12:49): All of this has a degree of familiarity to it. As we are looking at Old Testament foundations, how does this bring us to a "new creation?"

Rick (00:12:59): Alright, the next step in our scriptural discovery is a truly, truly fascinating one. The whole idea of a new creation implies something unique, something that has not been previously seen. The best way to recognize something never before seen is to have things that are familiar to compare it with, so that we can truly appreciate its uniqueness. Folks, we are now going down a path of something that if you think about it in the Old Testament, while you saw pictures, you never had an idea this was coming. You just didn't know. We're going down a path that's entirely different. Let's define what we know about this new creation.

Jonathan (00:13:47): Let's break down our theme text of 2 Corinthians 5:17: "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away." Let's start with the word "new." The Greek word for "new" used in our theme text means "something unprecedented, novel, uncommon, unheard of." Something never before seen.

Rick (00:14:12): This idea of a "new creature" or a "new creation;" I like the thought that it's unprecedented, it's novel. When something is novel, it's like, "Well, that's different!" That's really what we want to take into consideration. Well, that's different! Remember we began by suggesting this new creation would be a new branch of God's government that never existed. Well, that's different! That's what we're looking at here.

Jonathan (00:14:44): Another Greek word for "new" means "something that is fresh with respect to age." As in when the Bible describes "new wine;" it means grape juice that has not yet been fermented.

Rick (00:14:56): Alright, so you've got two different words for "new." That's different! Then "new wine" that just isn't old enough to be fermented yet. Let's look at a scripture that uses both of those words together to really get the sense of the differences. Jonathan, let's look at Mark 2:21-22:

Jonathan (00:15:16): "No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment; else the new piece (meaning never before seen) that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse. And no man putteth new wine (new, meaning unfermented) into old bottles: else the new (unfermented) wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new (unfermented) wine must be put into new bottles (meaning never before seen).

Rick (00:15:46): It's a difference between age versus something absolutely brand new that you haven't had before. A new creation, new. Something that's never been there before. I know it sounds almost like, "Okay, will you stop repeating it?" No, we won't, because it's so big and it's so important and it's so amazing. We need to get our heads to wrap around this.

Julie (00:16:14): Okay, well let's move on to the second word. Remember our theme text, 2 Corinthians 5:17, called those in Christ a "new (never before seen, unprecedented) creature" or "creation." Now that "creature" or "creation" word is a Greek word, meaning "original formation; the act of founding, establishing, creating." It's the same word used in Mark 10:6: "But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female." We have the original creation of the world and of Adam and Eve, but now this is something different, a new kind of creation. But didn't God rest on the seventh day when He was done creating? When did this happen?

Rick (00:16:54): Well, it did happen while He was resting. You say, "Wait, is that contradictory?" No, no, no, because look, God wasn't out of breath. He didn't need to like, give me fifteen minutes; that was a lot of work. That's not God, okay? When it says He rested, it means He looked at what He had created and said, "Behold, this is very good." He was completely finished with that aspect of who He is. He is a creating God. This new creation happens after the fact. It's entirely different, entirely separated from that original creation. That's the difference. It's not like He needed to take a break. It is, here's something different. You're going to say, "Well, why did He do that?" Wait till you see why He did that, because there's so much to this. Jonathan, what's next? We've got so far the word for "new" really put in place, the word for "creature" or "creation." What's next?

Jonathan (00:17:51): Well back to our theme text for the last definition. 2 Corinthians 5:17: "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away." Well, what are the "old things"? In Greek, the term means "original or primeval; of men things, times or conditions that had been from the beginning." The contrast of this new creation to "old things" is dramatic. For example, Matthew 5:21 says in the King James version, "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment." In other words, you've heard it by those supporting the old Law Covenant. That's the old archaic way. But I say, here's the new way. There's a dividing line separating old and new.

Rick (00:18:44): Jesus is, especially in Matthew 5, looking at the old way and saying it "has been said." Then he says, "But I say to you..." He is announcing a completely novel way to look at what was always accepted. That's where we're getting the beginnings of this idea of this new creation, because Jesus led the new creation. His teachings showed us what it is, so that's a really good scripture as a beginning. Now let's look at another scripture that talks about "old" in a very different way. Revelation 20:1-2:

Jonathan (00:19:22): "And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on that dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years."

Rick (00:19:36): You have the "old serpent," "the devil, and Satan." It's interesting to me that when you see how this new creation works and you have the comparison to that old serpent, it's like that's an archaic way that things happened. It will be done away with through the newness of this new creation. There is a dramatic effect when we look at the words for new creation and "old." It helps us to see this is, like Julie said, this is like the best superhero movie you've ever imagined because you've got this incredible force seemingly coming out of nowhere to go to work on things.

Julie (00:20:19): Rick, we often hear the story of creation as told in Genesis, but we don't often hear Christians talking about this new creation. Does the Bible tell us of any additional things or people that God created? Are there going to be other "new creations"? Like do you see any secret scriptures about other universes or aliens?

Rick (00:20:40): No.

Julie (00:20:42): Okay, so this is it, this new, is it? Well, as far as we're told.

Rick (00:20:44): As far as we are told, there is only one new creation that didn't come directly out of what God did in those original creative days, and this is it. That's what the Scriptures say. It gives us a sense that we better pay attention here because this is entirely unique. We have seen that this new creation was not made by God when He created the world. We've established that. But we need to know--here's the thing we need to know. We need to know it was in His mind at that time. How do we know that? Well, these next verses in Ephesians describes several telling details about how this new creation is founded in Jesus and how it works. Let's pay close attention to these next scriptures. Ephesians 1:3-4:

Jonathan (00:21:35): "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ..." Just a note--"in Christ" is the key to this new creation. Continuing: "...just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him..." God had a plan for this second creation before He even started His first creation? That's amazing!

Julie (00:22:05): Yeah, He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world. Imagine that! But it's important to understand that this new creation doesn't replace the old. God isn't abandoning the "everybody else" as a sinful failure and moving on with just these select few to try again. No. He has a beautiful plan that includes a pathway back for humanity as well, even non-Christians. We're talking about two different pathways.

Rick (00:22:32): Yeah, this new creation doesn't abandon the old. It is for the sake of the old.

Julie (00:22:39): Yes.

Rick (00:22:39): This is how we need to see it and how we need to unfold it. Let's think about this and what does it do and how does it work? As we unfold the profound purpose of this new creation, we'll more deeply appreciate it being formed in the mind of God long before it was time for its actual formation. Again, long before He did it, the scripture says He knew it. This is very, very critical. Ephesians 1, Jonathan, the last part of verse 4 and then to verse 5:

Jonathan (00:23:10): "In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will."

Julie (00:23:19): Let's pause for a moment. "He predestined us." Predestination is a big debate among Christians. Does this mean that before the foundation of the world, God already predetermined that Rick, Jonathan and Julie living now thousands of years later, would specifically be a part of this new creation with Christ? Conversely, that everyone else, through no fault of their own--ah, so sorry--doomed?

Rick (00:23:42): No, that is entirely directly contrary to everything that God stands for. Remember, man had and has something called free will, and that free will has the opportunity--we saw that in Adam, we saw that in Jesus, we see that everywhere in Scripture--it has the opportunity to express itself so that predestination is not of individuals, but of the creation itself. In God's mind, He saw this new creation, this new branch of My eternal government that we're naming the Ministry of Reconciliation. This will come into play much later when I (God) say it's time for it to come into play.

Jonathan (00:24:26): Let's ask another question. Why would the new creation be adopted as sons through Jesus?

Julie (00:24:32): Yeah. Why aren't they just sons? Why are they adopted?

Rick (00:24:34): Because they're coming from a form that is not worthy of sonship. They're coming from imperfect humanity. You have to be adopted because, as we'll see, there has to be a change. You have to grow into that family. You didn't start there. Remember, we all started as part of the regular old creation, but this new creation is a calling to something higher. You were adopted into that transition, into that place. Okay, let's continue. God knew that He would call mere human beings to be part of this magnificent calling, the glory of which is linked to an adoption. We're going to get into that adoption thought here a little bit more deeply and again, still in Ephesians 1:6:

Jonathan (00:25:21): "To the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the beloved." What a responsibility and privilege to be a part of "His grace."

Rick (00:25:35): When you say that, it's almost like, wait a minute, what did you just say? If you were a part of the grace of the Almighty Eternal Father, Creator of all things, think about He's paying special attention. How small are you, by the way? Let me give you the answer. So small it's almost like you're completely insignificant, and yet, and yet this idea of this new creation takes these insignificant little bugs, if you will, and raises them to this amazing, amazing place. All of this, again, is to bring praise to the Creator, and it's all done, all of it is done not because you're so smart, not because you're so worthy. It's all done through Jesus.

Julie (00:26:23): Just to clarify, this new creation is a position created to be filled by the most faithful followers of Jesus, whoever those might be. Whenever we see scriptures speaking to that group, we can think of them as instructions to these new creatures in Christ. Is that correct?

Rick (00:26:40): Yes. Yes. When you look at the New Testament, it is written to the new creation. That's the recipient. The envelope that's delivering the New Testament says to the new creation throughout the age of the gospel, from God the Father, through His ministers, through the apostles, and through his faithful followers, to show us the way. That's who it is written to. To be part of this new creation requires living in a different way, which is a sacrificial way. God's own spirit, His own power and influence plays a vital role in this new way of life. Let's look at Romans 8:12-17:

Jonathan (00:27:25): "So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh--for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live."

Julie (00:27:40): We talked about a figurative dividing line between the old creation of mankind and the new creation of the faithful followers of Jesus. Problem is, we're still human. We are that old creature, so the idea is we put on this new creature by putting on the mind of Christ. If we follow in the ways of our natural desires, our own inclinations, our old nature, our old creature, we're not going to be any better off than the rest of humanity. But we want to be a part of that Ministry of Reconciliation, that special heavenly government you talked about. We have to live differently now.

Jonathan (00:28:16): Continuing with verse 14: "For all who are being led by the spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, Abba! Father!" Well, the gift of the holy spirit, God's power and influence in our lives, is God's pledge to us that we are called his sons. Continuing in verse 16: "The spirit itself testifies with our spirit that we are the children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him."

Julie (00:28:58): I love that because Paul explains how those who follow Jesus' teachings and devote their lives to God are joint heirs with Christ. Therefore, we are brethren to each other and to himself, brethren to Christ himself.

Rick (00:29:13): Christ is the one who started the whole thing. Remember the Abrahamic promise? We talked about Isaac as his promised seed. Well, guess who Isaac represents? Jesus. None of this--zero, zip, zilch, nada--exists without the sacrifice of Jesus first. That talks about being "heirs" with him. He's not "heirs" with us. We are "heirs" with him. Let's get it straight. Nobody, none of us deserves any of this. Jesus, however, deserves all of it. Putting to death the deeds of the body and living according to God's spirit brings sonship with Jesus. That's what we're looking at here. Jonathan, as we put this piece together; Knowing the New Creation, where are we so far?

Jonathan (00:30:00): The new creation is exactly that; it is a creation that God in His mercy and grace has seen fit to put in place long after the rest of His creation. This new creation is first established by Jesus' own faithfulness and sacrifice. It is made up of those whom God has called to be Jesus' disciples. This is a unique, once-in-all-of-creation opportunity!

Rick (00:30:27): It is unique and it is different, and it is higher than anything we can ever even possibly imagine. Again, we're only beginning to uncover the covering of what this new creation really is all about. As we dig deeper and begin to clarify more details, it's becoming more and more obvious how extraordinary the call to Christ really is.

Jonathan (00:30:53): Becoming part of this new creation brings a very close relationship with God. Are we in the fullest sense God's children now?

Rick (00:31:01): Ah, this is an important question and the answer, well, the answer needs some explaining. Obviously, several of the scriptures we've already read have clearly declared those who have God's spirit are His children now. However, however, there is another dimension to all of this. While there is sonship now, it's only a precursor to the heavenly sonship promised. What we're suggesting here is according to scripture, you see, yes, you are God's sons, but there is something different, something bigger, something better coming. Doesn't take away from what you are. Ah, but what it brings you to, that's what we want to get to here. This whole process of the development of new creation was opened up to us by Jesus just before he gave himself to be crucified. He introduced this to us in John 14:1-3:

Jonathan (00:32:02): "Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also."

Rick (00:32:22): "Where I am, you may be also." "I am going to prepare" some place for you. This preparation aspect of Jesus' encouraging words shows us how this new creation really is being developed as a result of Jesus' own sacrifice and faithfulness.

Julie (00:32:44): We noticed that Jesus had to leave--meaning die as a man--and "prepare a place" for his faithful followers, his church, this new creation somewhere for this Ministry of Reconciliation to operate from. He was the first man resurrected to heaven. All those who died previously were not promised a heavenly reward. Even those faithful people like Moses and Abraham. He's the first; goes to prepare a place for this new creation.

Rick (00:33:12): Now think about it. He's going "to prepare a place" for this new creation. What does that tell you? It tells you that in heaven there was no place yet for them. Why? Because it's new. Because it only happened as a result of Jesus' sacrifice. You can see this gets put into place and it's like, you know, figuratively speaking, got to go build the rooms for you, got to go set up your administration for the work you're going to do. Got to make it ready for you so that when you come, you have a place to go. It's new. It wasn't part of what was there originally. We need to see the power of that and the privilege of that. Let's get back to the original question. We're sons of God now, but what happens later? What happens to that sonship? Let's look at 1 John 3:1-3:

Jonathan (00:34:02): "See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know him. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when he appears, we will be like him, because we will see him just as he is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on him purifies himself, just as he is pure."

Rick (00:34:30): When you look at this scripture, it says we are "children of God," but it doesn't appear. We're not sure what's going to happen. You're like, "Uh oh. Is that something to be worried about?" Though the spiritual realm is somewhat mysterious, we're assured that "we will be like him." What do we know? Not too much. But if we know that "we will be like him," I ask you, is that enough? Yes?

Julie (00:34:57): Yeah, I'm fine with that!

Jonathan (00:34:58): For sure.

Julie (00:34:59): I'll trust.

Rick (00:34:59): See, that's the point. You'll be like him. That's all you need to know. Well, what does that mean? I don't care. If we're going to be like our Lord, that's it. We're good. That's just, I'm in. Just sign me up. Show me how to follow to get to that point. We don't know, but it's good enough to not know.

Jonathan (00:35:19): While living as sons of God now and waiting for that change, we are in a state of difficult transition. Romans 7:21-25: "I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man (in other words, the new creation), but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin."

Julie (00:36:08): That's all of us. Don't you just love how blunt and transparent and honest the Apostle Paul is with his failings? He's admitting this constant struggle between our old man who wants things our way (which is really Satan's way), and our new man who wants things God's way. Anyone trying to follow Christ is a living contradiction of transition, this liminal space where we aren't fully on one side or on the other. Times of transition can be especially challenging and vulnerable. We always need to have that armor of God so that we aren't attacked.

Rick (00:36:42): The idea is that this is where the proving ground is. That's what the Apostle Paul is describing. To inherit a place in this new creation, it is not like purchasing a winning lottery ticket.

Jonathan (00:36:54): You mean like, "I believe, I'm saved, I'm good! I can say and do anything I want, and I got a free ticket to heaven."

Rick (00:37:01): No. not at all. Not even remotely close. Stop imagining because it is something that you need to be prepared for. On the contrary, it is a lifelong fight towards spirituality and towards maturity.

Jonathan (00:37:18): It comes with trials and failure along the way, but it's worth the struggle.

Rick (00:37:24): That's why there's so much written in the New Testament to encourage us, because there are trials, there is failure, there's difficulties, there's things that happen. There's trauma and we need to grow through those things. Because think about this, this new creation we're talking about is so big and so massive, God is just not going to arbitrarily give it to somebody because "Hey, he's a good guy. I really kind of like Jonathan, good old boy." That's not what it is. It is growing into this character that God can trust forever with responsibility for others of His creation. That is what this new creation is being prepared for. We want to put this all in order. These promises and struggles show us that our present sonship is not complete. We are the sons of God, but it's not complete. Though we are sons of God here and now, we anxiously wait for true and complete spiritual adoption. Key words; anxiously wait for adoption even though we're sons. It's like, wait, that doesn't make sense. It certainly does. Let's look at Romans 8:23:

Jonathan (00:38:32): "And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoptions as sons, the redemption of our body."

Julie (00:38:45): Wasn't this opportunity offered to those of the Jewish nation of Israel first? Only after not enough responded did the call go out to the Gentiles with Cornelius being the first Christian convert.

Rick (00:38:58): Yeah, and that's important. We're going to come back to that later because that is a very important part of this whole understanding of how this new creation develops. Let's go a little further. Let's go to another scripture in 2 Corinthians 5. The Apostle Paul teaches that we prepare for our adoption, that we must be continually shedding our earthly framework. Again, in these verses, we're going to see the struggle highlighted in this change. Jonathan, 2 Corinthians 5:1-5:

Jonathan (00:39:33): "For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down (meaning our earthly life, these bodies we dwell in), we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked. For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life. Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the spirit as a pledge."

Rick (00:40:15): You think about all that was said here, the idea of getting rid of what we are and having this new body, this new being, that which is mortal swallowed up in life. What a powerful encouragement, having God's spirit is in these very difficult circumstances. Make no mistake, they are very difficult. They're very trying on purpose for the purpose of growth.

Jonathan (00:40:44): Notice how often the Apostle Paul uses the word "groan" in these scriptures. The word also means "a sigh." Living in our weaknesses and imperfections, mentally and physically, make us yearn for our heavenly goal to be set free from sin's bondage.

Julie (00:41:01): I just want to make a comment. This doesn't mean that the Apostle Paul was wanting to commit suicide. He doesn't not love life. What he's doing is, he's trying to use this life in every way pleasing to God so that he can qualify for this new creation after he dies.

Rick (00:41:19): That's really the key point here, is that the groaning is not, "Oh, this is too much. Oh, it is, Ugh, I've got to get past this. I have to put myself in a better place." Now Jonathan, I don't know if you've ever had a day where you're groaning a lot at your own experiences.

Jonathan (00:41:37): Yeah, yeah. Just ask my wife.

Rick (00:41:41): Well, sometimes I get into that situation myself. As a matter of fact, today was actually one of those days where it just seemed like the feeling of being easily overwhelmed was a lot more present than it usually is. When that happens, you go, "Ugh, come on." You ask my wife. But you look at that and you say, "There's better here. I can do better. I can do better in Christ by God's grace. Lord, give me strength. Give me wisdom, give me more of your spirit so I can overcome." You know the biggest trial of my life? It's me! So I can overcome me. The groaning is important and it helps us to refocus ourselves. Remember, this new creation is new. Flesh and blood must be left behind. That's what the apostle is saying for our adoption to actually take place. Let's look at 1 Corinthians 15:50-57:

Jonathan (00:42:40): "...flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable...we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? ...but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Rick (00:43:22): There you didn't have a whole lot about groaning, did you? Because you're seeing the glory to come. You're seeing the putting down of the things of the earth, the things of flesh, the things of sin, the things of this world, and swallowing them up in the victory of Christ, where the imperishable takes over that which is perishable. It's a "new creation!" It never happened before, and God is offering it here and now. Let's do, just based on this scripture, a little bit of comparison between the "old creation" and the new creation. What do we have?

Julie (00:44:00): All right, I'll start us off. The "old creation" was made of flesh and blood.

Jonathan (00:44:03): The new creation will receive a spiritual body,

Julie (00:44:06): The old creation, it said it over and over again, "perishable" body; it could and did die.

Jonathan (00:44:12): The new creation receives an "imperishable" body, "immortal" in an immortal body.

Julie (00:44:17): In order to no longer be part of that old creation, death must occur. While we're still in this mortal life now, it's the death of our own wills in favor of doing God's will. To be physically transformed, though, a literal death must occur.

Jonathan (00:44:34): For the new creation, life at the proper time will be instantaneous. We just read in 1 Corinthians 15:52 about changing natures in the "twinkling of an eye."

Julie (00:44:44): Now for the old creation, death waits for all. There's no escaping it no matter how hard we try or how healthy we are.

Jonathan (00:44:51): For the new creation, any future possibility of death is defeated through the gracious gift and reward of immortality.

Rick (00:44:59): Again, we look at this new creation and we realize that this is offered to the followers of Jesus. They are to become part of this government, God's government, God's Ministry of Reconciliation. They're given very specific work to do later and we're going to get into that in just a few minutes. Jonathan, let's put ourselves together right now, Knowing the New Creation; what have we added to what we know?

Jonathan (00:45:25): The new creation has a sonship relationship with God now, though it is not complete. While begotten of the spirit, we are not yet born of the spirit, so our sonship is still in its developmental phase. Once born of the spirit, the adoption, sonship, power and glory of God can never be taken from those faithful ones.

Julie (00:45:49): You said "begotten of the spirit," "born of the spirit." There's more detail in this week's CQ Rewind Show Notes available on our website and app. Please avail yourselves of that. But being "born again" is a popular phrase among Christians. But in some cases, "born again" is more accurately translated "begotten from above," meaning a changed relationship with God when the power and influence of His holy spirit is given to us. This term "begets" is taken from the natural birth process when a life is first conceived or begotten. After growth and development, the child's born. For the Christian, we receive the holy spirit now in this mortal life; that's the begettal. We grow, we develop, and then after death, we're later "born" as spirit beings in resurrection in heaven.

Rick (00:46:35): There's a lot to this. This is not a simple thing. Look, can it be simple? Really, this is a new creation. You look at how complex the original creation was. This is a complex development that God is putting in place FOR THE SAKE OF all of his previous creation. We want to really make sure we don't forget that point. As we digest the many details of what this new creation is, let's just sit back and marvel at how miraculous and loving this inheritance truly is.

Jonathan (00:47:10): Our sonship is not yet complete. What must we do to complete it, and what does all of this change lead us to ultimately be and do?

Rick (00:47:20): As we've already seen, the life of a true disciple of Jesus is one of challenge and growth. Notice how little we have seen of any earthly benefits for us here and now compared to how utterly powerful our future will be if we are faithful to it. The necessary changes are many, and the reasons for those changes are profound. Remember, it's not about what do I get here and now--it is what do I become through God's grace, His power, His spirit, and His providence. That inheritance, that adoption, that spiritual adoption actually means something eternally significant. Before we consider some of the changes that come with being part of this new creation, let's take a moment and consider the invitation to the new creation. How is it that you got invited, anyway? Well, let's start with John 1:11-13:

Jonathan (00:48:25): "He came to his own and those who were his own did not receive him."

Julie (00:48:30): Yeah, this is what I mentioned earlier. The Jewish people of his day opted to stay under the old Law Covenant and rejected the Messiah.

Jonathan (00:48:37): Continuing, "But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in his name, who were born (a better translation is begotten) not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God."

Rick (00:48:54): You have the concept that this was actually offered to the Jewish nation exclusively first. Because they rejected it, it became open to the Gentiles. We had mentioned Cornelius being that first Gentile convert. But think about it; for us, we would've had no opportunity if they didn't reject it, so let's not think we're so good, so smart, so special. We're not, we're simply not. We were just available and God saw the potential that He could develop. None of us are worthy and we only have this opportunity because others rejected it. Let's go a little further now. This idea of running for "the prize of the high calling." The apostle says, depending on the translation, he talks about this in Philippians, running for the "upward call," the idea, this prize of the "high calling," the new creation. What does it mean? Well, first of all, it means that we think differently than we ever thought before.

Jonathan (00:49:55): Here's the context of our theme text 2 Corinthians 5:13-14. "For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ controls us..." We think differently than we used to. We're driven by something entirely separate than what our life used to be.

Rick (00:50:17): That's such an important aspect of this thing. It's not that I'm a Christian and so now everything that I do that I used to do is blessed by God. That's not it. We have to look at life, we have to think differently. Every thought must be brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. That's what this new creation is about. It is not about, it's not about making you comfortable here and now. It's not. It's about developing you so that you can bring others to God through Christ later. We have to think differently. This also means that we have to see others differently. Jonathan, let's go to 2 Corinthians. We'll stay in 2 Corinthians 5, last part of verses 14-16:

Jonathan (00:51:08): "...having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and he died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for him who died and rose again on their behalf. Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him in this way no longer."

Julie (00:51:34): When Paul was known as Saul of Tarsus, he knew Jesus as a man "according to the flesh" and persecuted his followers. He did whatever he could to eliminate that message. Now he's saying, I don't look that way at my brotherhood. I see what God is working in them, not what I don't like in them. I see them now in the Spirit. That's how we're supposed to look at others. That's how we can learn to love our enemies.

Rick (00:51:59): There's a tall order right there for you, and that's just one of many. This new creation idea is not something that's easy. It's not something that's convenient. It's not something that, oh, I can catch up on the weekend. Oh, no, no, no, no, no. We have to think differently. We have to see others differently. It means we have to live differently. Back to 2 Corinthians 5, Jonathan, verses 17-18:

Jonathan (00:52:25): Back to our theme text. "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation."

Julie (00:52:42): Okay, finally, we get to this scripture you've been talking about since the beginning," the ministry of reconciliation." This is where you get it from.

Jonathan (00:52:49): Yes.

Julie (00:52:49): You likened, Rick, this to a branch of God's future holy government. God's ultimate accomplishment is the reconciliation of the world, but He begins his work with an elect class. Because of Jesus' sacrifice and merit on their behalf, his followers are now reconciled back to God. In turn, just like in the Passover picture, their work will be reconciling all of mankind back to God. There's going to be judgment and restoration and rehabilitation work needed on behalf of all mankind being raised from the dead. It's going to be a huge amount of work.

Rick (00:53:27): It is. This idea of God's "ministry of reconciliation," yes, I took it exactly from the scripture. There was no creativity involved. But the whole point of it is to say God is creating this new branch of government because there's a new job that needs to be done that never had to be done before. We're going to pause on that and we're going to come back to it in a very big way in just a few minutes. Let's keep moving forward with the differences; we've got to think differently, we've got to see others differently, we've got to live differently. Living differently means that our objectives, our expectations, and our efforts, every one of those things must change. Jonathan, Romans 6:3-9, and I know you're going to break this up into several pieces:

Jonathan (00:54:14): "Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into his death?" Well, we walk behind him as a follower and we follow his path of self-sacrifice. Continuing: "Therefore we have been buried with him through baptism into death..."

Julie (00:54:31): I put away all my previous earthly ambitions because it's no longer about me. It's about serving God through Jesus.

Jonathan (00:54:37): Continuing: "...so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life." Am I walking in newness of life or am I still holding onto what my old creature loves? The new creature divests itself of these old things in order to inherit what is in infinitely more valuable. Continuing: "For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of his resurrection..." Talk about expectation! This doesn't mean we will all die on a literal cross. It's a picture of a life of sacrifice, giving up what we want and doing what the Father wants as best as we are able. Continuing verse 6: "...knowing this, that our old self was crucified with him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with..."

Julie (00:55:34): We face this struggle every day, just like the Apostle Paul told us. There's an expression: the problem with a living sacrifice is it keeps crawling off the altar. We're constantly fighting internally, trying to be the most faithful we can. We fight against our own natural desires, external temptations, keeping our emotions in check, dealing with the mundane issues of just housing and feeding ourselves and keeping a job and having to interact with other humans who can be just awful.

Jonathan (00:56:03): Battling this dual nature is the struggle of each true Christian, and the battle continues until death. Let's continue with the verses: "...so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over him."

Rick (00:56:29): There's a lot in those verses. It shows us that living differently means, and I'll repeat what I said before, our objectives, our expectations and our efforts all must change. We cannot be what we were if we want to be part of that new creation. If we are called, we are called to leave behind what we were. We have a glorious future if we follow God's leadings through His spirit in us. Let's go back to Romans 8:18:

Jonathan (00:57:00): "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us."

Julie (00:57:08): Whatever it's cost us to give up our own will, to keep our own will submissive to God, to be faithful to these principles for which Christ stands; all of that's part of the sufferings of Christ. Jesus symbolically gave up his earthly life when he was baptized at Jordan. This isn't just, "Be nice and you go to heaven." This is much bigger.

Jonathan (00:57:29): Romans 8:18 reminded me of the many times Paul brings up groanings. It's okay to groan and to suffer. Why? Because we're working towards Christlikeness.

Rick (00:57:38): Okay. Jonathan just gave you all permission to groan as long as the groaning is in perspective, in that spiritual perspective okay? This future glory is the glory of all that we have described. It is the unique spiritual glory that God has reserved. He's reserved it for this new creation. It's reserved only for them. This future glory has an eternal purpose. Now we want to delve into that, this eternal purpose, this "ministry of reconciliation," this branch of government that God is creating. It's not just to be united with Jesus and God. A lot of times as Christians, we think you go to heaven and you know you're going to hang out with Jesus. No, you're not going to hang out with Jesus. You're going to work with him in this new ministry of reconciliation. Let's see how it works. 2 Corinthians 5:19:

Jonathan (00:58:32): "Namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation." This scripture is so comprehensive. It covers the Lord's favor to true Christians here and now, as well as His ultimate favor to all the families of the earth. When they will be restored, God will forgive the world's sins and they won't be counted against them.

Rick (00:58:59): See, it says that God is reconciling the world to Himself; not individuals in the world, but the world to Himself in Romans eight. Folks, if you want to understand this branch of government that God is creating, read Romans eight. Romans 8:19-23 show us what this heavenly call does for the earthly creation. Go ahead, Jonathan, Romans 8:19-23:

Jonathan (00:59:29): "For the anxious longing of the (old) creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God (the new creation). For the (old) creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the (old) creation itself also would be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God (new creation).

Rick (00:59:50): Okay, pause. Yeah, pause there for a second. Remember the Passover. Remember when the firstborn were delivered and that opened the door for the second born or for the rest of Israel, rather? That's what's happening here. The old creation, the world is suffering. It says they were "subject to futility." In other words, whatever they try is not going to work. Why? Because they're waiting for the manifestation, the freedom of the glory of the new creation. Okay, let's continue.

Jonathan (01:00:22): "For we know that the whole (old) creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body (the new creation.)

Julie (01:00:42): Just to expand on what you were explaining, Rick, this really leads us full circle back to our discussion of the two pathways. We were shown this comparison, "stars of heaven," "sand of the seashore" in the promise to Abraham. In the deliverance from Egypt, firstborn delivered first and because of their deliverance, the rest of the nation received their deliverance. Here in Romans 8, two different groups again. The world, the old creation is waiting, hoping, groaning, longing for a time of peace and safety. It'll be dependent on this new creation being finally adopted as sons, being placed into that heavenly government to help reconcile everyone who has ever lived back to God.

Rick (01:01:22): This governmental agency of God, this ministry of reconciliation, is not like the governments of this world. Whenever there's a new government agency opened up, everybody goes, oh, brother, here we go. Not here, not now. This is God's government, God's development, God's choosing of those who will be in place so that His entire creation can glorify Him. Look, folks, if you are called to this level, there is nothing, outside of our own foolishness, nothing that could undo the new creation work that God has begun in us. That's what it says in Romans 8:39:

Jonathan (01:01:59): "Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Julie (01:02:06): Nothing can separate us, that is, except me. Now, that's a groan. We need to follow through and be as faithful as we can because these are high stakes. We can forget how serious this is as we go about the everyday problems in our lives, but the world is changing. We can see it out there. We see what's happening with these news headlines. We have the opportunity to be a part of that change in the biggest way ever known to God's creation.

Jonathan (01:02:35): Revelation 2:10 says, "...Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life."

Rick (01:02:44): To be called to be part of this new creation is all about being with Jesus, not only where he is, but in the work that he is set up to do. Let's close with one final scripture, a prophetic look at this work, and folks, a lot of us read the scripture and say, this is cool. No, no, no, no. What this is showing us is this is God's will, God's plan, God's way. Let's look at Isaiah 9:6-7. These are very, very familiar verses, but let's think about what they really say:

Jonathan (01:03:17): "For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on his shoulders; and his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of his government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this."

Rick (01:03:45): "There will be no end to the increase of his government or of peace." The new creation is God's "ministry of reconciliation" in the government that Jesus carries literally on his shoulders to bring peace to the world. This is a prophecy. This is God's word. When God says it, He means it. It's going to come to pass. The new creation is an integral part of being with Jesus and bringing peace to the world. Jonathan, wrapping up, what do we know about the new creation?

Jonathan (01:04:21): The new creation has been planned by God from before the creation of humanity. His purpose for it has always been clear and has always been based upon the magnificent loyalty of his son Jesus. It has been to call some of his frail, imperfect human creation to come up higher, to be faithful disciples of Christ and to become a part of His heavenly family. All of this was for the purpose of bringing all of His creation back to the glorious position of harmony with Him!

Rick (01:04:54): The new creation is something that never happened before. It is laid out for us plainly in Scripture so we can see what its development is like. No wonder Jesus said to his apostles as he was calling them, "Come, follow me. I will make you fishers of men." He called them to work with him, both in the present, but much more importantly in the future because in the future in God's kingdom--and look at all the Old Testament prophecies that talk about God's kingdom and God's government--they are God's "ministry of reconciliation," there to bring the world to a place where they can bring honor and glory to the Heavenly Father. Amen. Think about it. Folks, we love hearing from our listeners. We welcome your feedback and questions on this episode and other episodes at ChristianQuestions.com. Coming up in our next episode, "Does God's Holy Spirit Speak to Us?" We'll talk to you about that next week.