BEHOLD I MAKE ALL THINGS NEW Rev. 21:1,2
Anita Clark – PastorGrace Chapel, Carbondale, Kansas
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (II Cor. 5:17).
This is where we began as a new believer in Christ. Notice that the above scripture uses the phrase, “...in Christ...” How do we become “in Christ,” and what does it mean to be “in Christ.”
Here is the answer. When we accept Jesus to be our Savior and ask Him to rule in our hearts, He accepts us into His family. We become children of God. We are recognized as a member of the body of Jesus Christ. Our faith in Jesus, accepting His salvation which He accomplished on the cruel cross, paid for our sin.
The new life of Christ is placed within us, and from that new life comes attributes of the Heavenly Father. These things are seen in our lives as new things. II Peter 1:4 tells us, “Whereby are given to us exceeding great and precious promises; that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”
This divine life of Christ within us produces new thoughts, new motives and new actions. The characteristics that Jesus manifest, such as: love, mercy, gentleness, goodness, meekness, faithfulness, patience, longsuffering and temperance, now are manifest in our lives as we yield to the Lord Who dwells in us.
Since we have become a New Creation in Christ, we can look forward to many new things. For example, the life as yielded to God is full of joy and peace. The weight and guilt of sin is lifted. Our future is bright, whereas before it was dismal and full of fear and judgment.
Romans 8:21-23 tells us, “...the creature itself shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the sons of God...we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption (placing as sons literally in God’s presence) to wit the redemption of our body.”
This is the promise - we will have new bodies one of these days. No more pain, death, sorrow, or crying as we enter into that eternal state with Christ our Lord. I John 3:2 says, “...but we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.”
Phil. 3:21 guarantees this, “Who [Christ] shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body...” What does it mean to be glorified? We think about what kind of body Jesus had after His resurrection. He was incorruptible, He was eternal, He could go through walls, He could eat, but did not need to, and He appeared here and there, revealing Himself as He willed. This shows us what it means to be glorified.
We are expecting a new heaven and earth as 2 Peter 3:12-13 says. And John saw in Rev. 21:1,2, “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven prepared as a bride for her husband.” This is our destination. Because we are new creatures in Christ, we are destined for a new home for eternity. How wondrous it will be! Prepare now to live on high with God the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit forever.
