New Creation Christians: Old Things Passed Away

2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

We will look at another characteristic of the new creation Christian. The Scripture passage points out, with regard to a new creation Christian, old things have passed away. Again, like we did previously, we must note the plain and assertive language the Holy Spirit uses in the Scripture passage to describe one who is in Christ. The Scripture passage does not say old things are passing away; nor old things might pass away; nor old things will pass away. It firmly states old things have passed away. It's an accomplished fact.

This is a marvelous work of God in the conversion of a sinner. God can both create and destroy. God creates a new creature and destroys the old nature of anyone in Christ. This is a spiritual phenomenon and may not be all visible to the natural eye, but we who have faith in God must embrace its reality. Old things have passed away from a new creation Christian. This is true of any one who is in Christ.

What are the old things that have passed away from a new creation Christian? The Bible identifies a list of old things which have passed away from a new creation Christian. The list includes both former religious customs and ungodly practices.

To begin with, the new creation Christian is not under the old covenant arrangement established between God and the people of Israel involving the Law of Moses. The old covenant vanishes in Christ. “In that He says, ‘A new Covenant,’ He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away” (Hebrews 8:13).

Participation in the old covenant religious rituals contributes absolutely nothing towards one’s standing in Christ. Christianity abolishes all old covenant rites, ceremonies, and laws, and introduces a way through salvation by grace for all mankind alike to become the people of God. For instance, circumcision, which identified the Jews under the old covenant as God’s people, completely loses significance in Christ. We read in Galatians 6:15: “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation.”

For Gentiles who have become new creation Christians, old pagan religious practices such as idolatry and the occult passed away. New creation Christians have nothing to do with these vain superstitious practices of idol worship, sorcery, and the occult.

And finally, for all new creation Christians, who were formerly Jews and Gentiles, the old corrupt nature with its ungodly lifestyles in the flesh have passed away. We are exhorted in Colossians 3:5-11: “Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.”

The wonder of the death of Christ on the Cross is its power to effectively bring an end to our old nature which was under the control of the flesh and the old body of sin and death. The Bible teaches this truth, but so many lack the faith to accept it that we have had all sorts of alternative explanations that lack the boldness of faith to take God at His word. But the plain declaration of the word of God is new creation Christians are delivered from the ungodliness of the old carnal nature. “We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For whoever has died is freed from sin” (Romans 6:6-7). And we are assured in Romans 8:9: “You are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.”

Therefore, for anyone who is a new creation in Christ, old things have passed away. Don’t look for them. Don’t accept them. Don’t identify yourself with them. Agree with God that the old things of your former ungodly lifestyle are gone!