New Creation Christians: Being in Christ

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

To fully appreciate who we Christians are, we need to grasp the true meaning and thoroughness of the change God produces in one who has become a believer in Christ. The Scripture passage, 2 Corinthians 5:17, plainly describes this change as a transformation from an old to a new creation.

The Scripture passage first identifies what is the fundamental root-cause of this change. It is being “in Christ.” One must be in Christ to experience this change.

The Scripture passage is plainly making a distinction between people who are in Christ and people who are not in Christ. It is good to note the distinction is not between people who belong to a religious organization or church group and people who do not belong to a religious organization or church group. The distinction is clearly between being in Christ and not being in Christ.

What does it mean to be in Christ? According to the Scriptures, to be in Christ is to be taken into Christ to become a vital part of Christ.

Jesus used the parable of the vine and its branches in John 15 to illustrate this integral connection between Him and those who abide in Him. In the parable, the branches of the vine are so united with the vine as to derive their existence and all their nourishment from the vine. The branches are sustained by the vine and share the life and substance of the vine.

Jesus explains in the parable in John 15:4-6: “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.”

According to Jesus, as the branches of the vine have no existence and cannot function if separated from or outside the vine, so no genuine Christian can exist or function as a true Christian outside or independent of Him. To be in Christ means therefore to be in union with Christ and to be in absolute dependence upon Christ. Any one who is in Christ is sustained by Christ with the life and strength of Christ and shares in the character and Spirit of Christ.

Therefore, being in Christ is a necessary condition or fundamental basis for being a new creation Christian. "If any man is in Christ" denotes all who are in Christ. Hence, all who are in Christ are transformed into new creation Christians. It implies that this profound spiritual change of a human being is universally possible.

Any one from any culture, nation, tribe, people, and religion can undergo that Christian transformation. But the necessary condition is that they must be in Christ.