These are my notes for a lesson I taught on 2 Corinthians 5:17 at a nursing home in Raleigh, NC on December 6, 2015.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. - 2 Corinthians 5:17

  • Days of Creation — Genesis 1
    • The Bible opens by telling us that In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1
    • On the first day, God created light, and separated light from darkness. And “the light was good.”
    • On the second day, God created the sea and the sky, and it was good.
    • On the third day, God created the dry lands and covered it with vegetation, and it was good.
    • On the fourth day, God created the moon and stars, and it was good.
    • On the fifth day, God created the birds for the air and fish for the sea, and it was good.
    • On the sixth day, God created livestock and animals to fill the earth, and it was good.
    • Then God made man “in our image, after our likeness.” “And God said, ‘Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit.’” And it was very good.
  • The law of God — Genesis 2
    • God gave the first man Adam one commandment: “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
  • The Fall of Man — Genesis 3
    • The very man ate of the tree, breaking God’s commandment.
    • God curses Adam: This one trespass “lead to condemnation for all men” (Romans 5).
    • “Death spread to all men because all sinned.”
    • Though the man Adam was created perfect, his sin brought condemnation to all mankind.
    • The creation made good was cursed by God who made it.
    • Now “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. … There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
    • What was once good was subjected to futility.
    • What was once good is vanity!
    • What was once good is wasting away!
    • Our bodies made in perfection and in direct communion with the creator now wither away.
      • Our fellowship with God.
  • The Incarnation of Christ
    • God was not satisfied that His people should die in their sins.
    • Christ, the Son of God, took on the form of a sinful man.
    • God who ever seeks to dwell with His people, took on flesh to dwell among us._
  • The Death and Resurrection of Christ
    • Yet because of the sins of Adam, and because of each of our sins, we need reconciled to God.
      • The perfect God who demands perfection from His creatures could not leave us in our sins if He was to restore fellowship with us.
    • “For our sake [God] made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” — 2 Corinthians 5:21
    • “That one has died for all” — 2 Cor 5:15
    • Christ died, and our old, sinful self died with Him.
      • Christ rose, and we rose with Him.
  • The New Creation — 2 Corinthians 5:17
    • Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.
    • The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
    • Though by our very birth we were united to Adam “in Adam”, for those who trust in Christ as their savior, we are now united to Him, re-created by Him.
    • The same power that spoke light into being, that made the heavens and the earth now speaks new life into children of the living God!
      • For God, who said ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Cor. 4:6)
  • The Remaining Futility — 2 Corinthians 4–5 and Ecclesiastes 3
    • Though those who put their faith and hope in Christ are presently, already raised with him, “Our outer self is wasting away.”
    • Our bodies are “jars of clay”. Our earthly bodies are frail and transient.
    • “All are from the dust, and to dust all return.” (Ecc. 3)
    • Our bodies made to walk with God in the garden still feel the curse!
    • Yet “We do not lose heart.” (2 Cor. 4)
    • “Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.” (2 Cor. 4)
    • “For this light momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.” (2 Cor. 4)
    • What is seen?
      • Bodies that are frail and sick.
      • Friends and family that suffer and die.
      • Nations at war.
      • Christians persecuted around the world.
      • Gunmen who attack women and children in the street.
    • What is unseen?
      • “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.”
      • “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.”
    • The reality cannot be seen. Yet reality it is.
      • So “we walk by faith, not by sight.” - 2 Corinthians 5:7
      • By faith, we know that we are presently raised with Christ.
      • We are to live in this reality.
        • We suffer not as those who have no hope: we suffer as those already raised.
        • We are to live no longer for ourselves “but for Him who for their sake died and was raised.”
    • All are invited into this New Creation!
      • We all face the curse. Our bodies are frail. Our bodies are returning to the dust.
      • We do not, in our nature, walk in harmony with God.
      • But Christ died and was raised to give us new life, to bring us into His new creation.
      • Friend, today is the day to enter this new creation. Now is the favorable time. Now is the day of salvation.
    • Christian, do not give up hope.
      • Live, by faith, in the one who was raised.
      • Live, by faith, as one already seated with Christ in the heavenly places.
      • Trust his promise that He is coming soon.