the old is dead.
we all like new things. well, maybe I should say I like new things. I like to buy new things like clothes, furniture, and nick-nacks. they’re shiny, without the wear and tear. but over time, like most things, they’ll get rusty, they’ll get old, and they’ll fade. some of my friends love thrifting, but I just haven’t gotten behind it yet because I like a new thing.
did you know that just like the new thing you bought at the store this week, you were made into a new creation? unlike the things of this earth, it doesn’t matter how long you’re alive, if you’re in Christ, the new won’t wear off. Paul puts it this way in 2nd Corinthians,
“Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now!This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (5:14-17, NLT).
when did we start living like we were old? I know that too often, I can look at myself and think, “Oh, I need this new thing because I’m starting to feel like this (or me) is getting old.” but God looks at us completely different! it doesn’t matter how long we’ve known Jesus. everyday, we are a new creation. He lavishes his new mercies on us every morning (Lamentations 3:23). God looks at us with love, adoration, and compassion because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for us. when we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord of our lives, we become new. the old is completely gone, and the new is here! you are made new everyday.
one of my favorite singers is Taylor Swift. you may be rolling your eyes at me right now, but stay with me. she has a song called Look What You Made Me Do, and in this song, there’s this one lyric that really sticks out to me among the rest of the song. She proudly states,
“I’m sorry, the old Taylor can’t come to the phone right now. Why? Because she’s dead!”
I think this is how we should look at our old selves. too often, we think we can’t be made new in Christ because of the things we have done in the past. we think that we aren’t good enough for God (news flash, we aren’t- that’s the point of Jesus), so we turn back to our old self instead of turning to Christ. this is a trap the enemy puts in front of us more than we like to admit. however, we need to know and remember that “there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Paul explains this further in Ephesians 4. He states,
"But that isn’t what you learned about in Christ. since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God- truly righteous and holy” (v. 20-24, NLT).
we are called not only to die to our old selves, but to put on the new self. just like a new piece of clothing, we have to put on our new self. we have to make the choice everyday to die to our old selves and remember that we are redeemed in Christ. the word new here in the greek is kainos. I think this word captures what Paul is trying to say in this passage beautifully, because the English word for new just doesn’t hit the same way.
Kainos refers to something fresh, unused, or of a new kind/quality. its description means something unprecedented or novel. it isn’t just something recently created, but emphasizes a qualitative transformation over being young or recent (Bible Study Tools).
Christ not only brings us new life, but redeems our old life. He doesn’t waste anything, and He redeems every moment we fall short of the glory of God and brings us back into right relationship with Him (Romans 6:23).
to put it plainly, we are called to die to ourselves. the Christian walk is a constant reevaluation of dying to ourselves to be made new in Christ. we aren’t called to go back to our old ways, but to die to them. Jesus proclaims in Mark 9:34,
“If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. if you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. but if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world, but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?”
Is anything worth going back to your old life? the enemy may attempt to tempt you, trap you, and entrance you, but God has called you to a new way of life, to remember you are kainos, a new creation in Him. the old is gone, and the new is here. thanks be to God!
