Faith Building Block #1

A New Creation in Christ

“Faith believes a thing is so, before it is so, so that it will be so."

We are going to be studying the six primary Building Blocks for developing strong faith.  If you are new to the message of faith or if you have been struggling to get your prayers answered, you have come to the right place.  

By the time you complete this short series your faith-level will be elevated.  

You will be well on your way to living the life of faith successfully.  Let’s begin.

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2Corinthians 5:17)

Notice the Bible says any man or woman who has made Christ their Savior is a “new creature.”  Another translation of the Bible says a “New Creation.”

This is an astounding revelation.  When we come to Christ, God doesn’t just forgive our sins and leave us as we were.  He changes us.  

He changes us FROM children of Satan.
Ephesians 2:2 (EXB)

2 Yes, in the past you ·lived [walked] ·the way the world lives [L according to the course/ways/age of this world], following the ruler [C Satan] of the ·evil powers that are above the earth [L dominion/authority of the air; C probably demonic forces]. That same spirit is now working in ·those who refuse to obey God [L the children/sons of disobedience].

He changes us INTO children of God. (John 1:12)  
John 1:12Expanded Bible (EXB)

12 But to all who did ·accept [receive] him and believe ·in him [L in his name; C the name indicating the character of the person] he gave the ·right [power; authority] to become children of God.

He actually translates us right out of the Kingdom of Darkness and delivers us safely into the Kingdom of Light. (Colossians 1:13)
Colossians 1:13 Expanded Bible (EXB)

13 ·God [L …who] has ·freed [rescued; delivered] us from the ·power [authority; dominion] of darkness, and he brought us into the kingdom of his ·dear [dearly loved; beloved] Son, Translates: 1 a: to bear, remove, or change from one place, state, form, or appearance to another:

This all occurs quite supernaturally.  

When we become “New Creations,” it doesn’t happen on the outside.  It doesn’t happen bodily.  We look exactly the same after we are Born Again as we did before we were Born Again.  

This is because the supernatural change occurs on the inside, in the spirit man.  Human beings are spirits, not bodies.  Look at this revealing verse of Scripture.

“God is a Spirit …” (John 4:24a)
John 4:24 Expanded Bible (EXB)

24 God is ·spirit [Spirit], and those who worship him must worship in ·spirit [Spirit] and truth.”

This verse of Scripture reveals that God is a spirit being.  He is not a “force” or a “higher power” or “the man upstairs” or “whatever.”  

God is a Spirit.  This does not mean that He is a spook or a ghost.  

He is a spirit being with a spirit body.  He has spirit hands, a spirit face and all the other components necessary to make up a spirit body. (See Exodus 33:17-23.)  
Exodus 33:17-23 Expanded Bible (EXB)

17 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will do what you ask, because I know you ·very well [L by name], and ·I am pleased with you [L you have found favor/grace in my eyes].”

Moses Sees God’s Glory

18 Then Moses said, “Now, please show me your glory [C his manifest presence].”

19 The Lord answered, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will announce my name, the Lord, so you can hear it. I will show ·kindness [favor] to anyone to whom I want to show ·kindness [favor], and I will show ·mercy [compassion] to anyone to whom I want to show ·mercy [compassion].

20 But you cannot see my face, because no one can see me and live.

21 “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock.

22 When my glory passes that place, I will put you in a large ·crack [fissure; T cleft] in the rock and ·cover [screen] you with my hand until I have passed by.

23 Then I will ·take away [remove] my hand, and you will see my back. But my face must not be seen.”


Now let’s look at another verse.

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” (Genesis 1:17)

This verse reveals that all human beings have been created in the image and likeness of God.  

That means that we are all spirit beings, not bodies.  Our bodies are simply our Earth suits.  You cannot live on Planet Earth without an Earth suit.  

Even Jesus had to “suit up” in an Earth suit to come here. (Hebrews 10:5)  
Hebrews 10:5 Expanded Bible (EXB)

5 So when ·Christ [L he] came into the world, he said:
“You did not ·want [desire] sacrifices and offerings,
 but you have ·prepared a body for me [or given me a body].

As soon as we become detached from our Earth suits, our spirits go off to their Eternal Destinies.  (Ecclesiastes 12:6,7)

As human beings we are spirits, created in God’s image.  We have souls.  Our souls are comprised of our minds, wills, intellects and emotions.  We only LIVE in a physical body but this does not mean that we are a body.

It is in our spirits that we become new creations when we are Born Again.  

God actually recreates our Born Again human spirits.  We become individuals who never existed before.  The old sinful nature actually passes away.  God gives a new spirit to each of us, one with His very life and nature within it. (Ezekiel 36:26,27)  

This is the Miracle of the New Birth!

Not only do we become brand new on the inside, we become children of God – family members.  We also become joint-heirs with Jesus.

“The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” (Romans 8:16-17)

Everything Jesus owns now becomes ours.  This is what it means to become a joint-heir.  This is not a 50/50 proposition, either.  

Everything He owns is not half ours and half His.  Jesus owns everything and it all becomes ours as well. (1 Corinthians 3:21-23)  This is what joint-ownership entails.

Seem too good to be true, particularly in light of the past?  

Well, new creations have no past.  New creations never existed before.  As far as God is concerned, we have no former evil past.  

This is why Peter compares us to newborn babies.

“As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby:” (1 Peter 2:2)

We are newborn babies and newborn babies have no past.  

New creations have no past.  All things are new and all things are of God.  
2 Corinthians 5:17 King James Version (KJV)

17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Through Jesus Christ God has replace the old standard of life and given for us a trade this new life that found only in him.

Romans 6:4 KJV

4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Faith is the key to this exciting new life but there must be a total dependence on Jesus Christ finish work.

“But, Pastor, you don’t know what I’ve done!”

My response is usually, “And you don’t know what Jesus has done for you"  All we need to know is that God is not holding our former lives against us.  Let’s just trust Him.”

“For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.” (Hebrews 8:12)

This is Faith Building Block Number One.  

It is the most important one of all because if we don’t know it, we’ll live in condemnation over our past lives.  

This would severely hinder our ability to receive any of God’s promised blessings.

The Bible says we are new creations.  We never before existed.  This means there is no longer a past to be a problem.  It is only the future that matters now.

“But I’ve sinned since becoming a new creation.”  Well, sin is wrong.  However, repentance is right.  Ask God to forgive you and He will.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

He promises to cleanse us of all “un” righteousness, when we slip and fall.  We then become righteous again.  Our Father truly is greater than all! (John 10:29)

Make this Faith confession daily.  “I am a brand new creation in Christ.”