| The Christian Life | February 1946 |
In Christ Jesus
All Things New
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”—II Corinthians 5:17
THIS meaningful passage of scripture reveals with lucid clarity that becoming a Christian implies much more than a reformation of heart and life and obtaining salvation through the blood of Christ. It is a wonderful thing to realize that by faith we are saved by being reconciled to God through Christ, but we should not lose sight of the divine purpose in offering us salvation during this age. It is not merely in order that his grace may be manifested toward us, but in addition, that we may participate with Christ in saving the human race.—Obadiah 21
To be “in Christ,” then, means more than to be in harmony with him. It means to be a member of his mystical body—“for by one spirit are we all baptized into one body,” says Paul (I Cor. 12:13) All who are thus baptized into Christ are “members in particular” of his body. (I Cor. 12:27) This means that all the Messianic promises of the Old Testament apply to the church as well as to Jesus, the Head of the church.
Among the many promises made to The Christ are those which show that it was God’s plan that Jesus and also his church should be exalted to glory, honor, and immortality. Peter declares that unto us are given “exceeding great and precious promises that by these we might become partakers of the divine nature.” (II Peter 1:4) John says concerning those of the church class that while “it doth not yet appear what we shall be,” we do know that “we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is.”—I John 3:2
Now when Paul says that those who are in Christ are “new creatures” he would have us understand that the church’s heavenly exaltation to glory is in some respects like a process of creation. Saints in glory will be much more than sinful human beings who have been purified and made holy. The whole world of mankind will be blessed in this manner as they walk over the “way of holiness” during the “times of restitution,” but they will remain human beings—they will not become “new creatures.”
Paul says of Christians, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Eph. 2:10) Yes, we are being “created” as divine beings to be with the Heavenly Father and with his beloved Son throughout eternity and to co-operate in all the “good works” of restoring mankind to life upon the earth, and throughout the endless ages of eternity to participate in whatever program the Father may design for his glory and for the blessing of his creatures.
This creative work of the Gospel age will not be complete until the entire Christ company is brought forth on the divine plane, but with each of us the creative process begins while we are still in the flesh. If we have been baptized into Christ we have already become “new creatures.” Already “old things” have passed away, and all things “are become new.”
And all these new things, Paul declares, “are of God.” We do not as yet have a new body, but we do have a new mind, and this new mind directs the old body into new paths—paths of righteousness and of service to God. “Old things have passed away.” Our old selfish outlook on life should now no longer control us. Earthly hopes, worldly aims and ambitions are no longer the things upon which we set our affections. Instead, we set cur affections on “things above, where Christ sitteth on the right of God.”—Col. 3:1
And we no longer work for ourselves, but work for God, and in so doing, are being trained for the glorious kingdom work of the future. Paul says that God has given unto us “the ministry of reconciliation.” (II Cor. 5:18) Yes, this is our new work, and what a glorious privilege it is to have a share in it! It is an unselfish work because it is on behalf of others. We have already been “reconciled to God” ourselves, and now God invites us to extend the opportunity of reconciliation to others. We will not be able to reach many while we are still in the flesh, and few of those we do reach will respond. But God wants us to do the best we can now and thus prove our interest in the great work of reconciliation which is to be carried on during the Millennium.
So it is that as “new creatures in Christ,” all things have become new. We have new work to do, and new sources of wisdom and’ strength to enable us to serve acceptably. We have new joys—the joy of knowing God, and of being’ in partnership with him and with his beloved Son. We have a new-goal for which to strive, even the-”prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” These “all things” truly are “of God.” Do we appreciate them as we should? Do we grasp the thought as vividly as we ought that while God has done great things for us, he has given us a part in his loving plan for others and that he will exalt us to, the divine nature if we are faithful in doing his will now? What a blessed lot is ours!