Newness of Life
“If anyone be in Christ he or she is a new creation old things are past away behold all things have become new.” - 2 Corinthians 5:17
Perhaps Paul emphasized forgiveness in 2 Corinthians because he knew believers would struggle with letting go of the past and moving on from the hurt and trauma that haunts their lives. He anticipated that they would struggle living and walking in the newness of life. To be a Christian means to be a new creation, right?
Fundamentally that's what it means to be a new creation in Christ. The verse above says just that. ‘As a new creation, old things pass away, and behold the new things to come’. If that is true, we have been redeemed by Christ’s blood and saved by the grace of God. Why then does the bitterness, resentment, and downright indignation continue to invade the recesses of our minds and make it so difficult to let it go?
If we are new creation in Christ, why does the pain feel as if it just happened yesterday, and why are we still holding on to the moments and memories of who violated us and what they did wrong? There’s no question about it; forgiveness is difficult. The great social reformer, Mahatma Gandhi once said, “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”
If you are follower of Christ, He has made you anew. Therefore, you have been given the newness of life. This is a gift that allows you to let go of anything and everything bad that has happened to you. You can choose forgiveness and, in so doing, choose God’s way. If you do so, and remain obedient to God, He will heal you; and not only will you feel peace about the situation, but Christ will wipe your slate clean. He says in 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Forgiveness as an act of obedience comes with many blessings. You can expect peace and you can expect forgiveness for your shortcomings as well.
Perhaps Paul emphasized forgiveness in 2 Corinthians because he knew believers would struggle with letting go of the past and moving on from the hurt and trauma that haunts their lives. He anticipated that they would struggle living and walking in the newness of life. To be a Christian means to be a new creation, right?
Fundamentally that's what it means to be a new creation in Christ. The verse above says just that. ‘As a new creation, old things pass away, and behold the new things to come’. If that is true, we have been redeemed by Christ’s blood and saved by the grace of God. Why then does the bitterness, resentment, and downright indignation continue to invade the recesses of our minds and make it so difficult to let it go?
If we are new creation in Christ, why does the pain feel as if it just happened yesterday, and why are we still holding on to the moments and memories of who violated us and what they did wrong? There’s no question about it; forgiveness is difficult. The great social reformer, Mahatma Gandhi once said, “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”
If you are follower of Christ, He has made you anew. Therefore, you have been given the newness of life. This is a gift that allows you to let go of anything and everything bad that has happened to you. You can choose forgiveness and, in so doing, choose God’s way. If you do so, and remain obedient to God, He will heal you; and not only will you feel peace about the situation, but Christ will wipe your slate clean. He says in 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Forgiveness as an act of obedience comes with many blessings. You can expect peace and you can expect forgiveness for your shortcomings as well.
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