New Creation

2 Corinthians 5:16–17 “From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

Intro

We are going to finish the year in a mini series. The series is on identity.

What do I mean by identity?

Who you are vs facts about yourself.

My last name is Lewis vs I am a Lewis.

Some other examples.

I play football vs I am a football player.

I’m shy when I’m around people I don’t know vs I am an introvert.

I like superheros vs I’m batman.

So when do you know when a fact becomes an identity?

Here are some signs.

You get emotional when someone challenges or threatens the fact.

You get mad when someone is better than you at it.

You get sad when someone doesn’t notice.

You feel like someone can’t really know you unless they know the fact.

When you think of yourself, it is one of the first facts you think of.

When you think about how others think about yourself, it’s one of the first facts you think of.

The problem with identity is that we put our identity in things that don’t matter and things that we shouldn’t.

I’m smart.

I’m funny.

I’m pretty.

I know my Bible.

Or…

I’m lonely.

I’m not cool.

I’m different.

I’m so messed up.

The problem with this is our identity is not meant to be based on these things.

It’s like going to a fancy restaurant and the food is horrible… But there was some nice spoons.

Having nice spoons is fine, I’m not saying to not have nice spoons, but that would miss the point of a restaurant.

So what is the “point” of being human? Specifically, what does the Bible say our identity should be as Christians?

Turn to 2 Corinthians 5.

Paul is coming off of several awesome chapters talking about all that Jesus has done for us. How we approach life differently. How we have a new purpose, new covenant, we even view trials differently. And in the section right before this, he talks about how we shouldn’t live for ourselves, but for Jesus.

2 Corinthians 5:16–17 “From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

Paul is saying that that if anyone is in Christ, if anyone is saved, is a Christian, then you are a new creation!

What does that mean for our identity.

The Old has passed.

Your failures. Your brokenness. What you dislike about yourself.

You might see yourself as a failure. As someone who isn’t good enough. Someone that is labeled a liar. A gossiper. A whatever sin or failure you want to put in. But God doesn’t see you by your failure. God sees you as a new creation.

Your “wins”. Your “best”.

You might see yourself based on your accomplishments. What you do well. But wins, success, popularity, money, talents, smarts. They will all fail you in the end. They weren’t meant to be your identity. They are some really cool spoons, so don’t throw away those gifts God has given you. But don’t miss the amazing food for the spoons.

Your previous identity.

Back then, especially in his first letter to the Christians in Corinth, they found anything and everything to cause division in that church instead of being unified.

How often do we do the same. We use our “identities” to cause us to be divided instead of being unified by what our identity is: Brothers and sisters in Christ.

The New had come.

New means new.

It means it doesn’t matter about your pass. It doesn’t matter what you have or have not done. It matter’s what Jesus did! Which was he bought you with a price and has made you new!

New means different.

It’s not just a clean slate.

I don’t know about you, but what is one of the scariest things is eating spaghetti with a new white shirt. If you haven’t, the thrills are next level. But even if you make a mess and get it clean again, you run the risk of spaghetti stains next time you eat it.

This isn’t just a clean slate for you to mess up again. It’s something different entirely.

The Key words are “In Christ”.

You are in Christ, you are a child of God.

This changes everything.

Question:

What is your identity?

Group Questions: 1. What are some “facts” about yourself that you sometimes treat like your identity? How can you tell when something has crossed that line?

2. Why do you think it’s so easy to base our identity on things like popularity, talents, or even our struggles?

3. How would your life be different if you truly believed your identity is “In Christ” instead of your successes, failures, or other labels you give or others give to you?

4. How do we as Christians keep our identity in Christ and being a new creation?