The old has gone

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" 2 Corinthians 5:17. 

Conversion to Christianity is not a ritual. It is a radical change of a personality, where God Himself participates by changing the person completely. We are not talking about external things, but about internal ones. The nature of a person changes. Hatred, anger, lies, and anything that sinful is removed from the depths of the human heart. Christ enters his/her nature and removes the old one. Holy Spirit settles in too. New life begins.

Old friends may not understand what is happening with their fella as they have not experienced the "New Birth" themselves. The state of being in Christ affects the way of life, choices, beliefs, behavior. Christ himself participates now in the person's life. God's nature becomes that person's nature. Of course, it takes a while for Christ to start manifesting more and more through a person, but the change is real and the journey to manifest more of the new life has begun and should never end.

Jesus is not a deodorant

Ephesians 2:5: “…made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.”

This Bible verse clearly states that we were dead in our sins. Our nature was sinful. There was nothing good about our thoughts, ways and actions. You know, if a person is dead you cannot revive him with aspirin. You cannot also kill the bad smell by simply sprinkling some perfume on him. Only a miracle working power of God can resurrect a person. 

We often think that Jesus is some kind of moral example that could make us better. No, he did not come just to moralize you and teach you a better life. He came to take you out of hell, resurrect you from spiritual death, change your nature and make you a new creature. He is not a deodorant that tries to hide bad smell.

Jesus does not hide your bad nature. He changes it. He transforms you from inside out, not from outside in.

You cannot make an inner change by doing some outward actions: dressing nice, putting on make up, smiling and etc. No, you need an inner transformation. Jesus came to transform you. He came to make you a child of God. He came to save you. And He did that! Glory to God!

New creatures in Christ

2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!“

All of creation witnesses a tremendous miracle – transformation of man by the power of God. By means of Christ God has taken out the old man and has created a new one in everyone who converted to Jesus. Nothing could change a human in the Old Testament. Sinful nature was there inside everyone. There had to come Holy Spirit and make a complete miracle – new birth. This miracle now happens every day as a person repents of His sins and receives Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. Glory to Jesus for changing us.