Having repented from your sins and surrendered to Christ, something new has begun in you. You have been ushered into a new life entirely, since the day you believed in Christ and that His death on the Cross of Calvary was to take away your sins and save you.
Having repented from your sins and confessed Him as your Lord and Savior by surrendering the control of your life to Him, you have been born again.
Your first birth into this world gave you the natural human life, but this second birth (the new birth) gives you a spiritual birth in Christ Jesus. You have now become a child of God. (John 1:12). And you are welcome into the family of God.
The kingdom of God is now yours (John 3:5-6) You are no more the person you used to be. There is a great change inside of you now.
What is new beginning in Christ?
In Christ, a new beginning means a new life of faith, hope, and love. The term “beginning” is the same as the word “birth.” We don’t only get something added to us when we’re reborn. We’re transforming into something completely new, a new person with a new purpose in life: to live for the glory of God.
So, how did that happen? God’s grace and our faith are two things.
God’s grace alone can transform us into the new people we need to be, for it is only by His grace that all things are made new (Revelation 21:5). And it is by faith that we receive that grace.
But, exactly, what is faith? Trusting God as He has shown Himself in Christ is what faith entails. Faith is more than just accepting facts about Jesus; it is also putting our faith in Him and entrusting ourselves to Him. “He did not waver through disbelief regarding God’s promise, but was fortified in his trust and gave glory to God,” the Bible says of Abraham’s faith (Romans 4:20).
So faith entails trusting Jesus as revealed in Scripture and then living for His honor and glory.
What happens when anyone becomes born again.
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature: old things have passed away, behold all things are become new
1. “OLD THINGS…” 2 Corinthians 5:17
What are these old things that have passed away?
You need a clear understanding of what God has accomplished in your life to maximize what has already occurred!
(a) You Were A Sinner Before God, Being Continually Under God’s Judgment.
Psalm 51:5
Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
~ Psalm 51:5 (NIV)
Romans 3:23
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
~ Romans 3:23 (KJV)
Romans 3:5-6
But if our unrighteousness brings out God’s righteousness more clearly, what shall we say? That God is unjust in bringing his wrath on us? (I am using a human argument.) Certainly not! If that were so, how could God judge the world?
~ Romans 3:5-6 (NIV)
You were a sinner not just because of the sinful things that you did but because you were born a sinner. Every man born naturally by human parents inherited the nature of sin and so cannot please God. All have sinned and come short of God’s glory.
The wrath of God had kept hanging on your life because of this, even if you had actually not begun to commit sin. You were not a sinner because you sinned; you actually had no alternative to committing sin because you were born a sinner.
(b) Being Enslaved By Sin And Sinful Habits, You Were Unable To Please God.
Romans 8:8-9
But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. – Romans 8:8-9
John 8:34
Anyone who sins is a slave of sin, is bound to sin, and is unable to please God. It is sin that brings separation between God and man. As a servant of sin, you were bound to commit sin by nature.
(c) You Were In Darkness Under The Dominion Of Satan.
All sinners are under the kingdom and control of Satan. He keeps them in darkness so that even if they stumble they would not know what makes them stumble.
He blinds and covers people’s minds so that they will not see the light of the gospel of Christ and be free. That was your condition before now.
2.”. HAVE PASSED AWAY”
2 Corinthians. 5:17 – Says old things have passed away; not that they are passing away. How did it happen?
(a) Your Sins Are Forgiven.
God is faithful, just, and merciful. Having confessed your sins to Him, He has forgiven you. No matter how terrible your sins have been, He has had mercy on you and forgiven you as He promised.
(b) You Have Been Cleansed By The Blood Of Jesus Christ.
- 1 John 1:7
- Hebrew 9:13-14, 22.
Soap and water cannot wash away sin. Neither can the blood of bulls, goats, and rams. Having come to believe in Christ and have come to Him for forgiveness, you have been cleansed by the blood He shed for you at Calvary.
(c) You Are Now Declared “Not Guilty,” i.e. You Are Now Justified Before God.
- Romans 3:24-25 (NIV,LB)
- Romans 5:10.
“And are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”.
~ Romans 3:24 (NIV).
“Yet now God declares us “not guilty” of offending Him if we trust in Jesus Christ who in His kindness freely takes away our sins.”
~ Romans 3:24 (LB).
As far as God is concerned, because of what Christ did for you on the cross in taking your punishment upon Himself, you are free. You have been declared “not guilty” before God. You have been reconciled with God. You are now free to walk closely with the Lord and serve Him with nothing between.
(d) The Sinful Heart In You Has Been Removed.
- Ezekiel 36:25-27
- Romans 6:6 (NLT)
- Galatians 5:24.
There was a heart in you before now that used to make you sin and disobey God. It is called the heart of stone, human nature. It is the nature you were born with by your human parents.
Now that you have come to Christ, it has been taken away. Old things have passed away. Your old life has passed away with its passions and desires!
3. “Behold all things have become new”
- 2 Corinthian 5:17
Something definite has happened to you. “Behold” means a definite change that can be seen by people all around you, and has taken place in your life.
(a) You Now Have A New Heart.
- Ezekiel 36:26
- 1 John 3:9
- Galatians 2:20.
God has removed from you the heart of stone, the sinful nature which loves to sin. He has replaced it with a new heart, an obedient heart that loves God and hates sin. He has put in you His own very nature (seed). This is what makes you a child of God now.
(b) Christ Lives In You Now.
- Galatians 2:20
- 1 Corinthian 6:19
Your old self, your old life (nature) has passed away. Christ lives in you now. And He did not come into you as a visitor. He came to dwell in you. All you need to do is to allow Him. Let Him talk, sleep, wake up, sing, eat and work in you. It is such a glorious life that nothing can compare with it.
(c) God Has Changed Your Spiritual Location
- Colossians 1:12-13
- Romans 11:17,24
As soon as Christ saved you, He did not leave you in the kingdom of darkness and under the control of Satan. And He did not just stand and command you to move out by yourself.
He has delivered you from the power of darkness and translated you into the kingdom of God in the light. There is Christ, Satan cannot reach you.
He Himself removed you and completely planted you in His own kingdom. You are free from Satan’s control.
Whatever rules and reigns in his kingdom cannot affect you any longer. You have been cut off from the wild olive tree and grafted into the holy olive tree (Jesus Christ Himself). You are free! Hallelujah!
(d) You Are Now A Child Of God, A New Creation, A New Member Of The Household Of God.
- John 1:12-13
- 2 Corinthians 6:18
- Romans 8:29.
Having repented from your old ways and received Christ into your life, you have been given the right, the power to become a child of God. You are now God’s child, a member of God’s family.
In that family, Jesus Christ is the firstborn. All other believers, including yourself, are brothers and sisters. You now have the Almighty God as your Father. You can now call Him “Father”. Praise the Lord!
(e) You Are A Citizen Of Heaven.
- Philippians 3:20
- John17:15-16
- Luke 10:20
- John 14: 2 -3
- Romans 20:15.
Your name is written in the Lamb’s book of life. Though you live in this world, you are no longer of this world. You are a citizen of heaven. Heaven is your home and Christ is there, preparing a place for you, Hallelujah!
(f) From Now On, You Must Grow In Christ.
- Romans 8:29
- 2 Peter 3:18
- 1 Peter 2:1-2
- Colossians 2:6-7
You were predestined to become like Jesus. Every baby has the potential to become great in the future if he grows steadily. In the same vein, as a baby in Christ, you need to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The word of God is the spiritual food (milk) for your new life in Christ Jesus. Study it prayerfully every day.
Relate with your heavenly Father day by day in prayer, in the study of His Word, and in obedience to Him. In doing this, you will be growing in conformity to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Conclusion
All of these, God has already done for you as a true believer. And He did it for you free of charge. You must learn to give thanks to God for the free gift of salvation.
The essence of a new beginning in Christ is a changed life. It is being born again and having a life that is pleasing to God through surrendering our lives to Jesus. The Bible is clear: we can receive a new and right standing with God through believing what the Lord Jesus has done on the cross.
