Therefore if any
man/woman [be] in Christ, [
he/she is] a new creature: old things are passed
away;
behold, all things are become new.
“If any man be in
Christ, he is a new creature”:
What Paul particularizes (in verse 16), he
generalizes (in verse 17).
Paul could no longer
think of Christ in purely carnal terms, because of the universal truth that has
been applied to him personally.
That is, when a man
comes into vital union with the risen and glorified Lord, he is a “new
creation” (John 3:3; 15:5; Rom. 8:1, 9; Gal. 6:14-15), and perceives Christ in
a new way.
“In Christ”:
These two words
comprise a brief but most profound statement of the inexhaustible significance
of the believer’s redemption, which includes the following:
1.
The
believer’s security in Christ, who bore in His body God’s judgment against sin;
2.
The
believer’s acceptance in Him with whom God alone is well pleased;
3.
The
believer’s future assurance in Him who is the resurrection to eternal life and
the sole guarantor of the believer’s inheritance in heaven;
4.
The
believer’s participation in the divine nature of Christ, the everlasting Word
(2 Peter 1:4).
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