Paul writes in 2 Cor. 5:17- (and please make note of the two letter word he begins with) : “IF...anyone is ‘IN’ Christ...he/she ‘IS’...a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new.”

What part of ‘is a new creation’ ...do we find so hard to grasp, let alone... understand?

And for the sake of this study today, let’s just say we are directing this to those who have ‘been around for some time’...in the faith. We are not talking about new ‘converts’ or ‘baby Christians’. (1 Cor. 3:1; Gal. 4:19)

Have you ever heard a car or truck ‘backfire’ before? I’m talking about one of those obscene, totally out of the blue-unexpected, ‘explosions’ that send cats running, makes babies cry and can almost cause an innocent bystander to have a heart attack . Or worse yet, have you ever owned or driven a car that did that on a regular basis? I think older model cars were prone to having that problem, for which the cause might have been any number of reasons...but my knowledge as to the ‘why this happens’ is limited.

Where I am going with this today and the question I want to ask you is this: Suppose you had one of ‘those cars’ that did backfire on a regular basis, and you had done all you knew to do to have it fixed, to no avail. So the day comes where you decide to trade this vehicle in for a brand-spanking-new automobile. I mean...it was about to turn 200k miles anyway on the odometer...so it is time. No, your hopes are not high for a very high trade-in offer on the car but those new tires ought to be worth something, right? And during the negotiations at the dealership, you do mention to the salesman about this backfiring your old car does on a regular basis. You do this more as a fair warning to him should he want to start it up out there on the lot. When he asks how often does this happen, you tell him honestly- every single time you drive it down the street...multiple times.

But those days are about to be behind you now as you have just ‘signed your life away’ on a 2025 model whose sale price exceeded $45k. You proudly take ownership of the new keys and proceed to drive your new purchase home, excited for the neighbors to see you pull in your drive. And as you make your way down your street slowly, about to turn in your driveway, the most god-awful backfire explodes from the exhaust pipes of your new luxury ride. Surely...this was not your car that just made that familiar noise, but as you put the car in ‘Park’ and turn off the ignition, you hear the engine ‘rattle’ an extra second, and there it goes again...another piercing explosion of a backfire that has dogs barking and people looking out their doors and windows to investigate.

Within 30 minutes, you are back at the dealership demanding to talk with the salesperson who finalized your new purchase, as you have questions... that deserve answers. When you explain what happened upon your arrival home, he offers up a sympathetic smile of understanding...places his hand on your shoulder and informs you with something he figured you ‘should have known’ already...”All cars, new and old will do that every now and then. There might have been some ‘bad gas’ in there from sitting on the lot for an extended period of time.”

But then he tries to reassure you that while it may happen from time to time, this new car certainly won’t do it as ‘often’ or as ‘bad’ as the old car you traded in...did.

Are you going to buy that bundle of empty-words-of-an-explanation and be content with your new purchase? I hardly think so.

Then why do we ‘buy it’ when the modern day church tries to convince us that despite your recent ‘conversion’ and water baptism...just know that you will always ‘remain a wretched sinner’...and everyone knows a sinner is gonna sin; maybe not as bad and frequent before you ‘traded in your old life’, but don’t worry...Jesus paid the price for all of them, past, present and future sins’. I mean...let’s be real...’Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven’, right?  

Who....'told you that'? (Gen. 3:11)

So was that verse we read at the start, 2 Cor. 5:17, just some empty promise designed to lure you into the ‘store’? Or is it remotely possible that our understanding as to what it means to truly be...’In Christ’...having His 'divine nature' (2 Pet. 1:3-4) has been lacking? Join me tomorrow?