Lesson 48 The New Creation

     We've based these teachings on 2Corinthians 5:16-17 (Amplified) which says, "If any man is ingrafted in Christ Jesus, he is a new creation, old things have passed away, and all things (his old, previous moral and spiritual) condition have become new and fresh."
     The truth of this passage is more than we have really determined from much of what we've heard and been taught, throughout the years.  Your old sin has been done away with and not simply covered.  It is gone.  Our relationship with God has taken on a new meaning in our lives, because He is no longer only "God," but is now our "Father," too.  We learned in the above scripture, that the things of the Holy Spirit have become available to us by inheritance and are obtainable through our new relationship with our Heavenly Father.
     The Holy Spirit spoke through Paul, stating not about our going to heaven, but having heaven open to us now.  Thus, in Verse 17 Paul said that "The old previous moral and spiritual condition has passed away" and Behold, the fresh and new has come."  If the fresh and new have come, then this means we have new ways and new access to things previously unavailable  or ours to walk in.
     2Corinthians 5:1-2 (Amplified) says, "Laboring together (as God's fellow workers) with Him then, we beg of you not to receive the grace of God in vain (that merciful kindness by which God exerts His holy influence on souls and turns them to Christ, keeping and strengthening them-do not receive it to no purpose). For He says, In the time of favor (of an assured welcome) I have listened to and heeded your call, and I have helped you on (the day of salvation) Behold, now is truly the time for a gracious welcome and acceptance (of you from God) behold, now is the day of salvation."
     The above Words from Paul are Words and Revelation he received in his time in the Presence of Jesus Himself, according to 2Corinthians 12:3-4 (Amplified) where Paul says, "And I know that this man-whether in the body or away from the body I do not know, God knows-was caught up into paradise, and he heard utterances beyond the power of man to put into words, which man is not permitted to utter."
     Man's attempts at trying and speaking these things of the new covenant on his own, would have been simply empty words and prideful.  But, Jesus revealed these things to Paul and they are Spirit and Truth to us (as well as for Paul).  No man could ever speak these things from their own ability and have them be true, it was true because God spoke it.  There was no way "this man (Paul) could put into words or utter these truths."  Without having the knowledge and grace of the cross, man couldn't know or say that, "Old things have passed away, and now the fresh and new have come."  No man would dare quote from his own intellect, the things Paul spoke about Jesus in 2Corinthians 5:21 (Amplified) saying, "For our sake He made Christ (virtually) to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become (endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of) the righteousness of God (what we ought to be, approved and accepted and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness)."
     Jesus saying that "God was His Father," was more than man's ears could bear hearing, but we see in the above scripture, that through Jesus we've been changed from our sold sin nature, into the righteousness (right standing) with God, when we believe in His Word.  We now are "Laboring together as God's fellow workers."  Only a fool would proclaim such a thing, unless it was directly given him by revelation and grace.  Because the "fresh and new" has come, we must allow this revelation to become reality to us, like it did with Paul.  He said in 2Corinthians 6:1 (Amplified), "Not to receive this revelation of this grace to no purpose."
     We must now learn to walk in this newness of Spirit, because "all things have become new" and "the fresh and new have come."  Through Jesus (the Last Adam), heaven has come to be opened to us again, like it was to the First Adam.  Things that our Father made available and intended for us, have once again become ours, as God's "fellow workers."
     We've mostly avoided walking in the "fresh and new," because we preferred the old way.  Jesus said in Luke 5:36-39 (Amplified), "He told them a proverb also, No one puts a patch from a new garment on an old garment; if he does, he will both tear the new one, and the patch from the new (one) will not match the old (garment). And no one pours new wine into old skins; if he does, the fresh win will burst the skins and it will be spilled and the skins will be ruined (destroyed), But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine immediately desires new wine, for he says, the old is good or better."
     We are content with the old, religious way of doing things, where our walk with God is concerned.  After all, they've been good enough to keep us, until now.  Paul says, "Behold, the fresh and new has come."  We remain reluctant to try the new and fresh, because they are different from what we've formally known.  We've been taught that, "Whatever happens in our lives after being born-again, must be God's will for us."  We haven't tried the fresh and new that would bring us from the flesh, into the Spirit.
     Ephesians 6:10 is a scripture familiar to most of us, however, it it "new wine" for many who still walk in the "old wineskin" ways.  If we would walk in the fresh and new creation, then we could contend and defeat satan's works in our lives, but the "old wine" remains more palatable for many of us.  It's easier to allow the old things to remain in our lives, instead of using the new and fresh way to stand.
     Many do not wish to understand how we can walk in a place of authority over the works of satan, because it's easier to use the "old wine" of religious traditions, rather than using the new wine of the new creation.  Paul said in Ephesians 6:13-14 (Amplified), "Put on God's complete armor, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day (of danger) and having done all (the crisis demands) to stand (firmly in your place)."
     Many Christians don't believe these scriptures are included in their grace walk.  Paul said in Verse 14, "To stand therefore (hold your ground) having tightened the belt of Truth around your loins and having put on the breastplate of integrity and of moral rectitude and right standing with God."  The breastplate of righteousness or right standing with God, is a very real part of the new wine and fresh and new that has come.  Without partaking of the new wine, we have (in our old wineskin thinking) no breastplate for our defense.  We keep our old wine, which reminds us that "None are righteous, no not one," from Romans 3:10.  Even though this scripture doesn't state this, we have become a new creation and have been made before God, by Jesus.  We read the above scripture in the "old wine of religion."  Romans 3:23 (Amplified) says, "Since all have sinned and are falling short of the honor and glory which God bestows and receives."  The new wineskin can also read the next Verse24, which says, "(All) are justified and made upright and in right standing with God, freely and gratuitously by His grace (His unmerited favor and mercy) through the redemption which is (provided) in Christ Jesus."
     We just read 2Corinthians 6:1, where Paul instructs us, "Not to receive this grace in vain, but use it to exert God's holy influence on souls and turn them to Christ, keeping and strengthening them in it."  It's only when we know and accept the truth of the new wine of righteousness, we can walk in the fresh and new of this new creation wine.  Without knowing that we've been "created in righteousness in this new creation," we are (by the old wine of tradition), without the faith to approach our Heavenly Father with assurance.
     Many in the Church feel like this doesn't matter, while others believe it's prideful and arrogant to say that we've been made righteous in the new creation, through Jesus.  Some wear this as a Badge of Honor, that God has bestowed the fresh and new on His new creation beings (us).  We've been taught from the old wine of religion, that's it's prideful to proclaim we're in right standing with God.  In contrast, it would be prideful to say that "Even though God proclaims us righteous, we (as new creations) really aren't in right standing with Him.  This is true pride standing against the Truth of God.  If God has declared it so, then it is so.
     2Corinthians 5:20 (Amplified) tells us, "So we are Christ's ambassadors, God making His appeal as it were through us. We (as Christ's personal representatives) beg you for His sake to lay hold of the divine favor (now offered you) and be reconciled to God."  God has "offered this divine favor, grace, righteousness and His goodness" to us, and Paul says we must "lay hold of it."  Can it really be that the old wineskin of religious, prevents us from accepting this "offer" and continue drinking the old wine instead?
     This doesn't mean that we "don't drink " of the wine at all, but that we prefer the old wine of religion, instead of the new wine of the Spirit.  Many don't want the responsibility of walking in the new creation Truth.  To them, sharing some responsibility for accepting the new wine, is unacceptable.
     The old wine tells us that, "If God wants it done, then it will happen."  Or, they say, "If God wishes me to stop certain things, then He will remove them from me."  The new creation Word of God says in 2Corinthians 5:17 (Amplified), "If any person is (ingrafted) in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old (previous moral and spiritual condition) has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come."
     God has separated us from the old and now we must, by His Word, become "reconciled" to Him, according to 2Corinthians 5:20.  This is a great part of the new creation life.  We need to accept the truth of the new covenant ( the new wine) and allow the new creation to live in His presence, like God intended from the beginning.  God has removed the limitations of religion from us and has opened the unlimited resources of the Spirit and Kingdom into our realm, by His grace.  Religion has limited us by the flesh and blocked the place of our being with our Father, but grace has put "All things are possible, to him who believes" into our believing and walking.