The Unspoken Question
2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
The apostle Paul was a passionate missionary for the Lord Jesus Christ. Traveling around the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, he spread the gospel and started new church groups everywhere. To keep in touch with his various congregations, he wrote many letters. Some of Paul’s epistles became part of the New Testament. In his letter to the Greek congregation at Corinth, Paul explained that we become a new creation when we believe in Christ. A new creation – what exactly does this mean? Nicodemus, a religious leader and contemporary of Jesus Christ, wondered about that too. One day he had a private meeting with the Lord under the cover of night. After a brief introduction, Jesus replied to the question Nicodemus had in mind [John 3:3]: “Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.’” Jesus must have hit a nerve since Nicodemus immediately asked a follow up question [John 3:4]: “‘How can someone be born when they are old?’ Nicodemus asked. ‘Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!’” In response to his skepticism, Jesus explained that a new mindset is just as original as newborn life. While physical birth brings forth a new being, spiritual birth generates a new believer, and for that we have to thank the Holy Spirit. In the first chapter of Genesis we read about God’s Spirit hovering over a formless mass to overcome chaos and create new life. Spiritually, this is exactly what happens when God’s Spirit enters an accepting human heart. The impact is enormous. God’s love can thaw a frozen heart; in fact, He has the power to wake up the dead. He heals our pain if we let Him, and so we can leave our broken past behind. Hope remains in our heart and purpose in our step when we follow the Lord. Jesus gives us a new lease on life; believing in Him we will never be the same.