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2 Corinthians 5:17
New Creation in Christ
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.
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Why it is worth knowing
- “In Christ” is the location of this transformation: union with him is the key
- “New creation” echoes Genesis: this is a re-creation, not a renovation
- “The old things have passed away”: past tense, completed action
- “Behold”: Paul draws attention to something surprising and worth noticing
Where it sits: 2 Corinthians 5:14-17
For the love of Christ compels us; because we judge thus: that one died for all, therefore all died. He died for all, that those who live should no longer live to themselves, but to him who for their sakes died and rose again. Therefore we know no one according to the flesh from now on. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him so no more. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.
Hear the passage it sits in, sung word for word, on BibleDo's 2 Corinthians page.
Background
Paul writes from the perspective of the new age that Christ’s resurrection has inaugurated. The term “new creation” (Greek: kaine ktisis) was used in Jewish thought to describe the age to come: the messianic era when God would renew all things. Paul’s stunning claim is that this new creation has already begun, not waiting for the end of history but available now “in Christ.” The believer stands at the intersection of the old age and the new, already transformed and yet awaiting final renewal. This verse is both a declaration of fact and a call to live accordingly.