“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

— 2 Corinthians 5:17

Have you ever felt discouraged because you’ve noticed a wrinkle where you once had smooth skin or a little extra “padding” where you once had muscle? Maybe recently you’ve spied just one gray hair too many.

In this world, the Second Law of Thermodynamics (which asserts that all things tend toward disorder) constantly works upon everything, including us. All things eventually run down, wear out, and grow old. You’ve seen it at work. As soon as you buy or make something new, immediately it starts to age, decay, wither, and disintegrate.

We can never overcome the Second Law of Thermodynamics—we can’t even break even. But in the kingdom of Christ, we do not wear down, disintegrate, or age as the things of this world do. God makes us new creations, and He’ll continue to do so until that day when He will make all things new. We can never mend or repair our old, broken-down, corrupt, evil nature. Instead, we allow Christ to remove them. The old must diminish while the new grows. The diminishing of the old nature is called mortification. The growing of the new nature is called vivification. Put the two together and the result is sanctification—one of the great doctrines of the Christian faith.

If we walk with Christ each day, He renews us. As we come to know Christ better, our spirits change more and more. He molds us day by day into His image, chipping away at our old nature and replacing it with the new. Only Christ can do this work, and He does it by the continual supply of His grace.

Do you feel the need for renewal today? Then invite God to do His work of grace in you. Submit to His rejuvenating power, and watch as He continues to make you a new creation for His glory.

“Since we are born into God’s family we
should bear a family resemblance!”
Paul Lee Tan