Christianity today is still largely fixated on places called heaven and hell, as evident by the worship songs sung, the sermons preached, the everyday discussions and concerns, and the many books that are published describing various dreams and visitations of heaven or hell. In my opinion, underlying this fixation on heaven and hell, is a belief that a simple re-location of ones person from Earth to Heaven will solve all the problems. However that is not really true. It seems that most people only really care if their loved ones or themselves make it to heaven, but forget there's probably a whole lot of living to do in a place called Earth before that will happen.
A re-location into heaven does not address the core problem which is the old creation – that the fall of Adam has corrupted the whole human race. The old creation is our natural being by birth, which does not have the Spirit (Eph 4:22). As long as the old creation exists, there will never been peace on earth, there will always be problems. The old creation is old because it lacks God who is always new (Isaiah 43:19). Oldness is synonymous with death, and newness is synonymous with life (Rom 6:4). The old creation can also be called the “death creation”, whereas the new creation can be called the “life creation”. The old creation is separated from the Spirit of life, but the new creation is from the Spirit of life (Rom 8:2).
Every problem on Earth is a problem with the old creation – whether it is the terrible rapes, murders, abortions that occur every day, or the occasional squabble between husband and wife, child and parent. Unfortunately a re-location of man's soul from Earth to Heaven does not address these problems. The only solution is the new creation. If every single person on the Earth today lived according to the new creation, there would be no more wars, no more divorce, no more environmental pollution, and no more poverty.
God’s plan to solve all the problems is not to give up on the Earthly situation and transport people from Earth to Heaven via a transportation mechanism known as the gospel, but to take a group of human beings of the old creation, terminate that old creation, make them a new creation, use these new creations to make more new creations (evangelism) and then eventually populate a new heaven and new earth with the new creations that He has made (Rev 21:1-4). This is the only way that God can deal with the problem of the old creation and Adam’s fall, once and for all. With this in mind, we can consider that the purpose of salvation is not merely to save people from hell and get them into Heaven, but to turn the old creation into the new creation. All of this was and is accomplished by Christ on the cross.
Reading carefully, in dealing with the legalistic believers, Paul in Galatians 6:15 says that what really matters is the new creation.
Yes the immediate context of Gal 6:15 is keeping the law of circumcision, but its significance goes far beyond the Law of Moses, and into our everyday life, into what we do, what we say, what we think, how we behave.
For example, when we spoke with our spouse this morning, did we speak from the old creation or the new creation? When we combed our hair and made breakfast were we living in the old or the new creation? Do we as professed Christians look just like our non-Christian neighbours? Are we brushing our teeth with joy and peace in the Holy Spirit, or are we already complaining about our day?
The law cannot impart life (Col 3:21), but anything that cannot impart life is essentially of the old creation (Col 3:21), whether that is outward physical improvements (cosmetic surgery), entertainment, sport and church attendance. The only thing which can impart life is Christ, who is the life (John 14:6). We may also say that whatever is not of Christ, is not of life, and therefore not of the new creation. The new creation is the new man in Christ (Eph 4:24),our regenerated being by the Spirit (John 3:6, John 3:36, 2 Peter 1:4). Keeping the law, is sowing to the flesh, as it does not change the old creation. Going to church (or doing anything else) as a religious duty, is also sowing to the flesh, as it cannot change the old creation.
The old creation is terminated (crucified with Christ), and the new creation is generated or created by the Spirit (regeneration, Christ dwelling in our heart).
All we need to do as Christians is to firstly be a new creation (be born again), and then live in the new creation (Gal 6:15, Gal 5:25). If we do this then everything else will be taken care of as well (Matt 6:33).
If we are in the new creation, automatically we are in the kingdom of God, we have Christ as our righteousness, we have the Spirit's leading, we have fellowship with the mystical body of Christ (even if we cannot physically go to a church), and all our physical needs will be met as well (Matt 6:33).
Many problems can be solved not by doing things, arguing, petitioning God by much prayer, getting advice or counselling, but simply by living in the new creation.
Because when we live in the new creation, we get the Spirit of life, and where the Spirit of the Lord is present, there is glory, there is freedom from the problems and there is transformation (2 Cor 3:16-18).
As an example:
Many people, both Christian and non-Christian pray for problems to be solved, but these prayers are rarely answered because they don't "tap into" the new creation. Whether we "call the power of the Spirit" down from heaven, or petition God with much prayer and fasting, as long as it is of the old creation, in God's eyes it's like old Adam praying, rather than a son of God and nothing changes. Suppose a father has disobedient children, and he frequently gets upset with them and shouts angrily at them, he could pray "God, make my children obedient", or "God, make me more loving and patient". This approach rarely works, because the father is still praying from his old creation which is independent from the Spirit. Or, the father could simply live in the new creation, and automatically he will be loving and patient, and his children will be obedient and respectful, simply because the Spirit of the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, is present in that situation, bringing His ruling as Lord and King, His life, His power, His glory, freedom and transformation.
In short, the way of the new creation is the way of dependence upon God, via our regenerated and born again spirit, indwelt by the Spirit of God. The way of the old creation is doing things independently of God, or not from our regenerated spirit or the Spirit of God, even if those things are righteous and good (eg prayer, Bible reading, helping the needy). Whether we live according to the old or the new creation, determines whether we will have life or death, fruit or no fruit, praise or condemnation.
A re-location into heaven does not address the core problem which is the old creation – that the fall of Adam has corrupted the whole human race. The old creation is our natural being by birth, which does not have the Spirit (Eph 4:22). As long as the old creation exists, there will never been peace on earth, there will always be problems. The old creation is old because it lacks God who is always new (Isaiah 43:19). Oldness is synonymous with death, and newness is synonymous with life (Rom 6:4). The old creation can also be called the “death creation”, whereas the new creation can be called the “life creation”. The old creation is separated from the Spirit of life, but the new creation is from the Spirit of life (Rom 8:2).
Every problem on Earth is a problem with the old creation – whether it is the terrible rapes, murders, abortions that occur every day, or the occasional squabble between husband and wife, child and parent. Unfortunately a re-location of man's soul from Earth to Heaven does not address these problems. The only solution is the new creation. If every single person on the Earth today lived according to the new creation, there would be no more wars, no more divorce, no more environmental pollution, and no more poverty.
God’s plan to solve all the problems is not to give up on the Earthly situation and transport people from Earth to Heaven via a transportation mechanism known as the gospel, but to take a group of human beings of the old creation, terminate that old creation, make them a new creation, use these new creations to make more new creations (evangelism) and then eventually populate a new heaven and new earth with the new creations that He has made (Rev 21:1-4). This is the only way that God can deal with the problem of the old creation and Adam’s fall, once and for all. With this in mind, we can consider that the purpose of salvation is not merely to save people from hell and get them into Heaven, but to turn the old creation into the new creation. All of this was and is accomplished by Christ on the cross.
Reading carefully, in dealing with the legalistic believers, Paul in Galatians 6:15 says that what really matters is the new creation.
Yes the immediate context of Gal 6:15 is keeping the law of circumcision, but its significance goes far beyond the Law of Moses, and into our everyday life, into what we do, what we say, what we think, how we behave.
For example, when we spoke with our spouse this morning, did we speak from the old creation or the new creation? When we combed our hair and made breakfast were we living in the old or the new creation? Do we as professed Christians look just like our non-Christian neighbours? Are we brushing our teeth with joy and peace in the Holy Spirit, or are we already complaining about our day?
The law cannot impart life (Col 3:21), but anything that cannot impart life is essentially of the old creation (Col 3:21), whether that is outward physical improvements (cosmetic surgery), entertainment, sport and church attendance. The only thing which can impart life is Christ, who is the life (John 14:6). We may also say that whatever is not of Christ, is not of life, and therefore not of the new creation. The new creation is the new man in Christ (Eph 4:24),our regenerated being by the Spirit (John 3:6, John 3:36, 2 Peter 1:4). Keeping the law, is sowing to the flesh, as it does not change the old creation. Going to church (or doing anything else) as a religious duty, is also sowing to the flesh, as it cannot change the old creation.
The old creation is terminated (crucified with Christ), and the new creation is generated or created by the Spirit (regeneration, Christ dwelling in our heart).
- It doesn’t really matter if you have been circumcised (outward religious acts)
- It doesn’t really matter how many times you go to church (religious duty)
- It doesn’t really matter how many times you cross your chest with the sign of the cross (religious tradition or superstition)
- It doesn’t really matter how much you pray or read the Bible (devotion, learning)
- It doesn’t really matter how many theology degrees you have (education, intelligence)
- It doesn’t really matter if you have fed the hungry and clothed the poor (good works)
- It doesn’t really matter how much you improve your old creation, or if you get tattoos or piercings (outward adornments)
- It doesn’t really matter if you can run marathons or smoke or drink alcohol (physical health and well being)
- God is not going to recover our old creation, improve it, beautify it. God is not going to improve our anger, lust or greed problem. Whether we treated it well or treated it bad, it’s still going to die.
All we need to do as Christians is to firstly be a new creation (be born again), and then live in the new creation (Gal 6:15, Gal 5:25). If we do this then everything else will be taken care of as well (Matt 6:33).
If we are in the new creation, automatically we are in the kingdom of God, we have Christ as our righteousness, we have the Spirit's leading, we have fellowship with the mystical body of Christ (even if we cannot physically go to a church), and all our physical needs will be met as well (Matt 6:33).
Many problems can be solved not by doing things, arguing, petitioning God by much prayer, getting advice or counselling, but simply by living in the new creation.
Because when we live in the new creation, we get the Spirit of life, and where the Spirit of the Lord is present, there is glory, there is freedom from the problems and there is transformation (2 Cor 3:16-18).
As an example:
Many people, both Christian and non-Christian pray for problems to be solved, but these prayers are rarely answered because they don't "tap into" the new creation. Whether we "call the power of the Spirit" down from heaven, or petition God with much prayer and fasting, as long as it is of the old creation, in God's eyes it's like old Adam praying, rather than a son of God and nothing changes. Suppose a father has disobedient children, and he frequently gets upset with them and shouts angrily at them, he could pray "God, make my children obedient", or "God, make me more loving and patient". This approach rarely works, because the father is still praying from his old creation which is independent from the Spirit. Or, the father could simply live in the new creation, and automatically he will be loving and patient, and his children will be obedient and respectful, simply because the Spirit of the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, is present in that situation, bringing His ruling as Lord and King, His life, His power, His glory, freedom and transformation.
In short, the way of the new creation is the way of dependence upon God, via our regenerated and born again spirit, indwelt by the Spirit of God. The way of the old creation is doing things independently of God, or not from our regenerated spirit or the Spirit of God, even if those things are righteous and good (eg prayer, Bible reading, helping the needy). Whether we live according to the old or the new creation, determines whether we will have life or death, fruit or no fruit, praise or condemnation.
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