2 Corinthians 5:17 [A New Creature]

[Things to Meditate On]

1. Anyone who is in Jesus can become a new creature. When the Scripture says, "a new creature," it means that, as the verse above says, the old things have already passed away. Therefore, if we are now in Jesus, we must no longer be bound by the things of the past. This is because we have now become "new" through Jesus.

Through the verse above, we can see that among the past, the present, and the future, the Bible places great importance on the "present."

Philippians 3:13-14 "13Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

2. In this passage as well, the apostle Paul said that he forgets those things which are behind and presses toward the mark, reaching forth unto those things which are before. In other words, the present life of pressing toward the mark is more important than the things done in the past. Jesus also said that the old and the new cannot be joined together.

Luke 5:36 "And he spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old."

3. In addition, the words, "new wine must be put into new bottles" (Luke 5:38), also teach us that the past and the present cannot coexist. In other words, the past is only the past. Therefore, whether the things of the past were good or wrong, we must use those experiences as a foundation and strive to be more faithful in the present. If we become bound by the past, we may lose the truly important present. It is most important for us to leave the past as the past, and in the present to be born again through the word of Jesus and become a new man.

Depending on how I live in the present, the wrongs I committed in the past may be forgiven, or the good things I did in the past may no longer be remembered at all.

Ezekiel 18:21-24 "21But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. 22All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. 23Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live? 24But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die."

[Decision and Application]

As this passage says, depending on how one lives in the present, even a wicked person may be forgiven for the wrongs committed in the past, and even a righteous person may have the righteous deeds done in the past no longer remembered at all. Therefore, we must never be bound by the past. That is why, right now, while God allows us to read the Bible, it is important for us to turn to the word of Jesus and strive to do according to that word (2 Cor. 6:1-2). In this regard, we once again realize how blessed it is for us to meditate on the Bible every day. For only when we meditate on the word of God day and night can we, in the "present," avoid walking in the counsel of the ungodly, standing in the way of sinners, and sitting in the seat of the scornful. Therefore, the book of Psalms says that the one who delights in and meditates on the word of God day and night is the "blessed man," and that whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

Psalm 1:1-3 "1Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."

Thus, for the one who meditates on the word of God day and night in the present, there is also a bright "hope for the future." This is because the one who is prepared by the word of God in the present can also receive praise from Jesus when He comes in the future (Matthew 24:42-47). Therefore, during the time called "today," we must always meditate on the word of God and diligently strive to become "faithful" to that word. Then the one who is faithful in the present will surely be a blessed person in the future as well.

Matthew 24:42-47 "42Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. 43But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. 44Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. 45Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? 46Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. 47Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods."

Amen.