Becoming a New Creature in Christ

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (II Cor. 5:17). This verse of scripture is really a lot bigger and has a broader application than what we normally see it associated with. The meaning of course is that if we are born again by faith in Christ we are to no longer live our lives after the manner of 'the old man,' but rather, "[We] have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him" (Col. 3:10). I usually use our text verse to demonstrate that we are no longer sinners if we are in Christ by the baptism of his Spirit (Rom. 6:1-6; I Cor. 12:13). But today I want to show how divine healing fits into the scope of being a 'new creature' in Christ, even as do true redemption and deliverance from sin. The way I would like to explain this is to say that there is a 'system' of living in this world apart from faith in Christ, and there is another 'system' of living our lives IN Christ. In the system of this world sickness, physical afflictions, medical processes and prescription drugs, etc; are all the norm for living here. In many cases keeping these afflictions and sicknesses are also the norm, usually with the life sentence of being on prescription drugs and medical treatment included in the clause, so to speak. But all of these things are part of living this life as 'the old man,' and they are nullified and in large part cancelled in Christ, when we truly live our lives as 'the new man.' When we live as the old man after the system of this world, we are counted with all of the curses that are on mankind through sin, and we are going to reap these curses as non-redeemed sinners. That is what the system of this world is all about, meaning sin and all of its curses up to and including death. But the system of the kingdom of God for those who are in Christ is redemption, healing, holiness, blessing, and ultimately eternal life. As long as we are under sin then our body is under the sentence of death, and it will incur all of the curses that are included in that sentence.

That is why Jesus came here to suffer and die of our sake, to remove us from the curses of this world and bring us into the blessing that is on him from God. As the apostle stated: "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him" (II Cor. 5:21). And again: "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" (Rom. 8:32) Our body already has an 'earnest,' which is to say a 'down payment' on glorification and immortality when we are baptized with the holy Ghost, as the scripture declares: "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory" (Eph. 1:13,14). To be sure as to what the "redemption of the purchased possession" is, we have this verse: "And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body" (Rom. 8:23). So even though our body is not yet glorified with heavenly immortality, it is counted in the system of the kingdom of God because it has a down payment on glorification by our having God's Spirit in us. And the following verse shows us exactly how that down payment is payed off in full at the coming of the Lord: "But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you" (Rom. 8:11). Once again we see that it is this 'mortal body' that will be quickened, or made alive again when Jesus comes from heaven back to the earth. So that is why our body is included in the system of the kingdom of God after we've received the holy Ghost, and it is no longer counted with the system of this world, nor included with its curses. So someone will undoubtedly say, "But we still have to die even though we've been born again." Well, not exactly. There is a difference between being dead like sinners are dead, and being 'asleep,' as the scriptures refer to the righteous who have died.

The reason the righteous are referred to as being asleep, as compared to the unrighteous who are dead, is because Jesus said the following about those who have died in him: "Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live" (Jn. 11:25). Death is only a pause between this life and the first resurrection unto eternal life for those who have died in holiness. So again I say that our body is counted with Christ, and not with this world's system, if we are born again into him. In fact the scripture tells us very plainly, "For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones" (Eph. 5:30). We must learn to identify ourselves wholly with him and with the system of the kingdom of God, wherein is healing, redemption, deliverance, and holiness; all of which gender to life. As long as we are NOT identifying ourselves in faith as being part of Christ and the system of the kingdom of God, then we are leaving ourselves open to the curses of this world and it's system of sin, oppression sickness, and chronic physical afflictions; all of which gender to death. If we are "members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones," we need to REMEMBER that Christ's body is not sick, oppressed, or chronically afflicted. He who alone is the Truth has been manifest, and if we are in him then it is high time we quit believing the father of lies and reaping the curses of this dying world and it's perverted system. We can now identify with the Son of God who died for us, and we can be partakers of the benefits that are in him with our entire body, soul, and spirit. As it is written, "And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed" (Rom. 13:11). If we are putting up with sickness, chronic affliction, sin, and the 'remedies' of this world's system; then we are at least in some part asleep to the truth and power that is in Christ, and to the real cure for all of our ills. Our cure, regardless of the ill, is Jesus Christ himself; and if we are baptized with the holy Ghost then we are in him, and we are partakers of all that is in him (Gal. 3:27; II Cor. 1:20). That certainly includes the following: "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed" (I Pet. 2:24). Amen.