Scripture References: 2 Corinthians 5:17
I would say that the greatest majority of people believesthat God is author of all creation, which certainly includes man. Paul istelling us here that if any man be in Christ he is a new creature, or we couldsay that a man that is in Christ has become a new creation of God. Man wasfirst created in the image and likeness of God, meaning that the first man Adamwas not only made in the image of God, but was also made in the likeness ofGod, which means that Adam was like God in so far as his character and naturewas concerned. The character and nature of God is holy, and so God created Adamin the likeness of his own nature, which was holy. Adam was created holy,because he was created in Gods likeness having no sin within his very being. Weneed to understand that a man is considered to be holy, only if he possesses nosin, as Adam did not before he sinned against God. To understand Adam'scondition before he sinned against God, all we need do is look forward to thesecond Adam, which was the man Jesus Christ that lived on this earth more orless than two thousand years ago.
Jesus Christ was a man that was holy simply because hepossessed no sin within his very being, even as Adam possessed no sin before hesinned against God. But we see that the first Adam did sin and when he did hewas no longer like God who was holy in every detail. Adam's disobedience to thecommand of God, caused his nature to become sinful and he could no longer havefellowship with God. He could no longer come into Gods presence because thatsin separated him from God and their fellowship was broken. Although man hadsinned against God, this did not mean that man could never regain fellowshipback with God, but as long as man possesses sin in his very being he can neverregain that fellowship back with God. So what God did, he devised a way or aplan that man could regain that fellowship back with God. This way is referredto as being a redemption plan that will redeem man back into fellowship withGod, and this plan would destroy and remove the sin that caused the separationbetween God and man. If you are a Bible student of Gods word and you read andstudy it's contents, then you should know that God made two covenants betweenhimself and man. A covenant that God makes with man contains certain promisesthat would be beneficial to him if he obeys what it says. The reason why Godmakes a covenant with man is simply because the sin that man fell into willeventually destroy him and his life would be filled with heartaches anddisappointment.
Most people fail to realize that sin keeps them separatedfrom God; causing their life to become very hard to cope with. Proverbs 13:15tells us that the way of the transgressor is hard, meaning that a life of sinis a life that fulfills the lusts and desires of the flesh. To live after theflesh will in time begin to take it's toll on your mind, which is your innerman. A person cannot have peace of mind by fulfilling the lusts and desires ofthe flesh, because living after the flesh is a sinful and rebellious lifeagainst the very nature of God. A sinful life causes a person to continuouslyseek for things to satisfy their fleshly desires only to find themselvesrunning to and fro and not finding rest and peace for their souls. It wasChrist that eventually came on the scene to reveal the contents of a newcovenant that would completely redeem fallen man back into perfect fellowshipwith God. Keep in mind that it is sin that keeps God and man separated fromeach other. So in order for man to come back into perfect fellowship with God,then you must understand that sin must be destroyed in our life. And it wasChrist that was to do exactly that as we read in I John 3:8 that says, "He thatcommitteth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. Forthis purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works ofthe devil."
Christ came to destroy sin in our lives, and how he doesthis is revealed in his teachings of the new covenant that he is mediator of.We can only have perfect fellowship with God by being "IN CHRIST" as IICorinthians 5:17 tells us. This "in Christ position" is understood but by avery few. Notice that Paul tells us that if any man be "IN CHRIST" he is a newcreature. How we get into Christ is the great mystery that was revealed to theapostle Paul, as stated in Colossians 1:27 that says, "To whom God would makeknown what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; whichis Christ in you, the hope of glory." We get into Christ, which is accomplishedby the one Spirit as Paul states in I Corinthians 12:13 that says, "For by oneSpirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles,whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit."The greatest majority of the multiplied millions of confessing Christians todayhas been led to believe that if Christ is in them, then they have become thatnew creature, but this is not what Paul tells us in II Corinthians 5:17. Noticecarefully that Paul here tells us that if any man be "IN CHRIST" he is a newcreature, and not a person that Christ is in only. To possess Christ and to bein Christ is two different things altogether. When Christ truly comes into ourvery being he comes into our heart and our heart instantly is purified byfaith, as Acts 15:8-9 reveals saying, "And God, which knoweth the hearts, barethem witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; And put nodifference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith."
What you need to understand is that when Christ, by hisSpirit comes into our heart, this only purifies all the evil in our heart anddid not touch the sins of both our fleshly body and spirit that is yet infestedwith sin that must be removed, which is our reasonable service to do, as Paultells us in Romans 10:1-2. Did not Paul also tell us in II Corinthians 7:1saying, "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanseourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in thefear of God." To cleanse our flesh and spirit of the filthiness of sin is doneby our walking in the light of truth that will cleanse us from all the sin ofboth our flesh and spirit, as John 1:7 also tells us saying, "But if we walk inthe light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and theblood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." This sin is the samesin that Paul refers to in II Corinthians 7:1. Its the work of the Spirit thatwill cleanse us from all sin in both the flesh and spirit, and this operationis our baptism into Christ that will in a process of time make us an entirelynew creature in Christ. This is how the Spirit baptizes the believer intoChrist, where he becomes this new creature in Christ. But millions of peopleare believing today that the receiving of Christ makes them that new creaturein Christ, but it does not simply because the coming in of Christ into theheart only purifies the heart and does not touch or remove the sins of theflesh and spirit, as Paul clearly proves in what he tells us in both Romans12:12 and II Corinthians 7:1, and as John tells us as well in I John 1:7.
For Christ to be in us and for us to be in Christ is twodifferent things. Gods word does not teach us that if Christ is in us we arenew creatures, but rather it teaches that if we are in Christ we are a newcreature. This is true because in Christ there is no sin, as I John 3:5reveals. Millions of confessing Christians today are claiming that Christ is inthem by their mere belief and acceptance of him as Lord and Savior of theirlife, but there is no change in them whatsoever, because they still live in sinand proud to admit that they do. They have not been baptized into Christ whereone becomes an entirely new creature in Christ where the old sinful life passesaway and their life has become new. We are baptized into Christ to be raisedagain to walk in newness of life; not still walking in the old sinful life likemillions are doing. What deceived Christianity has been deceived from today isto realize that if Christ is in us and we are in Christ, then it will be thevery life of Christ that becomes our manifested life and not the same oldsinful life that we were born into. The deceived confessing Christian cannot relateto what Paul tells us in Colossians 3:3-4 that says, "For ye are dead, and yourlife is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear,then shall ye also appear with him in glory." The life of Christ is not themanifested life of the greatest majority of the millions of confessingChristians today, because they still live in sin and strut around like peacockstelling everybody they are born again sinners. Their sinful life is not hidwith Christ in God and so therefore Christ is not their life, but its stilltheir old sinful nature being manifested and not the nature of the sinlessperson of Christ. Now if you desire to go on confessing you are a born againson of God (which such a thing does not exist) then you go right ahead and denythe truth and God will see to it that you will believe a lie to be damned; ifyou already have not.