“Who is Creating?” ~ ✨
“The old does not go, the new does not come” is a traditional Chinese concept. So, does that mean the old is necessarily no longer useful?
The meaning of “old” is defined differently by different people. “Old” can be defined by “time,” by “trends,” by “function,” or even by “desire.” Similarly, “new” can also be defined by one or multiple criteria. However, there is one definition of “old” that is the same for everyone: “old things.” In other words, it refers to “history.”
In the scripture of 2 Corinthians 5:17, by what criterion does the Apostle Paul define “old”? What I read is “Christ”; whatever is outside of Christ is “old.” Paul says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” From a spiritual perspective, “old things” also refers to the former mindset, habits, preferences, and ways of doing things from the old creation.
When we were in primary school, we learned that living organisms refer to things with life: this includes plants and animals (here, animals are defined as all moving creatures). All living things have the ability to renew themselves; renewal is a characteristic of life. For example, trees grow leaves and fruits from Spring to Autumn. Although the leaves and fruits fall in Winter, the trunk and branches remain, waiting for Spring to come again. Their life exists in such cycles until the entire tree, including its roots, withers away. Trees have tenacious vitality. I once saw some ancient trees over two thousand years old in a forest full of redwoods in California, USA, which made me marvel inwardly – God’s creation is truly incredible!
Furthermore, regarding animals, they are divided into oviparous and viviparous based on where the embryo develops. The embryos of oviparous animals develop outside the mother’s body, while those of viviparous animals develop inside the mother’s body. The living creatures discussed here reproduce through oviparity or viviparity, but this does not involve self-rebirth. In middle school biology, I learned about the amoeba. It is an organism that changes its own shape by extending or retracting pseudopodia. This can be considered an instinct for renewal; it can change its shape to achieve certain purposes, but this also does not involve self-rebirth.
Like many living organisms, humans also have a self-repair instinct; for example, damaged skin will heal automatically, and lost hair will grow back; this is the renewal of the body. The new creation that Paul speaks of does not refer to the renewal of the body, but to the rebirth of life. Spiritually, for a person who has repented, believed, and received the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord of their life, their old self has died with Christ, been buried, and resurrected. This person, called a new creation, is born of the Spirit of God and will gradually grow into the stature of Christ.
Many people, including many believers, see the New Year as a starting point for renewal. When welcoming the New Year, they reflect on their past successes, failures, gains, and losses, then set new year’s resolutions and start again, year after year. The born-again life of a believer also needs renewal, but it is not limited to New Year’s resolutions; rather, it is renewed daily. As Paul said, “being renewed day by day inwardly.” This depends on our life being hidden with Christ in God, enabling us to have fellowship with Him daily and be renewed because of Him daily.
A new creation does not mean that a person has achieved a certain amount of change to be considered a new creation; it means that as long as he is in Christ, he is a new creation. The person of the old creation lived in Adam, with a mindset and behaviour governed by the flesh. Now, the new creation refers to those who live in Christ, whose mindset and behaviour are in the Spirit. The connection between Christians and the Lord Christ in life allows the DNA of Christ’s life to become our DNA so that it can be manifested through us, causing the glorious grace of God to be praised!
Regarding the renewal of living things or the born again of humans, the British theologian A. Richardson said this: “Human civilization, without the faith on which human life depends, moves towards corruption.” This means that what causes human civilization to flourish is humanity itself, but what gives humanity the renewing power to preserve civilization, preventing it from corruption and fall is faith in life, and faith in life is the source of life — the source of life is God. The renewing power of living organisms or the born again of the human soul both reveal the great power of God.
There is a time to be born and a time to die. Everyone lives in the three tenses of time: past, present and future. The past tense is history, a fact that even God cannot change. The present tense is the moment of creating history. Are we willing to let the Lord of life guide our steps today/every day? The future tense is locked away, invisible to the naked eye. Are we willing to walk by the Spirit until we meet the Lord Jesus Christ face to face?
The giant redwoods in California, USA, can live for 2,000 to 3,000 years. The new creation is in Christ, that is, in eternity. Those who live in eternity no longer set life’s grand plans based on the New Year, but live in the present, being renewed daily. They are like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither (Psalm 1:3). Thus, the spiritual surpasses the carnal; the new creation surpasses the old creation; the old has passed away, and behold, the new has come!
✨✨💖 ~
en yan hua fang 