Leaving the Old Life Behind: Living as a New Creation
Do you ever find yourself trying to “fix” the parts of you that feel broken? Perhaps you think a little more effort, a few better habits, or some self-improvement will finally make you into the person God wants you to be. But the Gospel tells a radically different story. In Christ, we are not improved versions of our old selves—we are entirely new creations.
The old life, full of striving, self-effort, and sin, has been crucified with Christ. It is not meant to be patched up or renovated. Instead, through the Cross, the old has been put to death, and we are raised to new life in Him. Yet, many of us fall into the trap of trying to repair the life Christ has already crucified.
This truth has challenged believers throughout history. Even the great Reformers of the faith, despite their powerful emphasis on justification by faith, often failed to fully articulate the total severance of the old life in Christ’s death. This incomplete understanding opened the door for human systems, ritualism, and legalism to creep back into the Church.
Today’s Abide Above devotional calls us to reject self-repair, reject recycling, and fully embrace the new life that is ours in Christ. The Gospel is not about becoming better—it is about becoming new.
No Recycling: Living as a New Creation in Christ
"If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17)
In Christ, we are not refurbished, improved, or recycled versions of our old selves. Instead, we are entirely new creations. This truth invites us to stop clinging to what we once were and fully embrace the life God has given us in Jesus Christ. The old man, subject to sin and death, is gone, crucified with Christ. Now, we live in the all-new life of the resurrected Christ, free from the law of sin and death.
Not a Substitution but a Transformation
Many view salvation as a kind of substitution, where Christ simply takes our place, leaving us to continue living as the same people we were before. But this isn’t the Gospel. As J.B. Stoney puts it:
"The Gospel is that you were under the judgment of death, and that the Lord Jesus has borne that judgment. It is not that you should keep the man who was under judgment, but that you should be completely severed from him in your death on the Cross."
Our salvation is not about Christ sparing the old life but about the old life being crucified with Him. The Cross doesn’t just deliver us from judgment—it clears the way for us to live in Christ’s resurrected life. Our new identity is not a patched-up version of the old; it is a complete transformation.
The Reformers: A Step Toward Freedom, but an Open Door
The Protestant Reformers courageously stood against the legalism and ritualism of their time, proclaiming that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Martin Luther and others reclaimed the Gospel truth that we are justified—declared righteous—through faith, not by works.
However, as J.B. Stoney observes, the Reformers often did not fully emphasize the believer’s total severance from the old man through identification with Christ’s death. While they rightly proclaimed that faith alone saves, they did not consistently teach that the old self has been entirely crucified and replaced by the new creation in Christ.
This oversight left room for legalistic systems and ritualistic practices to creep back into the Church. As Stoney puts it: "In not seeing this, the Reformers left the door open for the system and ritualism which have grown up since in the church."
The devotional reminds us: "The Lord Jesus is the answer, but the Cross is needed to clear the way for Him." Salvation is not just about being declared righteous but about living as new creations, severed from the old life and walking in the freedom of the Spirit. The old man, with its rituals, works, and striving, must remain on the Cross so that Christ alone becomes our life.
Living in the Spirit of Life
Our freedom comes not from fixing the old life but from walking in the Spirit of the new life. Paul explains:
"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." (Romans 8:2)
The old man lived under the law of sin and death, striving and failing to meet God’s standard. But the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus sets us free to live as new creations. This is not a life of self-effort but a life where Christ is our very source and strength.
The Cross: Clearing the Way for New Life
As J.B. Stoney reminds us, "The Lord Jesus is the answer, but the Cross is needed to clear the way for Him." The Cross removes the old life, allowing us to embrace Christ as our life. We must refuse to return to what has been crucified, trusting instead in the sufficiency of His death and resurrection.
Living as a new creation means:
Recognizing the Old is Gone: We are no longer defined by sin, failure, or self-effort.
Embracing the New Life in Christ: Christ is not only our Savior but our life, enabling us to walk in freedom and grace.
Rejecting Legalism and Self-Improvement: The old man cannot be fixed—he must remain crucified, dead, and buried.
A Life Fully Alive in Christ
This is the Gospel: not that Christ merely took our place, but that He made us new in Him. The old is gone, and the new has come. Let us walk, not in the striving of self-repair, but in the Spirit of life that flows from our union with Christ.
Reflection Questions
Are there areas in your life where you are still trying to improve or recycle the old self instead of living as a new creation?
How can you more fully embrace the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus today?
What does it mean for you personally to live as someone completely severed from the old man?
Closing Prayer of Praise
Lord Jesus, how perfect and complete is Your work! We praise You for the power of the Cross, which has forever removed the old man and made way for the fullness of Your life in us. Thank You for transforming us, not into better versions of ourselves, but into new creations that reflect Your glory. We exalt You as the source of our freedom and our life. May Your Spirit guide us to walk in the truth of who we are in You, living fully in the freedom and grace You have given. Amen.