2 Corinthians 5:17. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
Today’s Word comes from Paul’s second letter to the Corinthian believers, written to strengthen and encourage them as they faced various crises in life:
“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:17–18).
Paul reminds the believers that their struggles are temporary but that God is preparing for them an eternal house in heaven (2 Corinthians 5:1). He reassures them that God has already given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come (2 Corinthians 5:5). Because of this promise, Paul urges them to live by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).
God did not give us an incomplete, uncertain, or confusing gospel; from the very beginning, His plan of salvation has been perfect, complete, and unchanging. The message of the gospel comes with power, clarity, and absolute assurance because it is not based on human wisdom or effort but on the finished work of Jesus Christ, who bore our sins, died in our place, and rose again to give us eternal life. The moment we believe in Him, the Holy Spirit confirms this truth in our hearts, and as Paul declares in Today’s Word.
We were once children of the devil, living under sin and destined for eternal destruction. But Jesus changed our destiny forever through His death on the cross and His resurrection. In Him, our old identity is gone, and we are made new. Through His perfect sacrifice, we have been reconciled to God, adopted into His family, and given the privilege of living as His beloved children for all eternity. Now, instead of condemnation and separation, we have received forgiveness, freedom, and the promise of eternal life with Him.
When Jesus became a curse for us on the cross (Deuteronomy 21:23), He removed every curse from our lives. In Christ, the sins and wounds of your past no longer define you. You are completely free from the power of original sin, generational sin, and personal sin (Ephesians 2:1). Through His blood, you have been fully forgiven, completely restored, and permanently set apart as a new creation in God’s kingdom. Now you can live in the freedom and authority that come from belonging to Christ, no longer bound by guilt, shame, or the power of the enemy.
For our sins to be forgiven, a sinless person had to die in our place (1 Peter 3:18). That is why the Son of Man gave His life as a ransom for us (Mark 10:45). Jesus, our True Priest, entered the Most Holy Place once for all—not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own precious blood—to obtain eternal redemption for us (Hebrews 9:12). By this sacrifice, He liberated us from the law of sin and death, setting us free forever.
So, do not dwell on your past mistakes or regrets. Instead, believe in the One who declared, “It is finished” (John 19:30). Rest in the peace that comes from knowing your salvation is complete. Trust that God has removed your sins as far as the east is from the west and remembers them no more (Psalm 103:12, Hebrews 8:12). Walk each day in the confidence and joy that come from being fully accepted, fully forgiven, and fully loved by your Heavenly Father (Hebrews 4:16).
God has also set us free from the problems of our present reality. Through His resurrection, Jesus—the True King—defeated Satan, the one who holds the power of death (Hebrews 2:14). Because He reigns, we no longer have to follow the patterns of this world. We have victory over sin, over fear, and over the schemes of the enemy. Scripture declares, “Everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith” (1 John 5:4–5).
So give all your worries and anxieties to God, for He cares deeply for you (1 Peter 5:7). Do not let the enemy plant seeds of fear or unbelief in your heart. Stand firm in the authority Christ has given you, and when you resist the devil by submitting to God and His Word, he will flee (James 4:7).
Finally, we have been freed from the fear of the future. When God raised Jesus from the dead, He also raised us up with Him and seated us with Christ in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 2:6). Jesus, our True Prophet, opened a new and living way for us—from death to life, from hell to heaven (John 5:24). Our eternal address has been changed forever: He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves (Colossians 1:13).
Even while we live on earth, we belong to God’s kingdom (Luke 17:21; Philippians 3:20), and Jesus has given us the keys to unleash the power of heaven through prayer (Matthew 16:19). One day, He will take us to the place He has prepared, where we will be with Him forever (John 14:1–3).
You have been saved by grace through faith in Christ—and even that faith is a gift from God. Your salvation is not based on what you have done; therefore, there is no room for boasting (Ephesians 2:8-9). Instead, your transformed life becomes living evidence of God’s grace for future generations. His kindness and the amazing richness of His grace to us who belong to Christ Jesus will be displayed for all eternity. God has prepared an important task for you: proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ (Ephesians 2:10).
Do not let the crises in your life move you; instead, move them by the power of the gospel, affirming who you have become in Christ.
Prayer. Father, I thank You for allowing crises in my life to bless me. Help me stand on the firm foundation of my salvation found in Christ. In Jesus’ name, Amen.