What is the Grace Doctrine #6 New Creature

Another facet of the mystery is that in this dispensation God has created something that had never existed before: a new creature, the body of Christ.

Here is what I now understand and will share with all of you.  In 2 Cor 5:17 you see that the new creature is singular. Christ is the new creature.  There is only ONE new creature. If each believer is a [unique, individual] new creature, then we should read of many new creatures instead of just one.

Consider this view of 2Cor 5:17 in the context of the previous verse: “…yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more [after the flesh]”. What does it mean to know Christ after the flesh? Rom 15:8 comes to mind. Remember, Christ came in the flesh preaching that people needed to be “in Him” (John 15:2-7, et al). But HOW? Through the vehicle of Christ’s nation Israel, according to prophecy, their law and covenants.

People need to be in Christ today as well, but HOW?

Through vehicle of the body of Christ (a new creature), according to the mystery (all things are become new), without Israel, their law and covenants (old things are passed away). So this “facet of the mystery” is NOT that we all individually become new creatures, but that God is operating through the members of a singular new creature, the body of Christ. The way one becomes a member of that new creature is by faith in the gospel of Christ.

2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Gal 6:15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.

What “old things are passed away”?

The biggest thing is Israel and their covenants have passed away, which means that Gentiles are no longer “having no hope, and without God in the world”!

Eph_2:12  That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:

We no longer need Israel or their old or new covenants to know God through them!

We may directly believe God today and instantly become a saved, a new creature in Christ for eternity!  Israel has been set aside for a time and today all who believe whether Jew or Gentile are all made one new man in Christ, by believing on the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We are made a new creature, the body of Christ!

Eph 5:30  For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

Today God does not see Jew or Gentile. He sees those who believe and become members of the body of Christ, and He sees the lost who choose not to believe.  He is making in Himself of twain one new man!

Eph 2:15-17  Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.

1Co 12:14  For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit 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. For the body is not one member, but many.

Today there is no Israel nation of God.  There is only the lost heading to Hell and those who believe and are saved by the blood of Christ, who are in the body of Christ. Jews who believe and Gentiles who believe become one in the body of Christ.

What kind of creature do we become? What does this mean exactly?

The new creature is the body of Christ, the church!

Rom_12:5  So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

Our body does not change because we are still awaiting the redemption of the body, but the spirit has been changed because of our redemption.  Such a revolutionary change that God says we are members of a new creature …and our positional change is that we are now seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus!

Eph 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

The new creature was NEVER prophesied! This is part of the mystery revealed to Paul! The new creature is the new man.

Eph 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

When we first believed, we were placed into a new creature in Christ in righteousness and true holiness! We know about this change ONLY by faith in the word of God.

We believe by faith alone because we are told that today in the dispensation of grace that we are to walk by faith, not by sight (2Co 5:7)!  We do not see the sign wonders today as when the dead were raised back to life, or 5000 fed from a few loaves and fish.  We do not have a pillar of fire by night and a cloud of smoke in the day to follow, but since the Lord raised up our Apostle Paul we are required to follow the completed word of God rightly divided. (2 Tim 2:15) For almost 2000 years we have been told to walk by faith and not by what we see around us.

God no longer sees a distinction between Jew and Gentile and neither should we. Those who believe on Jesus Christ for salvation are ALL members of the Body of Christ.

1Co 12:13 For by one Spirit 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.