Made Alive in Christ: WEEK 1- The Old Has Gone, the New Has Come
Key Scripture:
“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”
—2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT)
Keyword Study
New (καινός / kainos):
Not just “new in time” (like recently made), but new in kind—unprecedented, unheard of, something entirely different in quality and character.
Creation (κτίσις / ktisis):
Something made, fabricated, or founded. In this context, it implies divine creative action, like in Genesis.
Old (ἀρχαῖος / archaios):
Meaning original or ancient—referring to the old sin nature, not just a previous version of behavior.
Gone (παρῆλθεν / parēlthen):
To pass away, perish, depart—used here to denote a permanent and complete departure, not just a temporary fading.
Main Teaching Points
1. Spiritual Rebirth Is Not a Behavior Upgrade—It’s a Resurrection
Scripture: John 3:3, Galatians 2:20
Jesus didn’t come to make us better people—He came to make us new people. Being “born again” means death to the old man and resurrection into a brand-new spiritual nature. This isn’t a self-help transformation or a reformation of bad habits. It is a supernatural act of God where the old nature dies, and a new one is divinely implanted.
We are not modified versions of ourselves—we are completely re-created.
The Gospel isn’t behavior management. It’s identity exchange.
You didn’t just improve—you died. Now, Christ lives in you.
2. Salvation is the Transfer of Ownership and Identity
Scripture: Colossians 1:13–14, 1 Peter 2:9–10
When you were saved, you weren’t just forgiven—you were transferred. Out of darkness and into the Kingdom of Light. That means your citizenship changed. Your family name changed. Your identity was legally and spiritually redefined in heaven’s court.
Your past no longer holds legal authority over your future.
You don’t belong to who you used to be—you now belong to Jesus.
You are not just saved from something—you are saved for something.
3. The Old Nature Was Crucified, But It Tries to Resurrect
Scripture: Romans 6:6–7, Galatians 5:24
Your old self was nailed to the cross, but its memory echoes. It’s why Paul said we must daily take up our cross (Luke 9:23). The old man is dead—but the flesh still fights for dominance. Being a new creation means learning to live by the Spirit instead of being seduced by the old programming of the flesh.
Crucifixion is decisive, but discipleship is daily.
Your old habits don’t define you—even if they still tempt you.
You’ve been set free from sin, but you must still fight for sanctification.
4. Transformation Is the Fruit, Not the Root, of Salvation
Scripture: Ephesians 2:8–10, Titus 3:5
You don’t behave your way into being a new creation. You become one by grace through faith—and the change that follows is the result of being made new, not the cause of it. We don’t work for salvation—we work from salvation. God re-creates us first, then calls us to walk it out.
The fruit of change is rooted in the finished work of Christ.
Obedience flows out of identity—not the other way around.
God doesn’t save us because we’re good. He makes us good because He saves us.
5. Your New Identity Is Hidden in Christ—Not in Your Performance
Scripture: Colossians 3:1–4, Romans 8:1
The pressure to prove yourself dies at the cross. You are not defined by your failures or successes but by your position in Christ. That means shame has no claim, and condemnation has no voice. Your life is now hidden with Christ in God, and that’s where your confidence must come from.
When God looks at you, He sees Jesus.
You don’t have to earn your identity—it’s already sealed in Christ.
You’re not becoming someone else. You’re becoming who you already are in Him.
Reflect & Respond
In what ways have you been trying to improve yourself rather than surrender to God’s work of transformation?
Do you still carry shame or labels from your old life that God has already erased?
How would your daily walk change if you truly believed your old self was dead?
New Creation, New Identity
Declaration:
“I am a new creation in Christ. My old life is gone—forever buried—and my new life has begun. I no longer define myself by my past, but by the power of the cross. I am loved, chosen, reconciled, and made righteous. Christ lives in me, and I live by faith in Him.”
Week 1: New Creation, New Identity- Bible Reading Plan
Focus: You are a new creation in Christ.
Day 1: 2 Corinthians 5:17
Day 2: Galatians 2:20
Day 3: Colossians 1:21–22
Day 4: Ephesians 2:4–10
Day 5: Romans 5:1–11
Day 6 (Optional): Isaiah 43:18–19
