spiritual condition here and now.

The passage that speaks most clearly on

this is 2 Corinthians 5:17,18:

'Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things

are passed away; behold, all things are become new.  And all things are

of God'.

'If'.  The apostle uses three different Greek words translated 'if' in

this chapter.  In verse 1 he uses ean, 'If our earthly house of this

tabernacle were dissolved', where 'if' means 'if haply', 'if it be so that'.

In verse 3 he uses ei ge, 'if at least', spoken of that which is taken for

granted, but in the seventeenth verse he uses ei tis; here, no doubt

is thrown on the supposition (see 1 Cor. 15:16), and Paul puts the essential

condition.  Only 'in Christ' and nowhere else can this new creation be found.

A most important principle in the interpretation of any passage in a second

epistle is to align it with what has already been said in the first.  For

example the use of the term 'swallowed up of life' in 2 Corinthians 5:4

cannot be considered apart from 1 Corinthians 15:54, 'Death is swallowed up

in victory'.  So, 'in Christ' must be placed over against 'in Adam' (1 Cor.

15:22), death must give place to life.  'In Christ' is also over against 'in

the flesh' and 'in the world' (Eph. 2:11,12).  Yet another and most wonderful

truth is seen when we bring together the words 'in Christ' that are found in

this context (2 Cor. 5:17 and 19).

'If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature'.

'God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself'.

God is by His own gracious plan as much limited to Christ as is man

himself.  Neither God (apart from the one Mediator) nor man, can move in this

matter.  If ever there was an essential unalterable condition, here it is,

and all preaching and teaching is vain that fails here.  It is the testimony

for the present time (1 Tim. 2:6,7).  This new creation is a many faceted

truth.  It can be seen as a passing from death unto life (John 5:24), from

darkness to light (Col. 1:13), from bondage to liberty (Gal. 2:4), from

enmity to peace (Eph. 2:13 -15).  In other words as 2 Corinthians 5:18 goes

on to teach, the new creation is in the realm of Reconciliation.  (See

Reconciliation4).  If the essential condition for this new creation be 'in

Christ', the essential consequence is twofold.

Old things must pass away.

New things must come into being.

This is true when the physical creation is in view.

'Behold I create new heavens and a new earth' (Isa. 65:17).

pronouncement is preceded and followed by the words:

'The former troubles are forgotten'.

'The former shall not be remembered'.

Old things must pass away.

When the apostle speaks of the 'new man' in Ephesians 2:15 he uses the

word ktizo, 'create', wrongly translated here in the A.V. 'make'.  Once again