2 Corinthians 5:17 is found midway through a letter (or epistle) written by Paul, a first-century Christian and church-starter, to the church in the city of Corinth.

Paul helped start the church in the city of Corinth around AD 51 (see Acts 18), and he stayed there for about 18 months.

Now, some four or five years later, Paul is writing back to the church, reminding them of something essential: who they are in Christ.

In 2 Corinthians 5:17, Paul tells the church that those who believe in who Jesus is (God the Son) and what He has done (died on the cross for sinners and was raised to life) are made spiritually new.

The gospel is not that Jesus simply improves us, updates us, or fixes us. Because of sin, our hearts need more than repair — they need re-creation. “In Christ,” (a phrase Paul uses more than 100 times in his letters, meaning “a Christian”) God gives us a new identity, new purpose, and new hope. This is what it means to be a new creation.

🎥 Watch a sermon on 2 Corinthians 5:17 here.

from church history:

"The new birth is no mere turning over a new leaf – but is the inception and reception of a new life! It is no mere reformation, but a radical transformation. In short, the new birth is a miracle – the result of the supernatural operation of God. It is radical, revolutionary, lasting!"

– Arthur W. Pink