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

Have you ever struggled with conditions in life? Like there's a tug of war going on inside you? Perhaps you have put your faith in Jesus and want your life to be different, but find that you're still trapped in old habits. For instance, perhaps you rolled joints before you were saved, but you keep rolling joints after you get saved. You've changed inside, but some of your actions haven't.

You need to know that there's a difference between being and doing. Who you are can be different than what you're doing, if you don't change your belief system. Until you realize who you are in Christ, you'll continue to produce behavior that matches your old belief system. That's why Jesus said you can't put new wine in old wineskins (Matthew 9:17). Both will be ruined.

The Greek word for in, when referring to being in Christ, denotes a position of relationship and rest. The only way you can ever overcome your condition is by knowing who you are in Christ. Knowing "church" doesn't change you. Knowing Hebrew and Greek doesn't change you. Even knowing Bible verses doesn't change you if they are only in your head and not in your heart. Only knowing Christ and your position in Him changes you! When you know who He is, then you can know who you are in Him.

To be a "new creation" in Christ means "to be recently made, unused, fresh, and unprecedented." The old has passed away. It means that your spirit man is changed, and with that spirit change that comes, God illuminates you. He shows you a picture of who you are. You are no longer a sinner. You may still have issues dealing with sin, but now you have the righteousness of Christ—you're in right standing with God. When you know that, your behavior starts to line up with that.

Knowing your position in Christ Jesus gives you the power to overcome any condition related to your past. When you know your position, your old "condition" has no power over you. You will have the power to straighten up on the inside and on the outside. You will have a new posture, a new bearing, a new dignity. When you begin to understand who loves you and who has adopted you into His family, you'll discover a new way to look, to think, to talk, to walk, to act, to respond to life. He frees you to fully live out His design for your life.

Related Texts: John 8:31; 15:1–11; Colossians 1:23; Hebrews 3:14; 1 Peter 5:9; 1 John 2:6, 28; 5:4