All Things Are New

Michael E. Phillips

The apostle Paul wrote, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). A convert to Christ is not added to the nation of Israel from the Old Testament, neither is he a refurbished soul with some crimson “paint” covering old sins: he is a new Spiritual creature. While this is an individual application, there is an application of “newness” which applies to the people of God as a whole: the church. 

First, the church is guided by a NEW LAW, the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2; James 1:25). This law was not added to the Old Testament Law, neither are Christians adherents to two laws. The old Law was nailed to the cross (Colossians 2:14), with that which was “written and engraven in stones” (2 Corinthians 3:7). Jesus now serves as the High Priest (Hebrews 4:15), but He is of the tribe of Judah, not Levi, thus, “For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law” (Hebrews 7:12). 

Jesus is the NEW LAWGIVER. In the Old Testament, Deuteronomy 4:44 states, “And this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel” (see also the comments in Joshua 1:7 & 8:31). The new lawgiver was prophesied as coming from Judah in Genesis 49:10, along with Psalm 60:7 & 108:8. For this Christian age, “There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?” (James 4:12).

The God of heaven has identified for Himself a NEW PEOPLE. During the time of the Old Law, the people were chosen in fleshly Israel, who were fleshly descendants of Abraham, who were to serve God according to the Law of Moses. In fact, God’s word describes “my people Israel” 31 times in the Old Testament. Yet, there was coming a time when there would “come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel” (Matthew 2:6). As for Abraham’s children in this New Testament age, “Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed” (Galatians 3:7-8). Now, the souls comprising the church are described as “the Israel of God” (Galatians 6:16).

In the days of the Old Testament Law, the human race was divided into two bodies: Jew and Gentile. While the Jews were given the Law, the Gentiles were called “the nations,” or “heathen.” However, Isaiah 49:6 prophesies of Jesus, “And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.” Now, Jesus has brought both Jew and Gentile together “unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby” (Ephesians 2:16); thus, one NEW BODY!

Finally, the Old Law focused on physical Jerusalem, which was destroyed and rebuilt by man, but Abraham “looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Hebrews 11:10). Now, the promise of NEW JERUSALEM, the heavenly city of God, is given (Revelation 3:12; 21:2), where all things will be NEW forever with God! -P. O. Box 176, Belington, WV. 26250.

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