A Brand New Creation
Month 7: Who Am I? · Bible Story
Today's Scripture
Read together: 2 Corinthians 5:14-17
14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that One died for all, therefore all died. 15 And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and was raised again. 16 So from now on we regard no one according to the flesh. Although we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!
Memory Verse
“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!”— 2 Corinthians 5:17 (BSB)memorize this week
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: 2 Chronicles 34-36
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Young King Josiah tears down idols and rediscovers God's Word, but Judah's story ends in exile.)The Heart of It
Paul had once been a man named Saul. He hunted Christians and dragged them to prison. If anyone seemed stuck as his old self, it was Saul. But then he met the risen Jesus. Something happened that no makeover, no fresh start, and no New Year's resolution could ever do. God made him new from the inside out. That's why Paul could write that when anyone is "in Christ," he becomes a new creation. The word he uses doesn't mean "a slightly improved version." It doesn't mean "the same person trying harder." It means brand new, the way was brand new. It's God speaking life where there used to be none.
This is one of the biggest answers to "Who am I?" Before Jesus, our deepest problem isn't that we make a few mistakes. It's that our hearts are bent away from God. We can't scrub that clean by being nicer. But Jesus died and rose so that anyone who trusts Him is joined to Him. And His new life becomes ours. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come! Think of the shame, the labels, the old you that felt hopeless. Jesus doesn't just forgive it. He replaces it with a new identity, His own. You are not what you used to be. And you are not what people say you are. In Christ, you are new.
Around the Table
When Jesus comes into your heart, He makes you brand new, like a butterfly that used to be a caterpillar! The old, sad, sinful you gets a whole new start.
Let's do it: Crumple up an old piece of paper. Then trade it for a clean white sheet. Jesus does that with our hearts!
Saul used to hurt Christians. But Jesus made him new, and he became Paul, who told the whole world about Jesus. What's something only God can change about a person?
Let's talk: What's the difference between "trying to be a better me" and "being made new by Jesus"?
"New creation" isn't self-improvement. It's resurrection life, given to you because you're joined to the risen Christ. Your old identity doesn't get patched up. It gets buried, and a new one takes its place.
Let's go deeper: If your truest identity is "new in Christ," how should that change the way you respond when someone reminds you of your past?
💬 Conversation Starter
If you could trade in one old thing about yourself for something brand new, what would it be? Jesus offers to do exactly that with our hearts.
🛡️ Defending the Faith
Sometimes someone says, "People never really change." We can gently point to changed lives. Paul the persecutor became Paul the missionary. And millions since have been transformed by Jesus, not by willpower. This is real, lasting heart-change that no therapy or self-help can manufacture. That's good evidence that something supernatural is going on (). Share it the way says, with gentleness, telling your own story rather than arguing.
For Dad · Go Deeper
The "new creation" is not a feeling your child works up. It's a fact God declares over everyone who is in Christ. That distinction guards your home from two errors at once. One is the despair that says "I'll always be this way." The other is the moralism that says "just try harder." Both keep the eyes on self. The gospel turns them to Christ. As a dad, you'll be tempted to disciple by behavior management. But heart transformation flows from union with Jesus, not from pressure. Speak to your kids as new creations being renewed, not as old creations being scolded. The Spirit who raised Christ is the One doing the making-new. And He invites you to cooperate with grace rather than perform for acceptance.
Draws on: Tony Evans, Kingdom Man.
Let's Pray Together
"Father, thank You that we are not stuck as our old selves. In Jesus, You make us brand new. When we feel hopeless, remind us that we belong to You. Keep making us new every single day. In Jesus' name, amen."
In Christ I am not the old me trying harder. I am a brand new creation God is making new.