New Life in Christ

by Rick Warren

“Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17 CEV)

Can a butterfly go back into a cocoon after it’s come out as a caterpillar? Of course not. It can’t happen. Once the caterpillar becomes a butterfly, it is what it is — a butterfly.

When you become a believer, you’re like that butterfly — you come out of your cocoon. It may take you some time to fly spiritually, but once you become a new creation in Christ, you are what you are. You are a new creation.

The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new” (CEV).

So what does it mean to become a new creation in Christ? The moment you believe in Christ, there’s a spiritual metamorphosis — everything changes! This is a matter of faith and not sight.

The greatest step of faith we can take in our lives is to believe what God says about who Jesus is and accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

I believe the second greatest step you can take is to believe what God says about who you are. You are a new creation in Christ! The Bible says in Romans 6:14, “Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace” (NLT).

A true life, a better life, a wonderful life is only found in Christ. When you become a Christian, you have a new life in him.

To help you understand how to begin a relationship with Jesus Christ and become part of God’s family, we’ve created a special page on my website, rickwarren.org. When you go there, click on the “Know God” tab, and you’ll find a video that explains what it means to be saved.

Talk It Over
• If you are a follower of Jesus, what’s the biggest change that God made in your life when you started that relationship?
• What does Paul mean when he says that “sin is no longer your master”?
•To whom can you confess your sin so that you no longer have it as a master?