The New Creation
Old Things Have Passed Away; All Things Become New
The New Creation is the ontological transformation of the human person, initiated in Baptism, where the soul is transferred from the lineage of the "Old Adam" into the New Adam, Jesus Christ.
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17)
What is the New Creation?
It is not merely a moral improvement or a behavior modification of the old self; rather, it is the impartation of a completely new mode of existence - a complete spiritual rebirth where the soul is grafted into the eternal life of the Holy Trinity.
New Mode of Existence
Not a modification of the old self, but the impartation of a completely new being. We are submerged in the medium of Christ and given a new type of identity.
Living in Christ
A dynamic state of daily replacing our own limited, human resources with God's infinite Grace. A life defined by synergy - human will cooperating with divine energy.
Dwelling of the Trinity
The Spirit continuously renews the mind and sanctifies the body, turning the human heart into a dwelling place for the Holy Trinity.
Bishop Epiphanius
"We became submerged in this medium which is Christ, and we are new creation because we are in Him, it is a new type of being and identity. Simply the new creation means our being in Christ, Christ is the new divine medium that submerges and surrounds us and in Him we live."
St. Cyril of Alexandria
"He sends His own life into us... and instills a divine seed, as it were, into our bodies... For it was necessary that not only the soul should be re-created through the Holy Spirit... but that this gross and earthly body should also be sanctified by the coarsest and most intimate union with the Word."
Three Spheres of Renewal
Nature
Through the Incarnation
Awareness
Through Repentance
Behavior
Through the Word of God
The Renewal of Nature
Through the Incarnation & the Sacraments
Through the Incarnation
The renewal of our nature is accomplished through the Incarnation. As it is written, "The Word became flesh" (John 1:14). The Incarnation established a unity between humanity and God; Christ assumed our nature specifically so He could renew it and make it perfect.
This unity is real, not symbolic; we have truly become members of His body. Scripture confirms: "For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones" (Ephesians 5:30). This refers to the Church, which is His body (Ephesians 1:23).
St. Cyril the Great
"Christ became flesh to implant Himself in us by an inseparable union and to drive away from us death and corruption and to give us eternal life."
St. Macarius
"Human nature was dead and barren by its isolation from God, but now it has received the Heavenly Seed to bear the fruits of the Spirit."
St. Irenaeus
"In Christ man became one with God and partaker of incorruptibility."
The Means of Renewal: The Sacraments
Baptism: The New Nature
We receive the new nature in Baptism - this new nature is Christ Himself, and we partake in His life. We are grafted into the Body of Christ so that we become members of His glorious body.
We "were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree" (Romans 11:17)
This is not an added qualification to our old nature, but the receiving of the new man, which is Christ Himself.
Chrismation: The Indwelling Spirit
In Chrismation, after anointing the newly baptized person, the priest puts his hand on his head and says this prayer: "Receive the Holy Spirit and be a good vessel of honor."
St. Basil the Great
"Through the Holy Spirit comes our restoration to paradise, our ascension into the kingdom of heaven, our return to the adoption of sons, our liberty to call God our Father, our being made partakers of the grace of Christ, our being called children of light."
According to Romans 8, the Spirit of God dwells in us, allowing us to call God "Abba, Father."
The Eucharist: Deification
In the Eucharist, we partake of the very Body and Blood of Christ, leading to our deification - becoming one with God Himself.
St. Athanasius
"For we all, by partaking of Him, become one Body, having the one Lord in us. We become deified not by partaking of the body of some man but by receiving the Body of the Logos of God Himself."
The Renewal of Awareness
Through Repentance (Metanoia)
What is Metanoia?
The word repentance in Greek is Metanoia - from Meta (change) and Noos (mind/heart). Fundamentally, it is a change of heart and mind - a U-turn.
Repentance opens the mind to understand the gifts received in Christ and to see ourselves in Christ through His eyes.
"Not that I have already attained or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me." (Philippians 3:12)
The True Nature of Repentance
The True Nature of Repentance transcends the mere cessation of sin; it is fundamentally about cultivating a desire for a life of holiness.
We have often lost sight of the fact that repentance is a joyful, restorative return to life in its abundant fullness.
St. John Chrysostom
"Repentance is the medicine that saves from the death of sin, Repentance changes adulterers into celibates... It is fire which burns the roots of sin, and water which irrigates the holy plants of virtues."
Relying on God
This process does not focus solely on human imperfection, but rather on the perfect love of the God who "is good and the Lover of mankind."
Within the mystery of repentance, we confess not only our faults but, more fundamentally, our faith in the One who is able to forgive sins.
The Present Moment
Repentance is the sanctification of the present moment.
Do not regret the past and do not worry about the future; rather, focus on the sanctification of the present moment.
Whether in times of victory with Christ the Risen from the dead, or in times of weakness, you are always with Christ, the Lover of sinners.
The primary orientation of repentance is not toward the past - but toward the future, which becomes brighter in the Light of divine mercy and forgiveness offered in Christ.
The Power of the Word
"Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." (John 6:68)
"The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life." (John 6:63)
The Renewal of Behavior
Through the Word of God
The Word Inflames
The renewal of behavior is achieved through submission to the Word of God. The Word inflames the gifts received in the sacraments, enabling us to translate our knowledge into action.
This process begins with listening to the commandments and possessing the will to fulfill them. It is important to distinguish that "will" refers to the desire or wish to act, rather than the deed itself.
When Divine Grace perceives the seriousness of this desire, it grants the power necessary to transform that will into action.
St. Athanasius the Apostolic
"The power of being renewed and transformed by God is in His word! God gave us the bible as a light, truth and internal power that moves the will of the new man and puts its intentions and the thoughts into action!"
The Role of the Word
The Word of God is the map and the compass that leads us to the bosom of God. It points to our weakness, and it sanctifies the mind.
The Word of God sanctifies the mind, while Grace sanctifies the behaviors.
"Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."
John 6:68
"The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life."
John 6:63
"You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you."
John 15:3
Practical Application
Give Time
Give time to the Word of God
Pray & Meditate
Read it with prayer and meditation
Recite & Repeat
Recite, repeat, and meditate on it
Stay Focused
Do not get distracted
Summary
The New Creation: From Old Adam to New Adam through Three Spheres of Renewal
New Creation
An ontological transformation - not moral improvement - where we are grafted into the eternal life of the Holy Trinity through Christ.
Renewal of Nature
Through the Incarnation and the Sacraments - Baptism, Chrismation, and the Eucharist - our very nature is renewed and made one with God.
Renewal of Awareness
Through Metanoia - a joyful return, not focused on the past but oriented toward the future, sanctifying the present moment in Christ.
Renewal of Behavior
Through the Word of God - the map and compass that inflames the gifts of the Sacraments and transforms our will into action.
The Three Spheres of Renewal
Nature
Incarnation & Sacraments renew our very being
Awareness
Metanoia opens our mind to see through Christ's eyes
Behavior
The Word of God transforms desire into holy action
Baptism
We receive Christ Himself as our new nature
Chrismation
The Holy Spirit dwells in us as a vessel of honor
Eucharist
We become deified by receiving the Body of the Logos
"We ought to live for Christ not just because we belong to him, not just because he died for us and not just because he rose again on our behalf. We ought to live for him because we have been made into something different. We now have a new life."
- St. John Chrysostom