Here’s the next reference to the new creation in Paul:
For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 5:14-20)
Here Paul explicitly links the passing away of the old creation and the arrival of the new to the death and resurrection of Christ. The phrase καινη κτισις, here translated by the NASB as "new creature," is rendered as "new creation" in Galatians 6. One might say that each new creature in Christ participates in the more comprehensive new creation.
When Paul associates the old creation with the flesh, he’s referring not to the sinful passions but rather to the materialistic worldview. In the flesh we previously knew Christ as a flesh-and-blood human being who lived and died, but now we know him as a resurrected human, the firstborn of the new creation. The reason we know Him this way is that when Jesus died, somehow all died with Him and all are resurrected in Him. His death brought to an end the old creation and ushered in the new creation for all of us. Just as we no longer know Christ according to the flesh as a merely mortal human, so we no longer know anyone according to the flesh. This is the case because in Christ God reconciled the whole world to Himself.
Paul says that, through Christ’s death and resurrection, the old creation died and the new creation is born, and that this transformation affects the whole world. What does Paul mean? Is he saying that the whole world, all of humanity, died in Christ and is now resurrected in Christ? That the whole world is now reconciled to God? That what remains is for us to recognize the reality of this transformation, no longer seeing things according to the fleshly old-creational perspective of a material world that’s been rejected by God? That all of us participate in the resurrection life of the new creation whether we realize it or not? That now, having been accepted by God, we in turn ought to accept God?
Or is Paul saying that the new creation affects only those who through faith accept Christ’s resurrection as ushering in a new creation, who accept Christ’s work of reconciliation and reciprocate by reconciling themselves to God? Is he saying that as long as someone continues to see Christ, himself, and the world "according to the flesh," that person remains bound to the old creation, doomed to mortality, or perhaps to eternal torment? This is the usual interpretation of the passage. I think the text is ambiguous and could be read either way. Did Christ really die for everyone and through resurrection reconcile everyone to God — which is what Paul explicitly asserts here? Or did Christ die for and reconcile only those who can see things from this perspective? In other words, is each of us living in the AD era participating in the new creation whether we realize it or not, or do we have to perceive the new creation subjectively in order for it to apply to us personally?
Either way, Paul’s emphasis is clear in 1 Cor. 5: the old creation died with Christ; the new creation began with Christ’s resurrection. The new creation is meant to embrace the whole world, reconciling everyone to God through Christ.
Re: References to New Creation in the New Testament
Thanks for this series of posts, John—these are very timely for me, as I am giving a talk in a couple of days on "the ministry of reconciliation" of II Cor 5:18, and have been trying and connect it with this important Pauline concept of the new creation.
You point out an ambiguity in 5:17, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature" (NASB); my understanding is that the Greek has neither the personal pronoun or the verb preceding "new creature," so that it may be something more like, "if anyone is in Christ, new creation" (the NRSV renders it, "So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation"). Here I am relying on George Shillington’s commentary from the Believers Church Bible Commentary series. Are you (or is anyone else) able to evaluate the Greek to say whether this is accurate?
The times when I can remember this passage being used in preaching, it has been strictly WRT individual salvation. I agree, however, that it does suggest a cosmic dimension to the new creation. But is Paul’s appeal to his intended audience to "be reconciled to God" (5:20) simply a call for a change in their perspective, so that as you say, they
It seems to me that a change in our perspective is not all that is needed in order to participate in the new creation. It also seems necessary to have come through the cross. I wonder if part of the Galatians 6 passage that you dealt with first might also be relevant: Paul writes, "may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world;" (6:15—then the next verse is the one that mentions the new creation).
Perhaps that puts me in the "usual interpretation" camp; I’m not sure. I think I probably need to re-read your post a few more times to be clear on the distinctions you’re making.
Thanks again.
Re: References to New Creation in the New Testament
splaestro,
You’re right: there’s no verb in this construction. The NRSV translation seems good to me — this is also the alternative construction NASB puts in a footnote. It’s interesting to read the phrase this way — "there is a new creation" — in light of what precedes it. Paul is saying that Christ’s death and resurrection didn’t just affect Christ Himself: these events changed the world. Therefore, those who are in Christ participate in this radically transformed world, which is the "new creation." The death and resurrection of Christ don’t just tranform me into a new creature; it’s an all-inclusive event.
I think it’s a call for a reciprocal response to God’s proactive move. God has already reconciled the world to Himself through Christ (2 Cor. 5:19) — whether or not this is achieved through substitutionary atonement isn’t really the focus of this particular passage. "Reconcile to Himself" means in effect that God is willing to let bygones be bygones, to disregard whatever it is that people have done against Him. Now what might it mean for me to to "be reconciled to God"? I think it means reconciling God to myself. In what ways do I feel that God has harmed me, opposed me, offended me? Can I let those go; in effect, can I forgive God? That seems to be what Paul’s ministry of reconciliation is here: God forgives you; it’s time for you to forgive God. I understand that it’s not polite conversation to complain about God publicly, but I think a lot of people (me included) resent the hand that’s been dealt them as well as the new cards they draw. (Of course I’m veering away from the "new creation" topic here, but that’s the case with any passage: it’s hard to stick with one theme when so many others intertwined with it call for attention.)
This is another area of reciprocal response. You cite Galatians 6:15:
Here Paul frames the reciprocity, this bidirectional effect of the cross, in subjective terms: the world to me, and I to the world. In 2 Cor. 5 Paul places the emphasis on the objective work of Christ: He died for all, therefore all died. It’s not just that I am crucified to the world through Christ; everybody is. I wasn’t looking for a universal salvation theme in this passage, nor am I going to push it. However, this is what Paul says here: Christ died for all, through Christ God reconciled the world to Himself. Reading this passage in 2 Cor. 5 it’s conceivable that the subjective response of the individual to the cross doesn’t activate salvation for that individual, but that instead it’s a matter of the individual subjectively recognizing what already happened objectively to everyone. In other words, maybe everyone already came through the cross during the historical event of the crucifixion.
Re: References to New Creation in the New Testament
A question which the interpretation of 2 Corinthians 5:14 raises is: who did Christ die for? Is the ‘all’: ‘everyone in the world - alive or dead?’ Or is it ‘all those who were already chosen and foreknown by God’? Or is it ‘all kinds of people’? Or is it even ‘all of Israel at that crisis in history at that particular time’? Paul doesn’t say here - but the thrust of the passage, and passages elsewhere suggest that Paul’s vision was wide-ranging and universal in scope.
Another issue is the nature of Christ’s reconciling work in his death. Many passages suggest that it was complete in itself, and did not depend on the response of individuals or people to be completed. Romans 5:6-10 suggests that we were reconciled to God through Christ, even before we had any part in it - while we were still God’s enemies. Christ’s reconciling work stands, in that sense, alone; the passage of time and the response of people was not required for it to be completed.
In 2 Corinthians 5, however, participation in the new creation is conditional; it is "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation" - verse 17; to which is added: "the old has gone, the new has come!". Further, Paul adds in verse 20 a plea: "Be reconciled to God". It is for this that Paul describes himself and those who work with him as "God’s ambassadors" - set apart for that very purpose.
I think the key is in your final comment: the old creation, as far as its corruption is concerned, which is a key to understanding what Christ did, came to an end in Christ’s death on the cross - but it came to an end in Christ alone. The new creation began, ontologically, in Christ’s resurrection. The key to accessing these realities lies in the phrase in Christ - here as elsewhere in Paul’s letters. The offer of the gift (Romans 5:12-21) is generous and broad-ranging. That part of Romans 5 also takes the offer of the gift, the gift of righteousness, outside the particular context of Israel’s 1st century history, and places it in the context of the history of mankind since Adam. The issues are universal, and not specific to a particular historical context, people or time.
Your exegesis of this passage is an interesting demonstration to me that scripture can be understood without (perhaps) the unique interpreting role of the Holy Spirit - given that you personally do not believe in the things you interpret. On the other hand, maybe the Holy Spirit is interpreting things for you, but you don’t wish to appropriate the benefits which are offered. It’s an interesting world!
Re: References to New Creation in the New Testament
Peter,
Three times in a row Paul in 2 Cor. 5:14-15 says "all": …one died for all, therefore all died, and He died for all… It seems he’s emphasizing inclusiveness here. One would be hesitant to say that what Paul really meant was "all except" or "only those who." He also says that through Christ God reconciled the world — cosmos in Greek — to Himself. Again, Paul seems to broaden the scope as far as possible. So this particular passage supports your general contention that,"Paul’s vision was wide-ranging and universal in scope."
It’s not necessary to interpret the "if" here as distinguishing between those who are "in Christ" and those who are not. It could also be a link in a chain of logical argument: if A, then B. So, earlier in 2 Corinthians we read:
Paul has just gotten done arguing that the "if" clause is true — in this case he’s referring to the temporary glory of God that shone on Moses’ face when he came down from Sinai with the Law. In 2 Cor. 5 Paul has just gotten finished saying that all died in Christ, in order that those who live might live for Christ. Therefore, following the logic, if anyone lives in Christ (which Paul asserts is true), then he/there is a new creation. Again, I’m not prepared based on this passage to argue that, for Paul, all who die in Christ also live in Christ. But as we’ve agreed, this passage does emphasize all-inclusiveness.
Thanks, Peter. I presume this means that you agree with me, at least in part. Just think of me as Balaam’s ass.