When New Life Begins to Breathe
A Day in the Life
“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
When I walk with Jesus through the Gospels, I am repeatedly struck by how often He speaks not of improvement but of birth. He does not invite Nicodemus into a refined religious system; He tells him, “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). That word “see” matters. Jesus is not describing behavior modification but a transformed capacity to perceive reality itself. To be born again is not to add Christ to an already established life; it is to receive a life that did not previously exist. Paul later gives language to this reality when he writes that anyone “in Christ” is a new creation. The Greek phrase kainē ktisis signals something altogether new in kind, not merely new in degree. This is where the Christian life truly begins.
As I reflect on a day in the life of Jesus, I notice that He consistently lives from this place of secure identity. Jesus does not strive to become the Son of God; He lives because He already is. His obedience flows from belonging, not anxiety. This is why the new birth is essential. Christianity is not entered by asking Jesus into one’s heart as a sentimental gesture, but by being acted upon by God Himself. As Jesus told Nicodemus, birth is something that happens to us. Paul echoes this when he says that, at the moment of salvation, old things pass away. This includes guilt, condemnation, and the legal power of sin. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Forgiveness is not partial or progressive; it is decisive.
Yet the pastoral tension emerges when voices—sometimes well-meaning, sometimes harmful—suggest that while forgiveness may be immediate, freedom must always be delayed. The study rightly confronts this. It is common to hear that although one is born again, they should expect to remain dominated by sin or unresolved wounds for years. This mindset subtly relocates authority away from the finished work of Christ and back onto human effort. Dallas Willard once observed, “Grace is not opposed to effort, it is opposed to earning.” The danger is not effort itself but effort detached from faith in what Christ has already accomplished. Scripture testifies that the blood of Jesus is sufficient not only to forgive but to liberate. “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).
Walking through Jesus’ life, I see this freedom embodied. He engages sinners without absorbing their shame. He confronts evil without being defined by it. He heals not only bodies but identities, restoring people to community and hope. When Paul writes that healing for every hurt is available, he is not denying the need for growth or wisdom, but he is declaring that the resources of heaven are already present in Christ. The enemy’s strategy, as Scripture consistently shows, is not merely temptation but accusation. Satan seeks to convince believers that their past still owns them. Revelation describes him as “the accuser of our brothers” (Revelation 12:10). The question, then, becomes deeply personal: whom will I believe?
A day in the life of Jesus teaches me that faith is not pretending pain never existed; it is trusting that Christ’s work addresses it more fully than my self-effort ever could. Paul writes elsewhere, “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). This is not metaphorical language meant to inspire optimism; it is ontological language describing a transfer of life. The old self, defined by Adam and marked by separation, has been put to death. The new self lives by the faithfulness of Christ Himself. Healing, growth, and maturity unfold within this secure reality, not as prerequisites for acceptance but as fruits of it.
As I internalize this truth, my discipleship begins to change. I no longer wake each day trying to fix what God has already redeemed. Instead, I learn to present myself to Him as Paul exhorts: “present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life” (Romans 6:13). That posture reshapes prayer, repentance, and obedience. Repentance becomes a return to truth rather than a negotiation for mercy. Obedience becomes cooperation rather than compensation. The life of Jesus invites me to live from newness, not toward it.
For further reflection on the meaning of being born again and living from new creation identity, this article from The Gospel Coalition offers helpful biblical depth:
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/essay/born-again/
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