The title of this article appears in 2 Corinthians 5:17.  Paul wrote, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”  What a beautiful way to express the change that is to take place in the life of a Christian.  Indeed, in Romans 12:1-2, we find, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”  Concerning the word “transformed” found in verse 2, Robert Welch wrote in Obedience of Faith, Commentary on Romans, p. 167;

            “The word transformed in this passage is translated from the Greek word which in biology has been brought into our language without translation.  This process is called transliteration.  The word thus brought over is metamorphosis.  Perhaps this gives a more vivid picture of the change from sinner to Christian than does the word transformed.  It is the process by which the larva of an insect becomes a pupa and finally emerges as the insect.  In more common speech it is the change of a worm into a moth.  The ugly, sometimes filthy, worm changes its form into that of a beautiful, sensitive butterfly.”

            When a person becomes a Christian they are beginning a process of change.  Worldly conduct that characterized them before becoming a child of God is now to be put away.  As time goes on and the Christian becomes more spiritually mature, more attuned to the type of individual the Lord wants His followers to be, the change becomes more readily apparent and the difference between what the person was before coming to Christ and what they are now becomes more and more pronounced. 

            When you think about it, it could be no other way.  In Ephesians 4, after discussing how those in the world conduct themselves, Paul wrote the following in verses 20-32.  “But ye have not so learned Christ; if so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: that ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.  Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another.  Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: neither give place to the devil.  Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.  Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.  And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.  Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”

            It is so obvious that to be a true child of God means to live like a true child of God.  It is to walk in manner that is free from the worldly attitudes and conduct that characterized our lives before, and that continue to characterize the lives of those of the world.   I find it so interesting that such a large portion of that which Paul mentions as needing to be put away when one becomes a Christians involves things that we might say, as well as the attitudes that might prompt us to say them.

            Notice that Paul mentioned “lying” and exhorted us to speak only the truth.  Why?  Because as Christians we are part of each other.  He said, “let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.”   Every word that comes out of our mouths is to be for the good of those who hear us.  Even when a rebuke must be issued, or sin brought to light, that is for the good of the one who has sinned.  The world would let sinfulness go by unchallenged and with no rebuke.  But a new creature, a Christian, cannot do such.  Why?  Because as Christians we are part of each other, and love would not permit it.  Also a Christian who has had sin on their part brought to light, must not be angry about that, but be thankful that someone cared enough to do it.  That is so different from the way those of the world would react, but it is part of being a new creature.

            Paul mentioned bitterness, wrath, anger, and evil speaking – all of which are so frequently demonstrated and manifested in the things that we say.  It takes time, effort, and a level of maturity as a Christian to be able to make these things entirely a part of our past and not our present, but it is a goal to strive toward.  Our goal is to be as Christ-like as possible, and that does entail laying aside the worldly characteristics that used to define us.

            When Paul said, “be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you,”  that tells me that if I am going to be a true child of God, I can’t want to get even, I have to want to get to heaven.  I can’t want to get someone back, I must want to get them to heaven with me.  You know, having written this and looking back, even something as little as how we react to an article like this will tell us something about where we are in the metamorphosis.  It will help to tell us if we are more like the world or more like our Lord.

                                    Greg Litmer