Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit · Sermon No. 1328
And to the same effect was his prophecy in the 65th chapter, 17th verse: “For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.” This newness of everything was to be a leading feature in Messiah’s reign and it has already been so, but far more shall this be seen in the latter days. Does not John in Revelation 21:5, say, “He who sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new”? Foretold in former ages as the Creator of new heavens and a new earth, our Lord shall, at last, in the summing up, be plainly seen to be the Maker of all things new.
Do you wonder, Beloved, that if a man is in Christ he is a new creature? If everything that Christ touches is made new, if He refreshes and revives, if He re-establishes and re-edifies and new-creates wherever He goes, are you at all astonished that those who live nearest to His heart—no, are in vital union with His blessed Person—should also be made new? It would be very astonishing if it were not so! Let us direct our attention, then, to the teaching of the text, “If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature.”
I. We shall first consider with brevity THE GROUND OF THE NOVELTY which is here spoken of. It is, “If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature,” not otherwise. No man comes to be a new creature by any process apart from Christ. “If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature,” but if any man is not in Christ, he is not a new creature, nor can he become so except by connection with Him of whom it is written that He is “the beginning of the creation of God.” As in the old creation, “without Him was not anything made that was made,” so is it in the new! He makes all things new, but the things that are apart from Him have waxed old and are ready to perish—neither can they renew their youth.
As well might the face of the earth hope to be renewed with spring apart from the sun, as for a soul to hope for spiritual renewal apart from Jesus! The wonderful newness produced by regeneration and new creation is the work of the Holy Spirit and His operations are all in union with the Lord Jesus and aimed at His Glory. “He that believes on the Son has everlasting life: and He that believes not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” But how comes it that a man is, indeed, a new creature if he is in Christ?
I answer, first, it comes necessarily from the representative Character of Christ towards those who are in Him. If you wanted a man to be made a new creature, and were Omnipotent, what process would suggest itself to you? I think a double one. To make an old creature into a new creature, there must first be the stroke which ends him and then the touch which begins him anew. To put it more plainly, there must be death and then life. Now, has that taken place upon those who are in Christ? Of course it has, if it has taken place upon Christ, Himself, because He is the Head and represents the members!
As Adam acted for the seed in him, so Christ has acted for the seed in Him. See, then, Beloved, Christ has died. He came before the Judgment Seat with our sins upon Him, the Representative of those of whom He is the Head. And in Him, death, which was the penalty of sin, was fulfilled to the letter—its most bitter dregs being drunk up. Jesus died. We are certain that He died, for the executioners broke not His legs because they saw that He was already dead. So one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear and there came out blood and water. We know that He died, for the jealous eyes of His enemies would not have permitted Him to have been taken down from the Cross unless the life had assuredly departed.
He was laid in the grave, assuredly dead, under the dominion of Death for the time being. And you and I who are in Him, at that time, died in Him. “If one died for all, then all died.” Such is the proper translation of that passage. We died, for He died in our name. Our sin was punished in Him by the death which He endured. You see, then, Brothers and Sisters, we are dead—dead by virtue of our Federal Union with Jesus Christ. I mean not all of you, unless you are all in Christ Jesus. Judge whether it is so with you or not. But I mean as many as the Father gave to Christ! As many as Christ, in His intent, did specially redeem by becoming their Substitute—these were in Him and in Him they died—being crucified with Him.
In Him, also, all His people rose again when He rose! On the third day He burst the bonds of Death and left the grave on our behalf! See how the Holy Spirit, by His servant Paul, identifies us with all this. “Now if we are dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him: knowing that Christ, being raised from the dead, dies no more. Death has no more dominion over Him. For in that He died, He died unto sin once: but in that He lives, He lives unto God. Likewise reckon you, also, yourselves, to be dead, indeed, unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”