Wherefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature: the old things are passed away; behold, they are become new.
To be in Christ means union with Him as a branch in the vine, drawing all nourishment and strength from Him. Whether a man was moral or immoral before, infidel or speculative believer, all who become true Christians undergo such radical change that it is proper to call them a new creation.
AI summary
Though a man is not newly created in substance when God gives him regeneration, yet His Spirit speaks so to teach us that all belongs to God's glory. He creates in us both the will to will well and the power to do well.
AI summary
We must regard no person for carnal ends or outward gain; the world must be under our feet. Even those who saw Christ in the flesh should not dote upon that bodily presence, we live by His spiritual presence, not by images or fleshly remembrance of Him.
AI summary
Commenting on 2 Corinthians 5:16-21