Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
2 Corinthians 5:17
Are we individual new creations in Christ|2 Corinthians 5:17? Great question.
A Common Misunderstanding
Believers often quote this verse. And it has a widespread understanding that few Christians dispute. When we read the text in isolation and with the translator’s additions, that interpretation seems likely: Each Christian is a separate new creation once they are born again. Let me suggest another possibility.
A Better Option
Remove Translators’ Addition
First, the words he is are not part of the Greek text of this verse. That is why they’re in italics in the more literal English translations like the New American Standard and the King James versions. So, let’s read the first part of this verse without the translators’ additions: “Therefore if anyone is in Christ a new creature (or creation)….
After we do this, what is the plain meaning of the text? Is the new creature/creation the individual, or is Christ the new creation? It’s plainly Christ. Paul means the (universal) Church as the body of Christ.
The Immediate Context
Second, look at the verses in the immediate context. “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 (2 Corinthians 5:16).”
In 5:16, Paul teaches us the new way to know Christ. Some church members may have seen Christ “in the flesh.” And the three verses after 5:17 all discuss Christ. There’s no hint that the individual Christian is the point of this passage (2 Corinthians 5:16-20).
So, if Paul is teaching about a new way to know Christ, what does he mean?
The Broader Context
Third, let’s look at the broader context.
“For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:12-13).”
The Corporate Body of Christ
Paul taught the Corinthians in his first letter that the individual members make up one new corporate body: Christ.
Paul teaches this in other letters too:
“For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another (Romans 12:4-5).”
“In my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions. (Colossians 1:24).”
“Just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body (Ephesians 5:29-30).”
The New Creation: The Corporate Church
Thus, Paul says individual believers are all group members of one body, a new creation (creature). This understanding fits better with the near and distant context. And leaving out the translators’ words, it naturally reads that way.
Why it Matters
So, what difference does it make? It’s not that we’re individually new creations. We’re part of a new corporate body: (the body of) Christ or the Church. It’s common in western thought to see ourselves as individual believers. But this verse teaches that we as individuals are part of a corporate body. We’re brothers and sisters in Christ, not individual new creations on our own.
Sometimes the individual new creation view uses this verse to say that if someone’s a believer, it’ll show in their actions. That infers that if a person doesn’t act a certain way, that they should examine themselves to make sure they’re saved. That is not a legitimate application of this verse. We’re not individual new creations who will no longer sin.
Assurance of Salvation
The individual new creation view takes away a person’s assurance of salvation. That assurance is the foundation for living the Christian life. A believer doesn’t live a certain way to get to heaven; they live a godly life because they’re a child of God, have eternal life, and are citizens of heaven. They’re part of the corporate body of Christ.