What Does it Mean to Be “New In Christ?”

To be new in Christ…what does that actually mean? Why and how does God make us “new”? 

There is a break in the timeline of our lives: when we cross over from spiritual death to spiritual life in Christ Jesus the moment we get saved. 

It marks the end of the person that we’d become up until that moment. 

And marks the beginning of an adventurous earthly life and eternity with the Lord. 

Slowly, we learn to separate ourselves from our old way of living and accept the true identity that God is revealing. 

This transformation is a lifelong process, but the initial period can be a sort of culture shock. 

During that time, remember that God is revealing the person He created you to be. He’ll lovingly highlight the sin in your life and heal traumas that influenced your identity before salvation. 

Allowing Him to walk you through this process is the only way to come out on the other side, having become more like Him. 

Paul the apostle explained it this way to a group of new believers, the church at Corinth, “18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord,[a] are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.[b] For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV)

That being said, let’s break this journey down into three phases: 

1. Who Was I? 
2. Who Am I Now? 
3. Who Will I Become? 

Main Idea #1: Who Was I? From Death to Life

We all have a testimony. 

We all know how we lived and thought before coming to know Jesus. 

As nonbelievers, we indulged in every desire, thought, and impulse of our sinful nature, including sexual sin, pride, materialism, gluttony, anger, wrath, gossip, addictions, self-righteousness, rebelliousness, unbelief, and more. 

Apostle Paul states, “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course[a] of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.” (Ephesians 2: 1-3 ESV)

Before salvation, we were born in sin and lived as spiritually dead persons (i.e. disconnected from God). We followed the philosophies, teachings, cultures, traditions, and mindsets of the world. 

In the Bible, the “world” is a set of beliefs created by nonbelievers (people without a revelation/relationship with God) that are inherently against His will and holy commandments. Because they are “…alienated from the life of God…” (Ephesians 4:18 ESV), they are incapable of understanding and following His set standards for human living. 

For example, I used to think I was self-confident, boasting about my accomplishments, but it was really the sin of pride. The Lord revealed this to me and I’m still on a journey of learning how to walk in humility daily. The “world” would tell you that pride is great, but the Lord detests pride, and even reveals in His word, “…Therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud, and gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6 ESV).

Along the same lines of being prideful, I think now is a good time to point out something really important about salvation: you didn’t choose God. God chose you first! 

Newer Christians or even those who grew up in the church but haven’t studied the Bible for themselves can fall into this trap. It can be easy to believe that going up to the altar means that you chose Jesus first. 

But in fact, He’s the one who called you into His house in the first place. 

He’s the one who predestined you to be saved before He ever laid the foundations of the earth, created the stars, the sun, the moon, and the heavens. 

“…4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us[b] for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ…” (Ephesians 1: 4-5 ESV). 

Because of our sinful nature, “the flesh,” we were unable to even recognize our sin (disobedience to God’s holy Law) and our need for a Savior. The Book of Romans reveals, “7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8: 7-8 ESV). 

How then, could we, having been raised up believing in and living by the systems of this world, all of a sudden change our minds and follow Christ? 

He called you. He found you. And revealed Himself to you as Creator and you as His creation that you may become a child of God by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. 

“8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2: 8-10 ESV)

Main Idea #2: Who Am I Now? A Child of God

Once we are saved, then sanctification begins, in which the Holy Spirit comes to dwell inside of us and transforms our mind and heart to reflect Jesus’ image. 

All of a sudden, the sinful acts (lying, cursing, having sex without being married, watching pornography, gossipping, etc.) that we used to do freely and without guilt will become unbearable. The Holy Spirit will begin convicting you of sin, making you feel uncomfortable in old environments and with people who influence you to sin. 

Many times, this is when you’ll realize that your old friend group doesn’t fit in with the new life that God has prepared for you. (NOTE: This even includes friends who call themselves Christians but don’t follow the Lord’s ways.) 

This time can be very lonely and tough but also exhilarating as you get to spend time with Jesus. He’ll begin teaching you His ways and renewing your mind on:

1. Your new identity in Him
2. What your salvation actually means spiritually
3. How to manage your money, relationships, work life, etc.  
4. How to maintain true peace in this life through any situation
5. And more!

You Are Forgiven 

Understanding God’s forgiveness is one of the pillars of your Christian identity. 

Oftentimes, when a Christian is new to the faith, they will experience doubt about their salvation. The enemy will attack their minds, planting thoughts of shame, guilt, blame, and even condemnation as the person becomes more aware of their old lives of sin. 

While God does require that we repent of our sins to be saved, He does not want us to feel shame, guilt, blame and definitely not condemnation as His children. 

Once we’ve believed in our hearts and confessed with our mouths that: 

• Jesus Christ came from heaven
• Lived a sinless life to fulfill the Law on our behalf
• Died on the cross as the Ultimate Sacrifice
• Rose again as Lord and Savior of the world
• Is seated at the right hand of the Father in equal status
• We repent of our sins and ask for forgiveness

Then, God the Father clears our sins, past, present, and future. 

Forgiveness can be difficult to comprehend and walk out in your daily life at first, but studying Scripture will bring revelation. The Lord does not want us to be ignorant of the cost He paid for us to be saved by His blood, and so He’s given plenty of examples in His word:

“4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way;

and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53: 4-6 ESV)

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:1-2 ESV)

“12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.” (Hebrews 9:12 ESV) 

“19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. 21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him…” (Colossians 1:19-22 ESV)

The word is so rich with explanations of the forgiveness that believers receive because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, even before it happened.  

After confessing Jesus as Lord and Savior, the Father allows Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross to pay for your sins. 

Since one sin (i.e. failing to follow the Law perfectly) means eternal separation from God, you were unable to follow His holy Law in your own strength. 

The Father does not want you to be separated from Him, and so He wipes away your sin debt forever, granting you eternal access into His presence.  

No longer are you under the wrath of God like someone who has never repented. You are now redeemed, bought back, and welcomed into the Father’s presence and kingdom with open arms. 

Then, life begins anew. 

You Are A New Creation

You’re “born again” when the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within you after salvation. He regenerates your spirit and spiritually transforms you into a new being. 

This reality happens immediately in the heart, but working it out in the mind takes time. 

It takes time to get to know Jesus, understand His voice, and learn how to crucify the flesh to obey Him with reverence and awe. 

The helpful part is He’s given you everything you need to succeed on this walk. He has not left you alone, but has given you:

1. The Holy Spirit to help, teach, comfort, advocate for, and guide you 
2. A local church to grow and mature spiritually with fellow believers 
3. His word (the Bible) to rebuild your life based on His wisdom 

As you make new choices and learn the ways of God, keep in mind that change is supposed to happen. You’re supposed to “act different,” and people will notice. 

But that’s a good thing! 

If you got saved and no one noticed a drastic change in the way you act, speak, and live your life, then that would be an issue. 

Once we’ve encountered the true and living God, the Lord Jesus, we can’t stay the same. When Jesus comes into your life, everything that’s not in alignment with His nature has to shift. 

But He doesn’t force change on us. 

It’s His love that draws us to surrender to Him deeper and deeper over time. 

As the Apostle Paul said: 

“For the love of Christ controls and compels us, because we have concluded this, that One died for all, therefore all died; 15 and He died for all, so that all those who live would no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and was raised for their sake.

16 So from now on we regard no one from a human point of view [according to worldly standards and values]. Though we have known Christ from a human point of view, now we no longer know Him in this way. 17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life].” (2 Cor. 5:14-17 AMP). 

How does this look practically in our everyday lives, though? What does the transformation feel like and the outer expression look like?

Everyone’s journey with the Lord is different, since no one’s life is exactly the same. BUT that doesn’t mean that we aren’t all participating in the same process: sanctification. 

Sanctification is a supernatural process used to make you holy. It includes moral purity, absolutely, but it’s also used to heal emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual wounds that influence your life. Through sanctification, the Lord reveals His love for us and we are to share His love with the world to help save souls. 

It’s lifelong, and will not be completed until Jesus returns. Remember that the Lord is constantly refining and pruning His children in love, and that surrender to Him is the only way to come out pure as gold. 

“But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.” (Job 23:10 ESV)

Main Idea #3: Who Will I Become? Glorified with Christ 

From the beginning, the Lord planned to fellowship eternally with humanity. In the garden of Eden, He made perfect conditions for man and the divine to live in harmony…

Since the Fall of Adam and Eve, He’s spent the past few thousand years fulfilling His plan to bring us back into His holy presence.

Glorification is the final stage of God’s plan to dwell with mankind for eternity.  

Throughout the Bible, we see a metaphor that describes the beginning, middle, and end of this plan: a marriage covenant between God and His people. 

A covenant is an agreement between two people that includes lifelong obligations, oaths, and promises to reach a common goal. 

The Lord first introduces this marriage covenant to Abraham in Genesis 17 and upholds it with his descendants, the Israelites, even when they break it by sinning. He consistently allows them to repent and be brought back into the covenant relationship, which was always meant to extend to the Gentile (non-Israelite) nations through the death and resurrection of Christ (Ephesians 2: 1-18 ESV). 

What does this have to do with your salvation, sanctification, and glorification as a modern Christian? 

Let’s look to the Book of Revelation to find out:

15 “Therefore they are before the throne of God,

    and serve him day and night in his temple;

    and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.

16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;

    the sun shall not strike them,

    nor any scorching heat.

17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,

    and he will guide them to springs of living water,

and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation 7:15-17 ESV) 

People from every nation, language, and culture will be counted among the children of God. They will be granted the privilege to spend eternity with Jesus in the New Jerusalem, worshipping Him day and night with the angels, creatures, and elders. (Rev. 7:9-10 ESV).

They will not hunger anymore, endure sickness and disease, constantly battle against sin and spiritual warfare, or suffer. They will inherit glorified bodies, like that of Jesus Christ’s glorified body after His resurrection. 

Christians will not be judged for their sins on earth, since we confessed Jesus as Lord and Savior. His death and resurrection covered every sin, before, during, and after salvation. 

Finally, Heaven and earth will be made new, and the sun and moon’s light won’t compare to His brilliance (Revelation 21: 23 ESV). 

There’s so much more to know about our eternity with Jesus, and so I encourage you to continue reading, digging, and asking the Lord to guide you. 

I hope that this post helps you understand an overview of your life in Christ! To learn more, read “Abide: 5 Practical Ways to Grow Closer to God in 2026.”

Lastly, before you go: How has your experience been so far since giving your life to Christ? Which part of this post resonates with you most?

Thanks for reading!

Paris