The New Creation and New Jerusalem

The recent posts have focused on new, newness, and renewing in the New Testament. The eternal outcome of these items is the new creation, consisting of a new heaven and a new earth in Revelation 21:1, with New Jerusalem as their center. Below are the title of each post in this series with a link to it, and a brief summary of the content with some key verse references for that post.

New Heaven, New Earth, New Jerusalem: in Matthew 9:17 the Lord is our new wine; to receive Him, we must be born again into the new creation. In Matthew 26 He established His supper with the bread and wine as symbols of “the new covenant,” brought forth by His death and resurrection. Through these we have been redeemed from the old creation and regenerated into the new creation.

A New Beginning in Resurrection: in all four gospels (e.g. Matt. 28:1) the phrase “the first day of the week” is coupled to the Lord’s resurrection. This is a new beginning, the beginning of the new creation in resurrection. On the evening of this day the Lord Jesus came to the disciples and breathed the Spirit into them to impart the newness of resurrection life into them (John 20:19-22).

Newness of Life for New Jerusalem: through entrance into His death and resurrection (Rom. 6:3-6), we walk in newness of life. This is the life of New Jerusalem. We also serve in newness of spirit. This comes from Christ living in our spirit. “If Christ is in you…the spirit is life” (Rom. 8:10).

A New Lump in Christ: “Purge out the old leaven that you may be a new lump” (1 Cor. 5:7). Our position in Christ is “a new lump.” Yet we still need to exercise to purge out all the oldness. This is one side of our responsibility but it is only possible as we care for the positive side—to eat the Lord and drink the Spirit frequently that we may be in the reality of “the new covenant” (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).

A New Creation in Christ: 1 Corinthians 11 speaks of “the new covenant” established by the Lord. Second Corinthians 5:17 says, “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” We are in Christ by believing into Him. In Him everything is new.

New Creation with God’s Life and Nature: the new creation is composed of sons; it is a corporate, divine sonship brought forth through Christ’s redemption, the Spirit’s regeneration, and God’s dispensing of Himself into us, and through our entering collectively as this new man into an organic union with the Triune God. (Part of footnote 1 on Galatians 6:15 in the Recovery Version Bible published and © by Living Stream Ministry.)

A New Man Created by Christ, in Christ: the turmoil and divisions in the old man can never be removed by any human action promoting peace. The answer is in Ephesians 2:14-15; Christ on the cross created one new man, making peace. By the Spirit in us we apply the death of Christ to all our old element and apply the resurrection of Christ to produce the reality of the new man with peace.

The New Man Replaces the Old Man: the man created by God fell away from Him and became the old man. On the cross Christ created the new man (Eph. 2:15). By believing, we are brought into the new man but we still need to “put off the old man” and “put on the new man” (Eph. 4:22, 24).

The New Man Spreads into our Mind by the Spirit’s Renewing: The putting off of the old man and putting on of the new man are coupled with being “renewed in the spirit of your mind” (Eph. 4:23). This renewing is by the Spirit (Titus 3:5) but it requires our cooperation by turning our heart to the Lord (2 Cor. 3:16).

Resurrecting, Renewing our Inner Man: The putting off of the old and the spreading of the Spirit are a process, a gradual renewing. Second Corinthians 4:16 tells us “our inner man is being renewed day by day.” Our encouragement to press on is in verse 4:14, “He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus.”

Renewing unto Eternal Weight of Glory: Today we have resurrection within but our environment is not always mild or pleasant. This matches 2 Corinthians 4:17, “For our momentary lightness of affliction works out for us, more and more surpassingly, an eternal weight of glory.” Our afflictions remind us to open to the Lord, to call on His name, to praise Him, to declare facts from His word, and to sing. +2 Corinthians 4:13-18.

The New Man: Created and Being Renewed: Colossians 3:9-10 says “you have put off the old man with his practices and have put on the new man, which is being renewed unto full knowledge.” Positionally we have put off and put on but we still need to exercise to experience the renewing of the new man within us.

One New Man in Christ: Mankind rebelled against God at Babel. In judgement, God scattered them and gave them many different languages. This is the root of all the national, cultural, and social divisions among mankind today. But, the praise of the Lamb in Revelation 5:9 declares “You were slain and have purchased for God by Your blood men out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation.” Christ, with those He purchased, comprise the new man.

One New Man with Christ as All in All: Among human beings there are numerous social, cultural, religious, educational, and national distinctions. But none of these exist in the one new man. Rather, “Christ is all and in all” (Col. 3:11). Colossians reveals many aspects of what Christ is to us, including “the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27). This glory will come forth openly when He returns and will be fully displayed through New Jerusalem.

Come Forward on a New and Living Way: Hebrews 10 speaks much about what Christ has accomplished for us. Verse 22 says, “Let us come forward to the Holy of Holies with a true heart in full assurance of faith.” This is also to come to the throne of grace where we may “receive mercy and find grace for timely help” (Heb. 4:16).

Come Forward to the Throne of Grace: Our boldness and full assurance in Hebrews 4:16 and 10:22 are not our self-confidence. They are based solely on what the Lord has accomplished and on what He is for us and to us today. But, how can we come to the throne in Hebrews 4 which is in the heavenly holy of holies in Hebrews 10? The secret is to exercise our spirit. The Christ who is on the throne in the heavens (Rom. 8:34) is also now in our spirit (Rom. 8:10).

Expecting New Heavens and a New Earth: Second Peter 3:13 says “we are expecting new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.” The creation was very good in Genesis 1–2 but fell in Genesis 3 and became the old creation. Romans 8 records the impact of Christ’s accomplishments uplifting this creation. Eventually creation “will be freed into the freedom of the glory of the children of God” to become a new creation.

New Heaven, New Earth, Righteousness: Today, inwardly we are in the kingdom of God which is “righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17). After the heavens and earth have been reworked, the kingdom of God will have come in full and the entire creation will have “righteousness and peace and joy.”

The Firstborn of the New Creation: Jesus Christ is the Firstborn from the dead (Rev. 1:5), the Firstborn of the new creation which is in resurrection, having nothing of the old creation. We are being conformed to the image of this Firstborn (Rom. 8:29) so that God can have New Jerusalem as His corporate expression.

A New Song of Praise to the Lamb: In Revelation 5:8-9 and 5:11-14 in heaven there are new songs praising the Lamb, the Lord Jesus, for His worthiness. In New Jerusalem we all will sing the new song praising the worthy Lamb.

God’s Expression in the New Creation: In eternity past God purposed to have a corporate expression that He might be fully expressed and glorified (Eph. 3:9-11; 1:9-12). For this, He created the heavens, the earth, and mankind…When God finishes this work…the old heaven and old earth will pass away through fire and be renewed to become the new heaven and new earth (2 Pet. 3:10-13), into which the New Jerusalem will come to be God’s eternal expression. (Part of footnote 1 on Revelation 21:1 in the Recovery Version Bible published and © by Living Stream Ministry.)

A New Heaven and a New Earth: Revelation 21:1 introduces the new heaven and the new earth. New Jerusalem is new because it is a product of God’s divine, eternal life. In contrast, the new creation surrounding the city is new due to God’s renewing work, as described in 2 Peter 3:10-13 and Hebrews 1:12.