Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary 2 Corinthians 5:17

"Wherefore if any man is in Christ, [he is] a new creature: the old things are passed away; behold, they are become new." — 2 Corinthians 5:17 (ASV)

Paul’s second stated consequence of the death and resurrection of Christ (vv.14–15) is that whenever a person becomes part of the body of Christ by faith, there is a new act of “creation” (GK 3232) on God’s part. One set of conditions or relationships has passed out of existence and another set has come to stay. Paul clearly emphasizes the discontinuity between the two orders (cf. Romans 12:2; Ephesians 4:23; Titus 3:5) and the “newness” of the person in Christ, although he does acknowledge the coexistence of the present age and the age to come (e.g., 1 Corinthians 10:11; Galatians 1:4).