Session Purpose
In this session, we will study what it means to be “in Christ” and to belong to God’s new creation. We will memorize and consider how union with Christ gives us a new identity, a new way of seeing others, a new purpose for living, and a new mission in the world.
Opening Prayer
Father, help us understand what you have done for us in Christ. Teach us to see ourselves and others in light of Christ’s death and resurrection. Renew our thinking, deepen our faith, and enable us to live as people who belong to your new creation. Amen.
Memory Passage
“So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away—look, what is new has come!” - NET2
Memorize the verse in phrases:
- So then,
- if anyone is in Christ,
- he is a new creation;
- what is old has passed away—
- look, what is new has come!
Bible Study
Read slowly at least twice. Ask God to help you understand what he has accomplished through Christ and how it should shape your life.
Christ’s Love and Death
- According to verses 14–15, what conviction controls or compels Paul?
- According to verse 15, how should Christ’s death change the purpose for which believers live?
- Read . How does this passage help explain Paul’s statement that “one died for all; therefore all have died”?
A New Way of Seeing
- According to verse 16, how has Paul’s way of regarding Christ and other people changed?
A New Creation in Christ
- What does verse 17 say God has made true of everyone who is “in Christ”?
- Read and . How does the Bible’s promise of a new creation help us understand why becoming a Christian involves more than personal improvement?
A New Relationship and Mission
- According to verses 18–19, how has God acted through Christ to reconcile sinners to himself?
- What does representing Christ as his ambassador involve in verses 19–21?
Interpretive Summary, Prayer & Action
In , Paul explains how God’s new-covenant work transforms both his servants and their ministry. In 5:14–21, he shows that Christ’s representative death and resurrection bring those united to him into God’s promised new creation, reconcile them to God, and commission them to carry Christ’s message of reconciliation.
Being a “new creation” does not mean that every sinful desire, struggle, or consequence of the old life has already disappeared. It means that God’s promised new creation has entered the present through Christ. Those who are united to the crucified and risen Lord possess a new identity, live under a new authority, and are progressively transformed by the Holy Spirit.
Restate the Main Truth
Complete this sentence in your own words: Because I am in Christ:
Respond in Prayer and Action
- Which success, failure, responsibility, relationship, or person’s opinion most strongly influences how you think about yourself? How should being “in Christ” reshape that view?
- What particular attitude, desire, or behavior belongs to your old way of life and needs to be put away? What new response would be consistent with your identity in Christ?
- Who is one person you can pray for and intentionally serve this week as Christ’s ambassador? What could you do to help that person understand God’s offer of reconciliation through Christ?
Turn your answers into prayer. Thank Christ for joining you to himself, confess where you continue to live according to your old identity, and ask the Holy Spirit to help you live as part of God’s new creation.
Preparing for Session 2
Before the next meeting:
Learn at a manageable pace, including the reference.
Review and record one truth about your identity in Christ that you want to remember.
Practice explaining new creation in Christ to a fellow participant or another person, using your own words.
Bring one insight or question and one experience of applying the passage. Share only what you choose. Bring your Bible and notebook for our Daily Quiet Time practice.