“This means I would become a whole new person.”
He paused and contemplated the significance of the offer. No longer trapped in a sea of destructive passions. No longer imprisoned by the expectations of family. No longer seeking to impress people with his charm, intelligence, or relational dexterity.
Martin considered the prospect of his own personal transformation as he gazed into the distance of that room.
We had known each other for not much more than a year. Over months, we had read much of the Gospel of John together. We had wrestled with a myriad of his questions — some theological, some philosophical, but most increasingly personal. He was hungry to become someone new. But this news about Jesus finally offered him the way.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Much of our focus in conversion tends to highlight what a person receives. Forgiveness of sins. Eternal life with God. The gift of the Holy Spirit. Belonging to a spiritual family. All of these are true, yet not the whole picture.
Conversion offers not only a buffet of unfathomable gifts from God; it also highlights what a person becomes. It also offers a radically new identity…in Christ. When a person repents and believes, his very nature is changed. He becomes a new person. The operating system is changed. The spiritual DNA is revolutionized. The heart is replaced.
Choose your imperfect analogy, but the point remains. Conversion genuinely results in a new person. And that new person, despite a lifetime in front of him to learn how to actually lead this new life, including all of its progress and struggle, guided by the Holy Spirit, instantaneously receives a new identity at conversion. He is in Christ. He is a new creation. He is transformed.
The apostle Paul himself, at one point the bloodthirsty murderer of Jesus followers, wrote those very words. He had experienced it. He had tasted that of which he spoke.
That was the possibility for Martin that day. And that is the reality for those who through conversion are now in Christ. That is the great invitation of the Gospel of the Risen Christ.
Is that you? Have you become new?
Written by: Mike Yoder, Elder
Based on:2 Corinthians 5:17
Passion Week Devotional 2026: Day Seven