“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 ESV

When a child is in the mother’s womb, all nourishment is passed to the baby through the umbilical cord. But when the baby is born, it is necessary for the cord to be cut off from the baby. The same umbilical cord that once nourished the baby becomes dangerous and can develop infection if it is left attached, which could eventually harm the child.

In the same way, the Word of God shows us a deeper spiritual reality.

Ezekiel 16 paints a picture of how the people of Israel were once in a pitiful state. It describes a baby whose cord was not cut, left uncared for, lying in its blood. Yet the Lord rescued them, cleansed them, clothed them, nourished them, and entered into a covenant with them, calling them “Mine.”

“I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord God, and you became mine.”

Ezekiel 16:8 ESV

This is a powerful depiction of the importance of the cords that must be cut off in order to live as a new creation.

Not all of us have a clean history or a genealogy we can boast about. Few take pride in sharing who they are or where they come from, and some do not even want to revisit their past. But irrespective of who you are or where you come from, Christ came to give you a new identity, a new beginning.

Christ came to cut off your attachment to your past—your past practices, your sins, your old lifestyle, and even the traditions you grew up with—so that He can make you a new creation, give you a new name, and establish a new identity in Him.

As you come into agreement with Him, allowing yourself to be washed in His blood and to be anointed, you enter into a blood covenant relationship with the Father. Your old covenant in the flesh is replaced by the new covenant in the Spirit. You are no longer bound to what you were—you are now defined by who He says you are.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for making me a new creation in You. Help me to cut off every attachment to my past and to fully embrace the new life You have given me. Cleanse me, renew me, and establish my identity in You alone. In Jesus’ name, Amen.