2 Corinthians 5:16-18 — Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

O.K. Confession time. Myra and I enjoy watching HGTV.We particularly enjoy the makeovers. There is something wonderful about seeing a house that’s been neglected turned into somebody’s dream home. I wonder if God feels that way when one of us becomes a new creation?
There’s another sort of makeover I know about. These I have never watched! Personal, cosmetic makeovers — making somebody look like a new person.
There’s a real difference between those cosmetic makeovers and the house renovations. The personal makeovers start from the outside and don’t get any deeper than skin deep. The house renovations are much different — they get to the foundation and deep inside of the buildings. They really do result in “a new creation”.
Paul is talking about a similar idea.
Before Paul met Jesus he judged Him by external, worldly, standards. After he met Him, his whole outlook changed. In fact, he stopped judging anybody by external standards. He knew that he had been reborn in Christ — made over to be a new creation. What is more, he knew that the same is true of anyone in Christ. But what’s that makeover like?
Ephesians 4:24-33 has great description of the new creation:
It is “??the new man… created in ??righteousness and ??true ??holiness.”
The new man speaks the truth, is prone only to righteous anger, does not steal but works honestly with his hands, is charitable, speaks nothing that does not build up his hearers.
He has put away ??bitterness, anger, and quarreling, ????evil speaking, and ????malice.
God’s new creations are tenderhearted, ????forgiving each other, ??just as God has forgiven them.
The “new creation makeover” isn’t just passive. It results in action too. We are reconciled to God in Christ and that task reconciliation has become ours. Jesus was the means of our reconciliation, and now we must become the way that the gospel of reconciliation gets to others. Our makeover is a wonderful thing! We become show houses for the Holy Spirit — and that’s more wonderful than anything on HGTV!