The Cost of Becoming a New Creation in Christ

As we wrap up a weekend of remembering Christ’s crucifixion and celebrating his resurrection, I’m reminded of something every Christ-follower is also required to bring to the cross: their flesh. Yet, all too often, you find many Christians tolerating the very sins that God has told us to flee from instead of surrendering to God’s will in order to become a new creation.

As such, I felt compelled to share a bit of my own testimony in this two-part series, much of which I have not previously shared on a public platform. I wanted to talk about how the Lord has changed me literally into a new creation as a result of crucifying my own flesh. I can say with utmost certainty that I am not the person that I used to be. As such, I no longer “fit in” to certain relationships and places where belonging once felt like second nature.

That separation felt uncomfortable for a time. But a mentor helped me to realize that when God has called us into the wilderness, like Jesus, it’s to access an even greater power. It’s meant to help us grow.

And this is exactly what should happen when we begin to follow Christ. The old things pass away as a result of us becoming a new creation.

The Problem with Modern Christianity

In this day and age, you’ll find many folks who check the box labeled “Christian.” They celebrate Christmas, maybe were raised in church, and might have even been baptized as a child. Because of these and other factors, they feel they generally relate to the principles of Christianity and probably think they’re going to heaven when they die based on these attributes alone.

However, there’s an uncomfortable truth that many are unwilling — or too ignorant — to address: labeling yourself as a Christian and being a follower of Christ are not the same thing.

While many identify with Christianity from a cultural or social sense, following Christ suggests something entirely different. Just like Jesus at calvary, following Christ should cost you something.

Scripture tells us in Galatians that in Christ we are a new creation and that the old things have passed away. This clearly denotes that the lifestyle of a Christ-follower requires a falling away of old mindsets, habits, and lifestyles that do not honor Christ or promote a godly lifestyle.

Moreover, Romans 12:2 instructs us clearly:

Do not be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

This transformation requires a heart posture of surrender — not one of partiality, but of complete totality and humble submission.

It’s worth noting that this transformation doesn’t happen overnight. I should know! It takes time. But while transformation is progressive, surrender is immediate. We cannot say we have received Jesus as Lord and Savior while refusing to follow Him as Master over our lives.

Jesus Himself said in Matthew 7:21:

Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father.

So today, I want to share just a few of the tangible and notable ways that Christ has changed me. Because when we truly surrender to Christ, your life will look different. And thank God for that!

Counterfeit Peace vs. True Peace

Before I introduce this first lifestyle makeover that I experienced as a result of following Christ, let me first say this: any peace that does not come from God is a counterfeit. This is a reality I was confronted with when the Holy Spirit asked me to stop smoking weed.

When I first started getting high back in college, it was occasional. I considered it a novelty. I ignorantly prided myself in only using it in social settings. But eventually, it became a daily habit that felt like a necessity.

And when the conviction of the Holy Spirit came to surrender this habit, I did what many of us do — I rationalized.

I told myself that since marijuana comes from the earth, and God created the earth good, then marijuana, too, must be good for me.

I told myself that I’m calmer when I’m high. More relaxed.

I even told myself that I’m a better mom when I’m high because I was less likely to get agitated or frustrated with my kids.

But the Holy Spirit doesn’t argue with our excuses nor is our sin justified on account of our feelings. God is far more concerned with the fruit that we produce.

And the truth is that the fruit marijuana produced in me was anything but godly.

When I took an honest look at the fruit I was producing as a result of smoking weed, I saw laziness.
Gluttony.
Spiritual dullness.

And, in extreme cases, demonic oppression in the form of a debilitating mental suffering that was allowed due to my disobedience. Make no mistake: when you eat from the enemy’s table, you’re going to get more than what you bargained for. And it will always result in regret.

By the power of God’s grace, I was able to get free from this addiction and the negative spiritual implications that came with it.

And here’s what I’ve learned: every time God asks you to let go of something, He replaces it with something better.

I gave up counterfeit peace for the real thing: God’s presence.

And after consistently resisting this temptation, what used to be a struggle isn’t even a source of temptation now. Resist the devil, and he will flee. It’s not just a cute verse — the word works.

Conviction vs. Legalism

The next mindset renewal came from a thread similar to that of my struggle with marijuana: alcohol.

Now before you get nervous, I want to address something important that many Christians like to cover up with fancy jargon and nonbiblical nonsense. Drinking alcohol is not a sin. Do you think Jesus would have turned water in wine if it was? That would be one confusing endorsement.

What is a sin is drunkenness. The Bible is very clear about this.

However, just like my addiction to marijuana, I was going to alcohol for a peace that God intended me to receive directly from him.

In college, that looked like getting blackout drunk with friends.

Later, what looked more “mature” but was still idolatry was having a drink (or two) at the end of the day to “take the edge off.”

Neither was pleasing to God.

So where do I stand now?

I still drink alcohol, but the frequency and amount that I allow myself to drink look a lot different than what they used to. The key difference is heart posture and self-control.

I no longer drink to cope or escape from a day’s worries. When I’m feeling frustrated and overwhelmed, I turn to Jesus, not a bottle.

In the same breath, I refuse to allow a spirit of religion to condemn what Scripture does not. Because the Lord has not given me an explicit instruction to abstain from alcohol, I don’t need to feel guilty about partaking in something he has made allowance for.

I also refuse to allow anything in my life to function outside the order that God has called me to live by. In the first of the ten commandments, God gives the sobering (no pun intended) instruction that we should have no other gods before him. This principle of keeping God first in our hearts and lives is one we should take seriously.

Now here’s the exception to the rule: if God has given you a specific instruction to abstain from alcohol, whether temporary or indefinite, please be obedient to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. This “schpiel” is not me giving you permission to stray from the path that the Lord has you on.

The real issue emerges when people mistake their own personal convictions for universal mandates, and the instruction Romans 12 provides regarding the subject of personal convictions is unmistakable. Basically, we should be respectful of each other’s convictions, but we are not to impose them on one another.

Closing Thoughts

In short, following Christ is not about behavior modification — it’s about transformation that begins in the heart and works its way outward into every area of our lives.

As I’ve shared, this has meant surrendering habits, renewing mindsets, and allowing the Holy Spirit to correct areas where I once operated without correction, accountability, or conviction.

And while these changes didn’t happen overnight, they all began with a simple but powerful decision: to say yes to God.

But transformation doesn’t stop at what we do.

In part two of this post, I want to share how the Lord continued to transform me into a new creation through something even deeper — my identity, my convictions, and the way I present myself and speak.

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