Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. – 2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV.

Do not marvel that I said to you, “You must be born again.” – 1 John 3:7 NKJV. 

We remember the horrific crash of two passenger trains in west London near Paddington Station in 1999. Karl Hackett watched the crash, and saw it as an opportunity to start another life under an assumed identity. Pretending to be his supervisor, he called an emergency line and reported himself missing. Just to be sure, he called again posing as his brother, and again reported himself missing. His family attended a memorial service at the site of the train crash believing he had perished, and the body was unrecoverable. However, Hackett’s new life did not work out quite as he had hoped, and he was given a five month suspended sentence for his deception. His attorney, Michael Ivers, said at that time: “His employment in the field of computer graphics has come to an end. He is now effectively humiliated in terms of his employment.” 

Many others have tried similar deceptions in order to gain a new life. In the United States in January of this year (2009), Marcus Schrenker, attempted to fake his death by reporting problems aboard the plane he was piloting. He reported that he was bleeding profusely after receiving injuries during severe turbulence; then while leaving the plane on autopilot, he parachuted to safety. The plane crashed, but the pilots of the military jets that intercepted the plane saw that the door was ajar, and that the cockpit was dark prior to the crash. The plan was for the plane to crash at sea, but it crashed on land, and there was not any sign of blood in the wreckage. Schrenker had hoped to leave behind the financial fraud that he had perpetrated; but he has been arrested, and will be forced to face trial, and receive punishment for his crimes. It seems that eventually it always fails, and it is never quite what they had hoped. However, we do not have to assume someone else’s identity in order to have a new life. No, we can be “born again.” By receiving Jesus as our Savior, we will become a “new creation” and “old things” will have “passed away.” We will also receive a “new name.” Revelation 2:17 tells us “and I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written no one knows except him who receives it.” 

Sometimes we may not feel like we are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). That is because we are designed for a new heaven and a new earth. Our citizenship was transferred from earth to Heaven at the moment that we received Christ Jesus as our Savior, and we were “born again.” Until we actually arrive in our Heavenly home, we are “ambassadors of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20)” here on earth to share with others the joy and hope of the new life. Contemplate the fact that you are a representative of the King of kings and the Lord of lords. It may not always feel like such a wonderful thing at the present time when we sometimes suffer for our faith, but consider what the apostle Paul says about this time while we are still on earth, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us (Romans 8:18).”