New Creation

Definition and Meaning

New creation is a term that serves as the counterpart to creation, God's original making of the world. It refers to God's renewal of humanity and the world through Christ and is used in two main senses.

• Personal sense: A person who believes in Christ is set free from sin and the old life and becomes a new person.
• Cosmic sense: At the last day God will renew the whole of heaven and earth. This belongs to eschatology (the doctrine of the last things).

Many theologians do not separate the two senses. They explain that the new creation already begun in believers will be brought to completion throughout the whole world at the last day.

Biblical and Historical Background

In the Old Testament, Isaiah 65:17–25 promises "new heavens and a new earth." In the New Testament, Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:17, "if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature." In Galatians 6:15 he states that what matters is not whether one is circumcised but "a new creature." Ephesians 4:22–24 exhorts believers to put off the old man and put on the new man.

Other texts speak of a cosmic dimension. Romans 8:19–23 says that the whole creation waits to be delivered from the bondage of corruption. Revelation 21:5 declares, "Behold, I make all things new."

In church history, interpretations have differed over what will become of the present world.

• One view, based on 2 Peter 3:10–13, holds that the present world will melt with fire and pass away and then be created anew.
• Many theologians in the Reformed tradition have emphasized that the created world will not be annihilated but purified and restored.
• John Wesley is also known to have addressed the restoration of all things in his sermon "The New Creation."

Practice in the Korean Church

In the Korean church, new creation is used mainly to describe conversion and regeneration (being born anew by the Holy Spirit). Second Corinthians 5:17 is frequently cited at evangelistic meetings, in baptism instruction, and in newcomers' classes.

Emphases differ according to denominational tradition.

• The Reformed tradition, including Presbyterians, regards regeneration as a work initiated by the Holy Spirit and emphasizes the sanctification (the process of growing in holiness) that follows.
• The Wesleyan tradition, including Methodist and Holiness churches, emphasizes that the life of the new person must advance toward holiness.

In recent years, in connection with the climate and environmental crisis, there has also been a movement to link new creation with care for the created world. Some denominations and churches observe a Season of Creation in the church calendar to address this theme.

Meanwhile, Shincheonji, whose name means "new heaven and new earth," claims that the promises of Revelation are being fulfilled through its own organization. The general assemblies of several Korean denominations have officially designated this group as heretical.