A New Look at Things

A New Look at Christ (v. 16)
The first is the way he looks at Christ. Actually, the way he looks at man or humanity and Christ. The phrase "according to the flesh" means in terms of the flesh, in worldly terms, in carnal terms, in merely human terms.

A New Look at Yourself (v. 17)
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." (v. 17) "anyone is in Christ" that is, a person united to Christ by faith and born again – is a new creation!
• Before becoming a Christian, we looked at ourselves as just another person in the world, trying to live, be happy, make money, find meaning, have a family, etc. But after becoming a Christian, you see yourself as a changed person; a "new creation" — a radical change.

A New Look at God (v. 18a)
• "All this is from God…" — My new nature, Christ coming, the redemption, etc. came from God the Father. Paul's point is that this "new reality" came upon him because of God's purpose and plan.

A New Look at the Gospel (vv. 18-21)
• A person might have had some conception of God's method of salvation, of the gospel, but after becoming a Christian, he realizes what happened. He understands the gospel and he reaches out with the gospel.