How We Can Be Better Christians
Wednesday’s Verse:
From 2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
On Monday and Tuesday, we reflected on our lives of prayer and showing love in anticipation of 2026. Today, as New Year’s Eve seems like a fitting day to round out this week’s examination of how to reorient our Christian lives by projecting ourselves forward to how we can be better Christians in the new year.
The turn of the year always provides an occasion for accounting. We resolve to break certain habits, to grow in particular virtues, to be better than we were before. There’s nothing wrong with that. But Paul has something much more profound in mind. He doesn’t say, “If anyone tries harder” or “If anyone improves enough.” He says, “If anyone is in Christ.”
Verse 17 begins with a reality of God’s past action. In Christ, the old has passed away. Our guilt, our failures, and our half-kept promises do not have the last word. Through our Baptism and faith, God has made us a new creation. That new identity does not get renewed on January 1. It is already ours by grace.
It’s from that gift that our Christian calling for the year to come is derived. We don’t labor to become better Christians to gain God’s favor. We live as better Christians because we already have it. As new creatures, we are free to confess our sins honestly and forgive generously. We are free to serve quietly and love our neighbors patiently. And when we fall short, as we surely will, we return to Christ not to start over but to be made new by His grace.
As 2026 rolls out before us, do not forget who you are. You are in Christ. The new has come. And every day is a new opportunity to live out what God has already made true of you.
✝️ A Prayer for Today:
Lord Jesus, thank You for making us new by Your death and resurrection. Help us to live this year not in fear or pride, but in faith. Teach us to put away our old ways and live in the new life You give to us freely. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
The photo above was created by ChatGPT.