Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
2 Corinthians 5:17
Have you ever seen the film Dumb and Dumber starring Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels? If not, you’ve missed out on the pinnacle of movie entertainment. Literally all of Hollywood before had been leading up to this masterpiece. Gone with the Wind, Lawrence of Arabia, and Ben Hur are nothing more than mere pit stops leading to the final destination that is Dumb and Dumber. And while I won’t spoil the movie for you, there is a scene about halfway through that is worth mentioning.
Carrey’s and Daniel’s characters are on a road trip headed to Aspen, CO, where, as Lloyd (Jim Carrey) says, “beautiful women instinctively flock like the salmon of Capistrano” to return a briefcase to said beautiful woman. Unbeknownst to them, there are some shady characters after that briefcase. And in true comedic fashion, they end up befriending one of their own pursuers. In fact, throughout the first half of the movie, tension builds as the killer tries to manipulate the duo into giving him the briefcase. But that tension eventually breaks when Lloyd asks, “Wanna hear the most annoying sound in the world?” And then, suddenly, he utters a scream so loud and annoying the killer breaks decorum revealing his unhinged personality. It’s not only a hilarious scene, but it is a brilliant way to further the narrative.
Why bring this up? Because the past, not unlike Jim Carey’s character, is an annoying and loud companion. Without warning, the past can scream in your ears, bringing you back to a time of embarrassment or heartache. Even the most stoic and composed amongst us are liable to break when confronted with their past. Mistakes made in high school can still trouble a grown adult. I still remember mispronouncing the teacher's name on the first day of 3rd grade. To this day, I fight the urge to crawl under a rock every time I think of it. I know I’m not alone in this. Everyone has memories they’d sooner forget than remember. And luckily for the Christian, forgetting is possible. The scriptures show us that nothing helps us forget the mistakes of the past quite like a brand new beginning.
Jesus made a way for all of creation to be renewed. He calls us his “new creation,” as if we had gone through a metamorphosis and turned into something completely new. This new creation has a new home, a new heart, and a new way of thinking. The past no longer defines the new creature; instead, the new creature is defined by their new Master. And their Lord teaches them a new way of life. Rather than indulge in the vices of their past life, this new life is marked by virtues like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (cf. Gal 5:16-26). Not only that, the new creature has the Spirit of God living in them and working through them to produce good works to God’s glory. This old-creature-made-new no longer lives unto themselves but unto a greater calling, one that transcends time and space and will eventually erase their pasts entirely.
The former things have passed away for those who walk in newness of life in Christ. The past is past, and the future is bright. The chains that hold the addict, criminal, and sinner are broken. And all those who call on Jesus Christ have been set free to live according to the future God has for them and not the past, which so often tries to hold them in place.
The past is an apparition that will haunt us forever if we lose sight of our new present. Sadly, we will never truly be able to forget who we were in the past, at least in this life. Mistakes are not so easily expunged from our memories. But through Christ, the past has no bearing on who we have to be now or who we will be in the future. Why? Because our past does not define who we are, God does. And God can quiet even the loudest and the most annoying past.
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