The Cause of the Canonisation of John Henry Cardinal Newman

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A Meditation for the Eighteenth Sunday of the Year: the New Creation

Categorised as Featured and published Friday, July 31st, 2009
A Meditation for the Seventeenth Sunday of the Year: the Bread from Heaven
A Meditation for the Nineteenth Sunday of the Year: the Flesh and Blood of God

In this 1838 sermon ‘The State of Salvation’, drawing on the Letter to the Ephesians, Newman emphasises the distinctiveness of the Christian life: in it, the baptised are brought into a completely new relationship with God, and granted ‘every spiritual blessing’ [Eph. 1: 3]:

“Put on the new nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” [Eph. 4:24 RSV] These words express very strongly a doctrine which is to be found in every part of the New Testament, that the Gospel covenant is the means of introducing us into a state of life so different from that in which we were born, and should otherwise continue, that it may not unfitly be called a new creation. As that which is created differs from what is not yet created, so the Christian differs from the natural man. He is brought into a new world, and, as being in that new world, is invested with powers and privileges which he absolutely had not in the way of nature. By nature his will is enslaved to sin … peace, hope, love, faith, purity, he has not; nothing of heaven is in him [...]

But in Christ all these blessings are given: the will and the power; the heart and the knowledge; the light of faith, and the obedience of faith. As far as a being can be changed without losing his identity, as far as it is sense to say that an existing being can be new created, so far has man this gift when the grace of the Gospel has its perfect work and its maturity of fruit in him. [...]

Hence, in the text, the Apostle speaks of the spiritual state which Christ has bought for us, as being a “new creature in righteousness and true holiness.” Elsewhere he says, “If any man be in Christ he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.” [2 Cor. 5: 17] Elsewhere, “Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.” [Romans 12: 2] Elsewhere, “Ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.” [Col. 3: 3] Elsewhere, “We are buried with Him by baptism into death; that, like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” [Romans 6: 4] [...]

There ought to be no difficulty in our views about it so far as this: that there is a certain new state, and that a state of salvation; and that Christ came to bring into it all whom He had chosen out of the world. Christ “gave Himself for our sins (says St. Paul), that He might deliver us from the present evil world.” [Gal. 1: 4] He “hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son.” [Col. 1: 13] He came “to gather together in one the children of God, which are scattered abroad.” [John 11: 52] “As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God.” [John 1: 12]