Fresh Start: New Year. New You.

Free Church
Jan 19
4 min read

Updated: Jan 20

Fresh Start: New Year. New You. | Gareth Nicholson | 18 January 2026

Catch Up on: | YouTube | iTunes | Spotify

There’s something deeply frustrating about realizing that something is broken - especially when it’s beyond your control to fix.

You expect things to work out a certain way. You have dreams, plans, and expectations - and then suddenly you discover something is wrong. Something is broken. Something needs fixing.

For some, that realization comes early. For others, it arrives later in life. You look back and think, “If I could just do that again… if I could undo that decision… if I could have that conversation one more time.”

Underneath all of it is a shared human longing:

I wish I could start over.

Not a Repair - A New Beginning

Here’s the good news of the gospel:

Christianity doesn’t offer renovation, refurbishment, or repair.

It offers something far more radical.

The gospel of Jesus Christ promises not a fix-up, but a fresh start.

Scripture tells us that humanity has a deeper issue than surface-level behavior. There is a brokenness within us - what the Bible calls sin. While many belief systems teach self-improvement or self-effort, Christianity declares something entirely different:

By God’s initiative and power, He recreates us.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

This is not metaphorical language.

To be “in Christ” means to be fully covered, enclosed, and sustained by Him - like being inside a train that provides direction, power, and movement. If you’re on the platform, you can watch the train go by. But once you step inside, you move with it.

And when someone steps into Christ, something unprecedented happens.

The Bible doesn’t say you become a better version of yourself.

It says you become a new creation - something that did not exist before.

Anyone Means Anyone

This promise is radically inclusive.

“If anyone is in Christ…”

That means no matter your past. No matter what you’ve done. No matter what’s been done to you.

You don’t disqualify yourself.

God doesn’t refurbish the old you - He creates something new. The old has passed away. The new has come.

Why Don’t I Always Feel New?

This is where many people get stuck.

You may be in Christ, yet still feel like the old version of you shows up far too often. Old habits. Old wounds. Old ways of thinking.

Here’s the tension Scripture invites us to live in:

You are a new creation - and you are becoming the new creation you already are.

It’s like marriage or parenting. The moment you say “I do,” you are married - but you spend years learning how to live that reality out. Identity comes first. Growth follows.

The same is true in Christ.

The power of sin is broken, but transformation unfolds as your identity reshapes your behavior.

Identity Before Behavior

Most of us try to change the wrong way.

We focus on behavior instead of identity. We treat symptoms instead of addressing the root.

But Scripture invites us to reverse the order.

When identity changes, behavior follows.

Instead of saying:

“I’m just an angry person.”
“I’m bad with money.”
“I’ll always struggle with this.”

What if you began to declare what God says is already true?

“I am a new creation.”
“I have the peace of God.”
“I have the mind of Christ.”

The apostle Paul modeled this daily:

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” (Galatians 2:20)

As identity aligns with truth, behavior begins to change.

The Battles You’ll Face

Being a new creation doesn’t remove resistance.

Scripture tells us we face three ongoing battles:

The world system - a culture that tries to shape you back into the old you.
The flesh - old patterns that still need to be put to death.
The enemy - an accuser who wants to keep you stuck in guilt and defeat.

But none of these have ultimate power over you.

If God has made you new, no one can unmake you.

Two Shifts That Change Everything

As we step into a new season, here are two shifts worth making:

1. From Suspicion to Trust. Stop measuring your faith by feelings. Trust God’s Word over your experience. Declare what Scripture says is true - even before you see it.

2. From Guilt to Gratitude. Guilt may feel motivating, but it leads to stagnation. Gratitude leads to transformation. The gospel is not about earning God’s favor - it’s about receiving His grace.

Grace is always bigger than your sin.

Always.

Life Group Discussion Questions

Where in your life does something feel “faulty” or broken right now?
What stands out to you about the promise of being a new creation — not repaired, but recreated?
Would you honestly say you are in Christ, or standing near Him? What helps you tell the difference?
In what areas of your life do you still feel like the “old” you shows up regularly?
Where might God be inviting you to shift from behavior change to identity change?