We Are A New Creation

In The Word

Read: 2 Corinthians 5:11-6:10

 

11 Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade people, but we are well known to God; and I hope that we are also well known in your consciences. 12 We are not commending ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to be proud of us, so that you will have an answer for those who take pride in appearance and not in heart. 13 For if we have lost our minds, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; 15 and He died for all, so that those who live would no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose on their behalf.

16 Therefore from now on we recognize no one by the flesh; even though we have known Christ by the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. 17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their wrongdoings against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Their Ministry Commended

And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain— for He says,

At a favorable time I listened to you,
And on a day of salvation I helped you.”

Behold, now is “a favorable time,” behold, now is “a day of salvation”— giving no reason for taking offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited, but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in difficulties, in beatings, in imprisonments, in mob attacks, in labors, in sleeplessness, in hunger, in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in genuine love, in the word of truth, and in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left, by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; regarded as deceivers and yet true; as unknown and yet well known, as dying and yet behold, we are alive; as punished and yet not put to death, 10 as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing and yet possessing all things.

New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation


Walking In The Word

 

In 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, it says, “For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.” The apostle Paul tells us that we as Christians should be controlled by the love of Christ. Everything we do or say must be centered on the love of Christ. Our lives are no longer ours but for Christ now. When we look at other people, we should use the spirit of God and not our flesh; that will make us to be able to treat people the way Yeshua would treat them. 

The fact that we are Christians means that we are a new creation, the old things have passed away and new things come forth. That means we no longer live the way we used to live when we were not believers. We renounce our old self into the newness of Jesus. We have been called by Christ to reconcile people with Him as His ambassadors. We should not take offense in order to not be discredited.

Christ wants us to surrender our lives to Him. He wants to be in charge of every part of our lives. If we want Him to use us, we must give Him the whole of us. God gives us the power to change our ways and let the Lord teach us His new ways, because His ways are higher than our ways.

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