Tag: 2nd Corinthians 1-5
Out with the old, in with the new!
Scripture reading for November 27th: 2nd Corinthians 1-5
Many Christians don’t realize who they really are in Christ. They struggle with low self-esteem and feelings of inferiority. They try to be different and keep the rules or commandments but always fail or fall short. “Try harder!” some well-meaning saints encourage! But the harder they try, the more frustrated they become. The secret is in knowing who we are in Christ.
When we are truly ‘born again’, we are transformed inside by the Holy Spirit into ‘new creations’. (John 3:3-8) (2nd Corinthians 5:17) As God blew breath into Adam and he became a living being, so God’s breath comes into us by the Holy Spirit! We haven’t added a new set of rules to live by. Our life is brand new at it’s core, in our heart and spirit! We now have an eternal relationship with Father, Son (Jesus Christ) and Holy Spirit.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2nd Corinthians 5:17-21
We have a new identity! The new creation that is formed in us by the Holy Spirit is reconciled to God. We are no longer cut off from Him by sin. God did this work of reconciliation at the cross. He put our sins on His Son and He paid the penalty. We are adopted into God’s family and given the task of appealing to others on Christ’s behalf. Our position is “ambassador” of Christ. We are to implore men and women to be reconciled to God. We have a divine purpose and our identity is found in Christ.
New creation realities!
Scripture reading for November 27th: 2nd Corinthians 1-5
Many Christians don’t realize who they really are in Christ. They struggle with low self-esteem and feelings of inferiority. They try to be different and keep the rules or commandments but always fail or fall short. “Try harder!”, some well-meaning saints encourage! But the harder they try, the more frustrated they become. The secret is in knowing who we are in Christ.
When we are truly ‘born again’, we are transformed inside by the Holy Spirit into new creations. (John 3:3-8) (2nd Corinthians 5:17) As God blew breath into Adam and he became a living being, so the breath of God comes into us by the Holy Spirit and we become alive to God! Our life is brand new at it’s core, in our heart and spirit! We now have an eternal relationship with Father, Son (Jesus Christ) and Holy Spirit.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2nd Corinthians 5:17-21
The new creation that is formed in us by the Holy Spirit is reconciled to God. God did this work of reconciliation at the cross when He put our sins on His Son . We are adopted into God’s family and given the task of appealing to others on Christ’s behalf. Our new position is “ambassador” of Christ, imploring men to be reconciled to God. We have a divine purpose and our identity is with Christ.
What a blessing to be forgiven! What freedom to know eternal life and a relationship with our heavenly Father! These new creation realities are appropriated by faith and lived out daily. Our God is for us and we are for Him! Appropriate your “ambassador” status today and invite someone you know to be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ!
Ever-increasing Glory!
Scripture reading for November 28th: 2nd Corinthians 1-5
Dear Friends,
Due to a few days errors in writing, we must read on four Sunday’s to catch up! I pray that you will rest as you read and be refreshed! God’s Word is Spirit and Life and has transforming power for our soul, mind, and body! As we gather with God’s people to worship and hear the Word preached and taught, God meets with us and transformation comes through revelation of His glory and grace!
“But when anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is Spirit.” (2nd Corinthians 3:16-18)
In this second letter to the Corinthians, Paul was writing to them about the Jews who were under the law. Moses received the law from God by spending 40 days in His presence twice! Each time, his face glowed because of being in God’s presence and Moses had to wear a veil to keep the Israelites from gazing at him while the glory was fading away. Even today, as Moses is read this same veil remains because it can be taken away only by faith in Jesus Christ. (2nd Corinthians 3:14-15)
But when anyone, Jew or Gentile, turns to the Lord there is freedom to behold the glory of the Lord through the Holy Spirit. We see in Jesus Christ the glory of God the Father’s love and mercy. We now can understand God’s love and plan to bring us into His family and His glory. As we behold Him in the Spirit, we are transformed into His likeness. His Holy Spirit brings to our inner man the ever-increasing glory of revelation of the holiness of our King in His glory!
We have this treasure of the Holy Spirit in our bodies, which are weak and decaying, given over to death. The Holy Spirit produces God’s life in us, showing the world that this new glory and power is not from us but from God! (2nd Corinthians 4:6-7) The god of this world (Satan) has blinded the minds of unbelievers and hidden this light of revelation from them so that they are still in the veil of darkness. (2nd Corinthians 4:4) Praise the Lord for Light!
In His Glory, Pastor John
New Creation Realities!
Scripture reading for November 27th: 2nd Corinthians 1-5
Many Christians don’t realize who they really are in Christ. They struggle with low self-esteem and feelings of inferiority. They try to be different and keep the rules or commandments but always fail or fall short. “Try harder!”, some well-meaning saints encourage! But the harder they try, the more frustrated they become. The secret is in knowing who we are in Christ.
When we are truly ‘born again’, we are transformed inside by the Holy Spirit into new creations. (John 3:3-8) (2nd Corinthians 5:17) As God blew breath into Adam and he became a living being, so the breath of God comes into us by the Holy Spirit and we become alive to God! We haven’t just added a set of rules to live by. We don’t just learn a creed of ethics that makes us different from other religions. We don’t just go to church and sing songs and learn traditions. Our life is brand new at it’s core, in our heart and spirit! We now have an eternal relationship with Father, Son (Jesus Christ) and Holy Spirit.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2nd Corinthians 5:17-21
We have a new identity! The new creation that is formed in us by the Holy Spirit is reconciled to God. We are no longer cut off from Him by sin. God did this work of reconciliation at the cross. He put our sins on His Son and the Son paid the penalty. We are adopted into God’s family and given the task of appealing to others on Christ’s behalf. Our position is “ambassador” of Christ. We are to implore men and women to be reconciled to God. We have a divine purpose and our identity is with Christ instead of self and sin. Low self-esteem is an old thing that is vanquished! The new has come and is from God!
What a blessing to be forgiven! What freedom to know eternal life and a relationship with our heavenly Father! These new creation realities must be appropriated by faith and lived out daily. Our God is for us and now we are for Him! Appropriate your “ambassador” status today and implore someone you know to be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ! It’s who you really are and your divine purpose!