Tag: 2nd Corinthians 5
Ambassadors for Christ!
Scripture reading for August 3rd: 2nd Corinthians 5
Key Scriptures for over-comers: 2nd Corinthians 5:17-20 “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 Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.”
We are “new creations” in Christ Jesus! This new life comes from having our sins forgiven through our repentance and trust in Christ’s sacrifice for us of His body and blood. This grace gift reconciles us to God. God is no longer angry with us and separated from us because of our sin. Now that we are again made righteous, we are given the ministry of reconciliation to take to those who are still separated from God. We are God’s “ambassadors”, sent to those under the kingdom of Self, Sin, and Satan to offer God’s gracious gift to them. We implore–plead earnestly–with those outside Christ to be reconciled to God!
Observations for over-comers: Over-comers are ambassadors for the King of Kings. We are sent to plead with lost sinners to be reconciled to God and become new creations! “In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of His robe filled the temple. . . .”Woe to me! I cried. “I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the king, the Lord Almighty.” “Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs form the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” “And I said, “Here I am. Send me.” (Isaiah 6:1, 5-8)
Compelled by love!
Scripture reading for August 4th: 2nd Corinthians 5
Paul was writing to his beloved church family in Corinth. He had encouraged them to live by faith in Jesus Christ and expect some persecution and suffering, possibly even death! They were to have no fear because of the sure promises of Jesus! “Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.” (2nd Corinthians 5:1) Death is not the end, but a new beginning of our eternal dwelling that Jesus went ahead to prepare for us. We have God’s promise in the Holy Spirit who now dwells in us, preparing us for that purpose!
Because of our guaranteed future home in heaven and our coming new body, we make it our goal to please our Lord by finding out what pleases Him and doing that! Without faith, we cannot please Him! (Hebrews 11:6) “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. Since, then we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men.” (2nd Corinthians 5:10-11)
God will reward each believer at the judgment seat of Christ for their works motivated by faith. This should cause each believer to have a holy fear of Christ. We are motivated by His love and Word to obey His command to reach the entire world and especially those God puts in our path! “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that One died for all, and therefore all died. And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and was raised again.” (2nd Corinthians 5:14-15)