Tag: new creations
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 September 1st: 2nd Corinthians 5:12-21
“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.” (2nd Corinthians 5:14-15) Love is one of the strongest of human motivations. God’s love poured into a human vessel through Christ Jesus is stronger than natural human love. Paul had received the love of God that brought forgiveness of his many sins. He had heard the Gospel message, even received it directly from Jesus Christ by revelation. (Galatians 1:11-12) He was fully convinced that Jesus died for all men’s sins. For him, he was compelled by the love of Jesus to live fully for Christ!
“So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2nd Corinthians 5:16-17) Paul’s vision of Christ had changed. He was no longer a false teacher and messiah pretender whose followers needed to be removed from the earth. Paul’s worldly vision was blinded on the Damascus road and a new revelation took its place. Christ was Lord of All and the Son of God! Paul was adopted into God’s family and made a new creation that day. The “old Paul” died, and a “new creation Paul” emerged through faith in Jesus Christ. Paul’s vision of others changed that day too.
Paul got a new mission: the ministry 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. 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 5:20-21) Compelled by the love of Christ, Paul was pleading with men and women everywhere on Christ’s behalf. He was now an ambassador for the Lord, sent in Christ’s place to make the King’s plea! All men could become righteous through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ! Have you responded to this plea? If you are already a believer, are you offering this plea, compelled by Christ’s love, to your family, friends and neighbors?