Text: 2 Corinthians 5:11-21
“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
2 Corinthians 5:21, ESV
In his second letter to the church at Corinth, Paul calls the believers – calls us – new creations. If we are in Christ, we are new, he says. We are renewed. We are redeemed, we are reconciled to God.
Christ takes our sin and we are given His righteousness in return. We are given the ultimate fresh start.
If this gospel of Christ is true, if we really have been washed clean and given new life, how can we dare keep it to ourselves?
“Regard no one according to the flesh,” Paul says in verse 16. You, me, the person you pass on the street — we are all so much more than that. We are made in the image of the divine, created for the enjoyment and glory of the Father. CS Lewis writes in his beloved essay “The Weight of Glory”: “There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal.” Our love for one another must be “a real and costly love,” Lewis says, for all day, every day, we are helping each other to our eternal destination.
Has there ever been a more important message than this gospel of reconciliation? The gospel of Jesus Christ reconciles souls to God. It reconciles brothers and sisters, relationships and races, and one day it will reconcile the nations. It is as practical as our daily bread and as poetic as the lion resting with the lamb. It is our eternal hope and our everyday mercy. And it is our message to carry.
You are an ambassador of the Lord today. Right now, just as you are. If you are in Christ, you are a new creature. He says so.
The grace you have is enough to share with your family.
The forgiveness you’ve been given is enough to offer to your friends.
The new life within you is not meant to change only you but the very world around you.
God, give us the courage and compassion to let it. Amen.
This really spoke to me. As I'm building my faith and trying to be a better Christian, it makes me feel at peace to know that verse 19 exists. "That God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation." I love this, because too often I feel guilty for sinning. It's so comforting to be reminded of reconciliation.
“There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal.” We're all a new creation.
Today's message was important for me to hear. Although my faith is strong, I have up until this point been very private with it. I prayed to God not too long ago to help me share my faith openly with others… Then He brought me here to you all. I have spent a lot of time here recently. Starting slowly to share my faith with others. God is great, I shouldn't keep that to myself. :o)