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Job 40:1-42:17; II Corinthians 5:11-21; Psalm 45:1-17; Proverbs 22:14
“From now on, then, we do not know anyone in a purely human way. Even if we have known Christ in a purely human way, yet now we no longer know Him like that. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come. Now everything is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that is, in Christ. God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them and He has committed the message of reconciliation to us. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ; certain that God is appealing through us, we plead on Christ’s behalf, ‘Be reconciled to God.’ He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (II Corinthians 5:16-21)
Once we are in Christ and know Christ, we no longer judge people by external appearances and past performance. We don’t even perceive Jesus the same way once our hearts have been opened to Him. As we grow in Christ we become a more spiritual people. We find ourselves depending on the Holy Spirit and the Word of God more and more. Some folks grow a little slower than others because they don’t put the time in with God like they need to and that causes them to live more in their flesh. Pray for them. They are still your brother and sister in Christ; they are still a new creation.
God takes issue with us because of our sin. He devised a plan to reconcile us back to Himself through Jesus Christ. Now our sins have been atoned for and when God looks at us it is no longer a dirty sinner He sees, but rather, one washed in the blood of His Son. It’s not just a cover up either. That’s what the earlier sacrifices did for the people. But Jesus came that we might be truly freed from our past and the bondage that has separated us from our God.
While not perfect, we seriously aren’t that old person anymore. Sure, you externally look the same and you may even have some attitudes and struggles that you’ll have to work through, but your spirit is alive. He’s now in the race. When you’re born-again spirit teams up with your mind, they give that fleshly body and its unrighteous desires a big spanking. As you continue to allow the washing of water of the Word over your mind, you begin to see things in a new light, and you find yourself responding to things differently.
Now that we are born again, saved, revived by and through Christ, it is our obligation to share what has happened within us. We want to tell people that sin has a price tag and if they don’t allow Jesus to pay the price, then they will one day stand before God and have to pay for their sin themselves. Not a one of us will ever be righteous enough, rich enough or pretty enough to do that so we urge people to receive what Jesus did for us, the act of reconciling us to God.
Reconciling is an accounting term. Think checkbook. When you get your statement in you match your credits and debits until you balance out. That is what God did for us. We have a fresh slate, and we keep it fresh by staying humble and repentive under Jesus’ sacrifice.
PRAYER:
Father, I ask You to forgive me of my sins. I receive the work Jesus did on the cross. I understand He shed His blood that I might live before You as a new creature. Thank You for making a way. I pray for others who don’t know Jesus or even understand the need for receiving Him. I ask You to give me and those in the Body of Christ supernatural boldness and a word in due season in order to bring them into the kingdom for Your glory. Go before us and prepare the way. This I pray in the name of Jesus, my Lord and Savior. Amen.
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