Introduction: Grace be to you and peace, from God our Father, and from our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Our text is the Epistle Lesson just read, from 2 Cor. 5. We begin with prayer.
Dear fellow disciples of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ:
- Our text conveys some interesting thoughts and assurances to us. If we are not very attentive we could easily pass over them. But we want to grasp and embrace these things that can buttress our faith.
- It is as Paul asserts – “all of this is from God.” Every good thing that we have is from God. This includes our physical life and physical blessings. Most importantly it includes all spiritual blessings, as Paul wrote to the Ephesians: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.”
- Several of these “spiritual blessings” – the most important ones – are highlighted in our text for this morning. First of all:
I. Every Good Thing Comes From God, By His Gracious Love And Generosity
Text: “all of this is from God.”
A. Through Christ God Has Reconciled Us To Himself And To Our Heavenly Father
Text: “All this is from God, Who through Christ reconciled us to Himself.”
B. We Have Forgiveness In Him – Our Guilt And Condemnation Is Gone
John 1:29 “Behold the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world.”
Eph. 1:7 “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”
Rom. 8:33,34 “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God Who justifies us. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the One Who died—more than that, Who was raised—Who is at the right hand of God, Who indeed is interceding for us.”
C. Christ’s Righteousness Is Now Accounted To Us
Text: “For our sake He made Him to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Statement: This is the heart of the Gospel in absolute simplicity and purity! God has acted toward us, has addressed our sin, guilt and condemnation, not by punishing us, but by giving us His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, making Him to be our sin, and punishing it fully and completely upon His own beloved Son! By His own Word and the power of His Holy Spirit, we also have come to know and believe His great love for us. Our sins are forgiven, and through faith we receive the bestowal of Christ’s perfect righteousness upon us. Christ has justified us in the Father’s eyes – and He now intercedes for us!
Application: So we have absolute assurance that God is reconciled to us! As Paul wrote the Romans: “Therefore since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Now God’s main concern is that we receive this forgiveness and justification so that we become reconciled to Him, that is, that we no longer hold anything against God.
Transition: And for those who have this faith and reconciliation with God, there are more blessings, for:
II. If You Have Faith In Christ You Are Being Transformed And Re-Made
A. You Are A New Creation
Text: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.”
B. The Old Has Passed Away And New Things Have Come
Text: “The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
Statement: Now we understand that the transformation of our being – body and soul – is in process and that as John puts it: “It does not yet appear what we shall be [as children of God].” Nonetheless, we have the privilege to see the glory of God in Christ Jesus, and this transforms us into His image, “from one degree of glory to another.” [2 Cor. 3:18]
Application: Certainly our condemnation and our commitment to sinning has passed away. For each time we fall into sin we repent, we acknowledge its wrongness, and we receive God’s gracious forgiveness. This restores His image, so that we keep our commitment to what is “new,” our new life in Christ. This is our life today, here on earth, and within the fellowship of the church. And this means that our perspective has changed in many ways. And this includes the reality that:
III. As Christians, Those Who Are New And Among The New [The Church], How We Regard Others Has Changed
Text: “From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard Him thus no longer.”
Statement: Paul is talking about “seeing” and determining what is real about others from a mere “fleshly” perspective. He had had wrong judgements about Jesus, denying His Deity, His Lordship, and His Messianic mission! No more of this. Likewise, we must throw away “regarding” other people from this “fleshly” perspective. That is, we no longer judge ourselves better than others. We no longer limit God’s gracious love and forgiveness to one special group of people. We especially “regard” our fellow Christians differently – they are not just fleshly people, but people who are now a new creation in Christ Jesus. They have been born of God, and they love God – and so we also love all who have been born of God. [1 John 5:1]
Application: This may be difficult for us – in that we and all our fellow Christians remain both saint and sinner. It is hard, but what Paul is urging us to do is to NOT focus on the carnal and fleshly aspects of our fellow Christians – which is passing away – but instead look at them from Christ’s perspective, as new creatures being transformed into the image of God! And we are to regard ourselves in this same way! As Christians, our sin is “accidental,” not part of our real being. We are sinners only to extent that our sinful nature has not yet been fully put to death. But we are not committed to sin anymore, but consider ourselves to be “dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” [Rom. 6:11]
Conclusion: It is just hard for us re-vision the reality that has been given to us in Christ Jesus our Savior! So we must keep these things in mind and become more sure and certain of them day by day! There is no question what God has done for us in Christ Jesus – forgiveness, new life, and eternal salvation! What is hardest for us is to receive these things in grateful faith and trust, so that we ourselves become reconciled with God.
Likewise, it is difficult for us to change our perspective about others. We must learn not to consider the unbelieving “worse sinners” than we are. And we must not look at the sins and weaknesses of our fellow believers as part of their very being. No, our sins are no longer natural but temporal oddities, being done away in part now, and fully when we die or when Jesus returns in glory!
So let us grasp these blessings, all of which are from God. Amen.
Votum: And the peace of God which surpasses all human understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds in the true faith, which is in Christ Jesus, even unto life everlasting, Amen.