New Beginnings

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With a new year typically comes a host of new beginnings, often in the form of resolutions.

Sadly, most resolutions are typically abandoned in less than a month.

Today, we study a passage of Scripture that has just as much to do with a new reality as it does a new beginning, but my prayer is that today will be a day in which we begin to live out of this new reality.

Explore

V.17 — in Christ, one of Paul’s favorite ways to describe salvation. Shared unity between Jesus and His followers. Perhaps best illustrated by the image of a vine (Jn.15). Being in Christ means we get real, life-giving spiritual nourishment from Jesus. And, it means we share in all He is and has:

His righteousness (1 Cor.1:30)

His power (2 Cor.12:9)

His kingdom (2 Tim.2:12)

And even His sufferings (Phil.3:8-10)

If we are in Christ, we are a new creation. Chief among this is the idea that we were once dead by now we are alive. Second, it brings about a new way of living that is determined by a new set of desires.

The old has passed, that is, the old man who lived by a different set of values and who’s life was determined by a different “order” and other controlling devices.

V.18-19 — This is all from God…GRACE!

God has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus.

God is not counting our trespasses against us.

Finally, and more on this in a moment, He made Him to be sin who knew no sin.

Notice who is active in all of this: God!

What has God done? Reconciled us. Essentially, God has ended the hostility that existed between Him and us. There’s a fancy word that we use to describe how God ended the hostility between us and Him by pouring His wrath out on another. God sacrificed Jesus on the altar of the world to clear that world of sin. He sent His Son to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God.

Now that we’ve been reconciled, we have a message to proclaim to the world: be reconciled to God. It’s been said that evangelism is just “one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread.” But, it’s more than that. The person has to first be convinced that they are indeed famished, poor, dehydrated and starving to death, knocking on death’s door. Then, it’s not just bread, but a perpetual fountain of life that we bring them to.

V.21 — if our message is be reconciled to God, our motivation is in vs.21: Jesus was made sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God.

Jesus became sin for us, not just suffered the fate of sin’s punishment. This gives us a clue as to the nature of sin: it’s not just what we do, but it lies at the core of who we are.

In Him, we become the righteousness of God. We didn’t just need the penalty of our sins dealt with…we needed righteousness that we didn’t have in the first place. The glorious exchange!

Experience

Are you a new creation?

Are you representing Christ well?

Are you trusting solely in Christ’s substitutionary death and righteousness?