2 Corinthians 5:17-21 - In the Open-Air

In Christ?

Read 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their transgressions against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. So then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as God is pleading through us. We beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

The apostle Paul as is his custom, refers to Christians as those who are in Christ. The question immediately arises: What does it mean to be in Christ? Again the text reads...

2 Corinthians 5:17 (LSB)

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

Among the many things that the apostle has written concerning this reality for Christians, what is clear is that it means that we are a new creation, and that new creation is truly new.

The old things have passed away and the new things have come: How can we behold those new things clearly if we do not understand what God has to say about the old?

We read elsewhere in the Scripture, from the same apostle, that all people who are born are born first in Adam, and in this first born life we live accordingly as he lived.

Romans 5:14 (LSB)

Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the trespass of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.

That text helps us understand that all people are included in Adam, as death reigned over all Adam’s decendants, but going further it reigns because all sinned like Adam because all are born into Adam, and their agreement with this reality is due to the fact of our appetite to sin.

Adam truly represented us well before God, because his nature is true of you friend.

The Bible says all —which includes you--break God’s law, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are condemned before this Holy God because of these sins and transgressions against Him.

We love to do so, becaue we are in Adam.

We are here problaiming this message that if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation, the old has passed away and the new has come. The old life in Adam has passed away and the new life in Christ has come. You must get out of Adam and into Jesus Christ friends, by repenting of your sin turning to Him alone who was lifted up for sinners. If you throw yourself at the mercy of God in Jesus Christ looking to Him alone you will be saved. Turn to Christ and live!

We read further on...

2 Corinthians 5:18-19 (LSB)

Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their transgressions against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

2 Corinthians 5:20 LSB

So then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as God is pleading through us. We beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

2 Corinthians 5:21 LSB

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.