Did You Catch That?
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2 Corinthians 5:17 (CSB)
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!
“in Christ” refers to being in union with Christ.
What does “new creation” mean?
It’s not like fixing up a old house or an old car. The old is gone, passed.
“old has passed away…the new has come!” When Jesus resurrected Lazarus was Lazarus a new creation? No. He was a fixed or restored creation.
That is why scripture says that we are “born again.”
John 3 when Jesus tells Nicodemus that he must be born again.
Made new, brand new, new creation!
Did you catch that?
2 Corinthians 5:18 (CSB)
18 Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.
Enemies of God have become friends of God by being “reconciled.”
First let me state that reconciliation is not the same as salvation. Reconciliation goes a step further. It is more than having our sins forgiven and divine justice being satisfied. Reconciliation involves a changed relationship—completely changed. It means to change something inside out and upside down and right side up. “If any man be in Christ he is a new creation.”
Notice that there is the Godward side of reconciliation. He is the One who did the reconciling.
The Greek verb for reconcile is katallasso which means to change or exchange.
A common use of katallaso was in reference to changing someone from an enemy into a friend.
2 Corinthians 5:19 (CSB)
19 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.
Christ death was to reconcile the “world.” It was not necessarily to defeat the evil supernatural/ It was to reconcile you and I and give everyone a chance to be reconciled to Him.
“not counting their trespasses against them” because the old is gone.
He has “committed the message of reconciliation to us.” We have the responsibility to be sharing this very message.
20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.”
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21 He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.