New Life - TFS17: All New You in Christ - 2 Corinthians 5:14-21

Christian Podcasts - New Life in Christ Jesus - New hope, new purpose. Gain a better understanding of the 7 new elements of life given to the believer when they are born again through faith in the risen Christ. We work through 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verses 14-21.

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New Life: 2 Corinthians BACKGROUND:

Author – Apostle Paul
Circumstances – Repentant Corinthian church over false apostles
Time – 55-56 AD
Audience – Repentant Corinthians who had condoned a false apostle
Purpose: Largely biographical – reinforcing Apostleship, sound doctrine

New Life: BREAKDOWN & OVERVIEW:

7 New facets to our new life in Christ

NEW ETERNAL LIFE
NEW MOTIVE FOR LIVING
NEW PERSPECTIVE
NEW BEGINNING
NEW MINISTRY
NEW TESTIMONY
NEW RIGHTEOUSNESS

NEW LIFE ETERNAL

2 Corinthians 5:14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. (NIVUK)

NKJV (better translation) For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; (NKJV)(

If One died for ALL….then ALL died.

1. ONE DIED FOR ALL: Think about “All”…Only an eternal being can die for “All” – No mere man can even die for himself much less billions of people
2. ALL DIED:
  1. Biblical death – eternal separation from the Author of life, not a physical death
  2. Many people think that a courtroom to determine innocence or guilt awaits them upon death. This is not true. What awaits them is a court proceeding to determine their sentencing. We are already declared dead/separated from God and our wages will be paid in death UNLESS
3. And if we embrace His death for our death – We are made alive in Christ

NEW MOTIVE FOR LIVING

verse 15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

“That those who are living” is juxtaposed against “all have died”

Who are those who are alive? Those for whom He died – those who have put their faith in Him
Jesus’ desire for us: Live for Him; take up our cross and deny self daily
- Luke 9:23-25 “Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.”
WHY DO WE DENY OURSELVES TAKE UP OUR CROSSES DAILY AND FOLLOW HIM? TO GET SAVED? TO STAY SAVED? NOT AT ALL:
- OUR MOTIVE TO LIVE THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IS NOT to “earn” an eternal love with works
- OUR MOTIVE IS v14 Christ’s love for us as demonstrated in
- v15 His dying for us – that’s our motivation! It compels us to live a life of repentance beginning at the point of salvation.
This is what separates Christianity from all the cults and false religions – they seek to earn their way, work their way through ritual and ceremony

To go along with our new eternal life and new motive for living we also are given…

A NEW PERSPECTIVE

verse 16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly/fleshly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.

We used to view others as simply “family” or “friends” or “colleagues” or “co-inhabitants” of earth

John 3:35-36 “35 The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. 36 He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

1. In light of the truth of Scripture: We now view them as “dead” in the biblical sense, separated from God now and in danger of all eternity. In desperate need of reconciliation
2. Nearly 1800 people have died just since we started our discussion in v14.
We used to view Christ as a “good teacher” or “prophet” – Jesus asks, “Who do you say that I am?”
1. Michael the Archangel? Spirit brother of Lucifer? A prophet of lesser importance to Mohammed? A divine guru or avatar? A religious holy teacher of good? A stern God so busy that you need to pray to His mother to coerce Him to act
We now view Him according to Colossians 1
1. Col 1:15-17 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.”

So this is our new perspective, our new way of seeing God the Son and the people around us and this new perspective, now add to all this..

A BRAND NEW BEGINNING

verse 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Exclusivity of Christ: “IF” anyone is in Christ – this does not apply to Muslims nor to Roman Catholics nor to Mormons nor Jehovah’s Witnesses etc only those who are in CHRIST of Colossians chapter 1
1. You are only born again by putting faith in JESUS (John 3:16).
Old things have passed away is a double edged sword
1. Encouragement: We need not allow guilt and regret over past failures, shortcomings, difficulties trouble us any longer – they have been washed away with our sins. We are free now.
2. Like the Apostle Paul we might find ourselves in an “Oh what a wretched man that I am who will save me from this body of death!” moment but when I get weighed down with the weight of my failures and shortcomings I remember the OTHER words of Paul:
  1. Phil 3:13-14 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
3. Exhorted/Admonished: We MUST not dwell on the past as it will only hinder our life in Christ today:
  1. Luke 9:61-62 “And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.” 62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
  2. All things have become new: This is what Jesus means when He told Nicodemus in John 3:3 “You must be born again”. For you and me, if born again, we can now walk in the newness of life – living in the freedom of Christ – not to sin but rather to live righteously in Christ!

New eternal life, New motive for living, New perspective, new beginning – now add to that a….

NEW MINISTRY

verse 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:

Are you a minister? I was asked this question as a young believer. The short answer is YES you are a minister – you’ve been given a ministry of reconciliation from God Himself.
Our new ministry requires seeing everyone in a whole new way – a whole perspective which we see in verse 16
“Preach the gospel, use words if necessary” – a la Francis of Assisi?
not in the Bible and in fact is contrary to scripture which says “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God”. It is God’s word which brings about saving faith, not kind deeds completely disconnected from any preaching…
1. Rom 10:13-15 “for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’……17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (v17 is NKJV)
2. I get it – we are to carry out good works as we see in Matthew 5:
  Math 5:16 “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
  1. This “light” is the truth of the gospel and our good deeds confirm our character which confirms the truth of our words – but we still need the word of our testimony!

As ministers of reconciliation – we have received a new message of reconciliation

NEW MESSAGE

verse 19 that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

Not only did He give us a new ministry of reconciliation but He COMMITTED to us the very words or message to give to others
God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself not counting peoples sins against them:
“All are dead to God, Jesus died and rose again that you may have eternal life – call on Him and be saved”
All are God’s words – powerful – all are truth.

verse 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.

If we are alive in Christ, we have received the Holy Spirit, who is also called the “Spirit of Christ”. He lives in us and pleads through us – if we allow Him to do so
What is your method of carrying out your ministry? It will be different from all the rest of us
Pray for opportunities, open doors windows to share the gospel to
- Grandbabies, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, colleagues, friends.
God’s will and desire – that none are lost and all are saved – but men rebel and are lost and refuse him insisting on death – receiving an horrific surprise at death.

NEW RIGHTEOUSNESS

verse 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Math 5:20 “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law (scribes), you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
If you want righteousness that exceeds the Pharisees, here it is. Perfection in Christ – perfect righteousness before God – and it didn’t / doesn’t come from you!
This is good news for the lost that we share with and good news for us!
1. For the lost – they can stop running, hiding or trying to work their way feverishly to God
2. For the saved – No more guilt, fear, condemnation before God when we have the very righteousness of His own Son!?
  There is a freedom to enjoy God and His grace when we know that Jesus’ righteousness was “imputed” to us – that is “put to our account” We don’t need Popes, treasury of merit of the church and saints, just Jesus.
3. Jesus takes us into the Father, who is holy and perfect, and Jesus tells us “It’s alright – I’ve made everything alright – come with me into the Father” and we are reconciled
We know this, now let’s pray for opportunities to let others know this!

WRAP UP:

This passage is filled with truths about the newness of life that the believer receives upon coming to faith in Christ.

We lose death and gain life
We were lost, now we have a new motive for living
We lose a worldly perspective and gain an eternal perspective
We lose the old ways of death and gain new ways of life
We shed uselessness and gain a holy position of minister
We were mute and without a voice – now we have an eternal message
We are rescued from condemnation and given new righteousness

That has happened to us and now God has entrusted us with this same good news for others!

No one receives eternal life and eternal presence with God (from Whom all good things come – James 1:17), by belonging to the right church, denomination, world religion, or by having a particular world view. Rather only those who trust in the Lord Jesus (preached by the Apostles in the Bible) for their own sin. We will not trust in a Savior for sins that we either don’t believe we have or that we think aren’t deserving of hell. But the Bible says that ALL have sin and the wages of that sin is eternal separation from God (death). The good news is that the Bible says that you can know that YOU have eternal life. Click the button below to see if you are genuinely saved from your sins according to the Bible:

New Life TFS17 All New You in Christ 2 Corinthians 5 verses 14-21