The SIGNIFICANCE Of A NEW CREATION-VII—2Corinthians 5:9--6:10
Attention:
Barefoot Gators...
The lady expected the alligators to have/be something they didn’t or actually couldn’t!
God RIGHTLY expects His people to have & be something they cannot have or be, apart from Him! A true Christian receives a new nature.
With that new nature, you can circumvent life’s disappointments!
Need:
My life seems hollow...I’m missing something.
I can’t seems to rise above the sinful desires of my heart.
The key to our verses is 2Cor. 5:17—“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
Paul clarified the significance of being a new creation in Christ to the Corinthian church.
There is significance to being a new creation in Christ.
But what is significant about being a new creation in Christ?
10+ significations/signifiers of being a new creation in Christ.
Previously we have found that A new creation is significant in its New...
1. PLEASUREs(5:9)
2. RECEPTION(5:10)
3. PERSUASION(5:11)
4. OPPORTUNITY(5:12)
5. SOUND INSANITY/Risk(5:13)
6. LOVE(5:14-15)
7. CONSIDERATIONS(5:16)
8—A new creation is significant in its New...
NEWNESS(5:17)
Explanation:(5:17)Creation/Creature
5:17—“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
This is the hinge upon which this chapter(& the following) hangs. Our very being has changed in Christ Jesus. Thru Him we have become something/someone other than what/who we were.
Thereby, those things that defined our former life(prior to Christ) “have” vanished/disappeared with the “old” & former. “Behold”—Pay attention!, Take notice!, WooHoo!—Every aspect of our life has become “new”! We thereby approach our world in a “new” fashion, with “new” eyes, energies & drives/motives, attentions, focus, hindrances, etc..
?Has anyone here ever gotten used to doing something a certain way?
You had become so convinced of a course of action that it’s either ‘your way or the highway.’
Change can or is sometimes difficult because of our beliefs...what we’re used to...those things which we have accepted as normative. Our beliefs are deeply personal holdings. They are especially so given that our beliefs are tied to our individually unique life situations. They are interwoven with our personality.
Therefore anything “new”(belief/thought/action) that challenges our long-held belief, we tend to call ‘change for change’s sake’ & resign it to nonsense.
*However the change God brings & seeks to bring, is anything but nonsense!
“Anyone”—ei tiv—Pronoun—1) Whoever, whatever. Strong—If any.
From—ei—a primary particle of conditionality; If, whether, that, etc.—&—tiv—an enclitic indefinite pronoun; Some or any person or object.
“In”(See :19)—en—Preposition—1) In, by, with etc.. Strong—a primary preposition denoting (fixed)position(in place, time or state), & by implication--Instrumentality(medially or constructively), i.e. A relation of rest(intermediate between eiv[into, unto, to, towards, for, among] & ek/ex[out of, from, by, away from]).
“New”2X—kainov—Adj.—1)New—1a) as respects form—1a1) Recently made, fresh, recent, unused, unworn, 1b) as respects substance—1b1) Of a new kind, unprecedented, novel, uncommon, unheard of. Kainov denotes the new primarily in reference to quality, the fresh, unworn. Kainov is the new under the aspect of quality, that which has not seen service. Kainov therefore often means new as contrasted with that which has decayed with age, or is worn out, its opposite then being palaiov. It sometimes suggests that which is unusual. It often implies praise, the new as superior to the old. Occasionally, on the other hand, it implies the opposite, the new as inferior to that which is old, because the old is familiar or because it has improved with age. Of course it is evident that both neov & kainov may sometimes be applied to the same object, but from different points of view. Strong—of uncertain affinity; New (especially in freshness; while neov is properly so with respect to age).
“Creation”—ktisiv—Noun Fem.—1) The act of founding, establishing, building etc.—1a) The act of creating, creation, 1b) Creation i.e. Thing created—1b1) Of individual things, beings, a creature, a creation—1b1a) Anything created, 1b1b) After a rabbinical usage(by which a man converted from idolatry to Judaism was called), 1b1c) The sum or aggregate of things created, 1c) Institution, ordinance. Strong—Original formation(properly--The act; by implication--The thing, literally or figuratively).
“Old things”—arcaiov—Adj.—1) That[sic.-which] has been from the beginning, original, primal, old ancient—1a) Of men, things, times, conditions. Arcaiov often carries with it a suggestion of nature or original character. According to their derivation, palaiov is that which has been in existence for a long time, arcaiov that which has been from the beginning. In use, at times no distinction can be drawn. Often, however, arcaiov does denote distinctively that which has been from the beginning, & so it reaches back to a point of time beyond palaiov. Palaiov has often the secondary meaning of that which is old & so worn out, having suffered more or less from the injuries & ravages of time, its opposite in this sense being kainov. Strong—from arch[(properly abstract)A commencement, or concretely--Chief(in various applications of order, time, place, or rank)]; Original or primeval. Used 12X.
“Passed away”—parercomai—1) To go past, pass by—1a) of persons moving forward—1a1) To pass by, 1b) of time—1b1) An act continuing for a time, 1c) metaph.—1c1) To pass away, perish, 1c2) To pass by(pass over), that is, To neglect, omit, (transgress), 1c3) To be led by, to be carried past, be averted; 2) To come near, come forward, arrive. Strong—To come near or aside, i.e. To approach(arrive), go by(or away), figuratively--Perish or neglect, causative--Avert.
“Behold”—idou—Particle—1) Behold, see, lo. Strong—second person singular imperative middle voice of eidw; used as imperative--Lo!.
“All things”(See 5:18; 6:4, 10, 14)—pav—Adj.—1) individually—1a) Each, every, any, all, the whole, everyone, all things, everything; 2) collectively—2a) Some of all types. Strong—apparently a primary word; All, any, every, the whole.
“Become”(See :21)—ginomai—2nd Perfect Active Indicative—1)To become, i.e. To come into existence, begin to be, receive being; 2) To become, i.e. To come to pass, happen—2a) Of events; 3) To arise, appear in history, come upon the stage—3a) Of men appearing in public; 4) To be made, finished—4a) of miracles--To be performed, wrought; 5) To become, be made. Strong—a prolongation & middle voice form of a primary verb; To cause to be(“gen”-erate), i.e. reflexively--To become(come into being), used with great latitude(literal, figurative, intensive, etc.).
Argumentation:
**Ps. 149:1—“Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, And His praise in the assembly of saints.”
**Isa. 42:6-10—“I, the LORD, have called You in righteousness, And will hold Your hand; I will keep You & give You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the Gentiles, To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the prison, Those who sit in darkness from the prison house. I am the LORD, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images. Behold, the former things have come to pass, And new things I declare; Before they spring forth I tell you of them.” Sing to the LORD a new song, And His praise from the ends of the earth, You who go down to the sea, & all that is in it, You coastlands & you inhabitants of them!”
Rev. 5:1-14—“And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside & on the back, sealed with seven seals. Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll & to loose its seals?” And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it. So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open & read the scroll, or to look at it. But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll & to loose its seven seals.” And I looked, & behold, in the midst of the throne & of the four living creatures, & in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns & seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Then He came & took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures & the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, & golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe & tongue & people & nation, And have made us kings & priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.” Then I looked, & I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, & the elders; & the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, & thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power & riches & wisdom, And strength & honor & glory & blessing!” And every creature which is in heaven & on the earth & under the earth & such as are in the sea, & all that are in them, I heard saying: “Blessing & honor & glory & power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever & ever!” Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell down & worshiped Him who lives forever & ever.”
Rev. 14:1-5—“Then I looked, & behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, & with Him one hundred & forty-four thousand, having His Father’s name written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters, & like the voice of loud thunder. And I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps. They sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, & the elders; & no one could learn that song except the hundred & forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth. These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God & to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God.”
**Ezek. 36:26-27—“I will give you a new heart & put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh & give you a heart of flesh[NOT flesh-ly]. I will put My Spirit within you & cause you to walk in My statutes, & you will keep My judgments & do them.”
**Jn. 3:3, 5-7—“Jesus answered & said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”.....“Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water & the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, & that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
**Gal. 6:14-15—“But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, & I to the world. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation.”
**Isa. 65:14-19—“Behold, My servants shall sing for joy of heart, But you shall cry for sorrow of heart, And wail for grief of spirit. You shall leave your name as a curse to My chosen; For the Lord GOD will slay you, And call His servants by another name[Rev. 2:17]; So that he who blesses himself in the earth Shall bless himself in the God of truth; And he who swears in the earth Shall swear by the God of truth; Because the former troubles are forgotten, And because they are hidden from My eyes. For behold, I create new heavens & a new earth; And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad & rejoice forever in what I create; For behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing, And her people a joy. I will rejoice in Jerusalem, And joy in My people; The voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her, Nor the voice of crying.”
**Rev. 21:1-8—“Now I saw a new heaven & a new earth, for the first heaven & the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, & He will dwell with them, & they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them & be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true & faithful.” And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha & the Omega, the Beginning & the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, & I will be his God & he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, & all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire & brimstone, which is the second death.”
Illustration:
Different, not what we used to be
Dentistry/‘Back in the day’ my Dad(a dentist) used Amalgum(mercury alloy) for fillings/Today, Plastic Composite Resins are used as restorative adhesives(forming & adhering to odd shapes)/A gel or fluid composite fills the roughened shape where the cavity was removed...BUT when exposed to a certain wavelength of light, it takes on an entirely different nature...it polymerizes & hardening into a solid filling/NEWNESSes
Epoxy—a glue + a compound hardener/A reactive synthetic(?) polymer(a macromolecule, composed of many repeated subunits) reacts when a catalyst(hardener)/NEWNESSes
Application:
?Are New NEWNESSes apparent in your New Creation?
?Your New Creation Significant?
?Is yours a truly New Creation or a Creation by your own hand?
9—A new creation is significant in its New...
RELATIONSHIP--Reconciliation(5:18-19)
Explanation:(5:18-19)
5:18—“Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, & has given us the ministry of reconciliation,”
“Now”, since “all things” are “new” in Christ, we approach our world recognizing God’s revelatory hand in all these new things(:17).
“God” is the very One who “has seen fit to “reconcile us to Himself.” He loved us that much. So much so that the reconciliation was accomplished “through” His only-begotten Son “Jesus” who is His Anointed One(“Christ”). If we(myself & the church) are to be about the business of reconciling the world to God thru Christ, then we must first know & experience reconciliation ourselves.
Recognizing God as the Author of their(Paul & Timothy’s) & our reconciliation, God has seen fit to grant to these “the ministry of reconciliation.” We are to take up the mantle, as it were, to openly offer “reconciliation” to others(cf :19). Thus, such “reconciliation” is to be the crux of our “ministry,” as it has begun with the crux of the apostolic & Christian leader’s “ministries.”
1st—A relationship with God is Established(:18a, 19a)
2nd—Those in relationship are Enabled(:18b)bought/redeemed to enable in others, a similar relationship with God.
“Now”(See :16)—de—Conjunction—1) But, moreover, &, etc.. Strong—a primary particle(adversative or continuative); But, &, etc..
“All things”(See 5:17; 6:4, 10, 14)—pav—Adj.—1) individually—1a) Each, every, any, all, the whole, everyone, all things, everything; 2) collectively—2a) Some of all types. Strong—apparently a primary word; All, any, every, the whole.
“Of”—ek/ex—Prep.—1) Out of, from, by, away from. Strong—a primary preposition denoting origin(the point whence action or motion proceeds), From, out(of place, time, or cause; literal or figurative; direct or remote).
“Reconciled”(See :19, 20)—katallassw—Aorist Active Participle—1) To change, exchange, as coins for others of equivalent value—1a) To reconcile(those who are at variance), 1b) Return to favor with, be reconciled to one, 1c) To receive one into favor. Strong—To change mutually, i.e. figuratively--To compound a difference. Used 6X.
From—kata—Preposition—1) Down from, through out; 2) According to, toward, along. Strong—a primary particle; (prepositionally--Down(in place or time), in varied relations(according to the case [genitive case, dative case or accusative case] with which it is joined).—&—allassw—Verb—To make different.
“To Himself”(See :19)—eautou—Reflexive Pronoun-3per. Dative Singular Masc.—1) Himself, herself, itself, themselves. Strong—from a reflexive pronoun otherwise obsolete & the genitive case(dative case or accusative case) of autov; Him- (her-, it-, them-, also [in conjunction with the personal pronoun of the other persons] my-, thy-, our-, your-)Self(selves), etc..
“Through”(See :20)—dia—Prep.—1) Through—1a) of place—1a1) With, 1a2) In, 1b) of time—1b1) Throughout, 1b2) During, 1c) of means—1c1) By, 1c2) By the means of; 2) Through—2a) The ground or reason by which something is or is not done—2a1) By reason of, 2a2) On account of, 2a3) Because of for this reason, 2a4) Therefore, 2a5) On this account. Strong—a primary preposition denoting the channel of an act; through(in very wide applications, local, causal, or occasional).
“Given”—didwmi—2nd Aorist Active Participle—1) To give; 2) To give something to someone—2a) Of one's own accord to give one something, to his advantage—2a1) To bestow a gift, 2b) To grant, give to one asking, let have, 2c) To supply, furnish, necessary things, 2d) To give over, deliver—2d1) To reach out, extend, present, 2d2) Of a writing, 2d3) To give over to one's care, intrust, commit—2d3a) Something to be administered, 2d3b) To give or commit to some one something to be religiously observed, 2e) To give what is due or obligatory, to pay: wages or reward, 2f) To furnish, endue; 3) To give—3a) To cause, profuse, give forth from one's self—3a1) To give, hand out lots, 3b) To appoint to an office, 3c) To cause to come forth, i.e. as the sea, death & Hell are said to give up the dead who have been engulfed or received by them, 3c) To give one to someone as his own—3c1) As an object of his saving care, 3c2) To give one to someone, to follow him as a leader & master, 3c3) To give one to someone to care for his interests, 3c4) To give one to someone to whom he already belonged, to return; 4) To grant or permit one—4a) To commission. Didwmi denotes “to give” in general, opposite to lambanw “to take”; dwreomai specific, “to bestow, present”; didwmi might be used even of evils, but dwreomai could be used of such things only ironically. Strong—a prolonged form of a primary verb (which is used as an alternative in most of the tenses); To give(used in a very wide application, properly, or by implication, literally or figuratively; greatly modified by the connection).
“Ministry”—diakonia—Noun Fem.—1) Service, ministering, especially of those who execute the commands of others; 2) Of those who by the command of God proclaim & promote religion among men—2a) Of the office of Moses, 2b) Of the office of the apostles & its administration, 2c) Of the office of prophets, evangelists, elders etc.; 3) the ministration of those who render to others the offices of Christian affection esp. those who help meet need by either collecting or distributing of charities; 4) The office of the deacon in the church; 5) The service of those who prepare & present food. Strong—from diakonov(an attendant, i.e. (genitive case--A waiter(at table or in other menial duties); specially--A Christian teacher & pastor (technically--A deacon or deaconess)); Attendance(as a servant, etc.); figuratively(eleemosynary[charitable])--Aid, (official)Service(especially of the Christian teacher, or technically of the diaconate).
“Reconciliation”(See :19)—katallagh—Noun Fem.—1) Exchange—1a) Of the business of money changers, exchanging equivalent values; 2) Adjustment of a difference, reconciliation, restoration to favor—2a) in the NT--Of the restoration of the favor of God to sinners that repent & put their trust in the expiatory death of Christ. Strong—from 2644; Exchange(figuratively--Adjustment), i.e. Restoration to (the divine)favor. Used 4X.
5:19—“that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, & has committed to us the word of reconciliation.”
The fact & reality of this “reconciliation” consists of “God” moving to action “in Christ,” regarding the salvation of mankind. Through “Christ”, “God” sought to bring a change or exchange to that which was of “the world,” seeking rather to bring it ‘to’ & make it ‘of’ Himself.
“God” actually affected/accomplished this “reconciliation” thru not monolithically & maliciously holding the “trespasses” of “the world” against them.
Neither was the “reconciliation” by an indiscriminate ‘blanket removal.’ It was rather on the basis of conscious decision made by individuals, that God draws citizens out of the world & to Himself & His kingdom.
:19a-b is a reiteration & expansion of :18b, that God “has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ.”
Each of us, including the apostles, has brought on, or earned, by personal “trespasses”(AKA ‘sin’), eternal death/condemnation, thus entrance of the term “imputation.” Personal sin’s ramifications & results are attributed, resulting in death in hell.
However, by faith “in Christ” the believer is freed from such imputation/attribution.
Thru such faith, the apostles, & the church at large, have been entrusted with the very “word of reconciliation” which they themselves have received.
Again(see :18) this great “reconciliation” is worthy of the apostle’s “commitment” to declare its overarching “word.”
“In”(See :17)—en—Preposition—1) In, by, with etc.. Strong—a primary preposition denoting (fixed)position(in place, time or state), & by implication--Instrumentality(medially or constructively), i.e. A relation of rest(intermediate between eiv[into, unto, to, towards, for, among] & ek/ex[out of, from, by, away from]).
“Christ”—Cristov—Adj.—Christ = “Anointed”—1) Christ was the Messiah, the Son of God; 2) Anointed. Strong—Anointed, i.e. The Messiah, an epithet of Jesus.
From—criw—probably akin to craomai[to furnish what is needed; (give an oracle, “graze”[touch slightly], light upon, etc.), i.e. (by implication--To employ, or by extension--To act towards one in a given manner] through the idea of contact; To smear or rub with oil, i.e. by implication--To consecrate to an office or religious service.
“Reconciling”(See :18, 20)—katallassw—Present Active Participle—1) To change, exchange, as coins for others of equivalent value—1a) To reconcile(those who are at variance), 1b) Return to favor with, be reconciled to one, 1c) To receive one into favor. Strong—To change mutually, i.e. figuratively--To compound a difference. Used 6X.
From—kata—Preposition—1) Down from, through out; 2) According to, toward, along. Strong—a primary particle; prepositionally--Down(in place or time), in varied relations(according to the case [genitive case, dative case or accusative case] with which it is joined).—&—allassw—Verb—To make different.
“World”—kosmov—Noun Masc.—1) An apt & harmonious arrangement or constitution, order, government; 2) Ornament, decoration, adornment, i.e. the arrangement of the stars, 'the heavenly hosts', as the ornament of the heavens. 1Pet. 3:3; 3) The world, the universe; 4) The circle of the earth, the earth; 5) The inhabitants of the earth, men, the human family; 6) The ungodly multitude; the whole mass of men alienated from God, & therefore hostile to the cause of Christ; 7) World affairs, the aggregate of things earthly—7a) The whole circle of earthly goods, endowments riches, advantages, pleasures, etc, which although hollow & frail & fleeting, stir desire, seduce from God & are obstacles to the cause of Christ; 8) Any aggregate or general collection of particulars of any sort. Kosmov has very frequently an unfavorable meaning, denoting the inhabitants of the world, mankind in general, as opposed to God. Strong—Orderly arrangement, i.e. Decoration; by implication--The world(in a wide or narrow sense, including its inhabitants, literally or figuratively [morally]).
“To Himself”(See :18; :15—“Themselves”)—eautou—Reflexive Pronoun-3Dative Plural Masc.—1) Himself, herself, itself, themselves. Strong—from a reflexive pronoun otherwise obsolete & the genitive case(dative case or accusative case) of autov; Him- (her-, it-, them-, also [in conjunction with the personal pronoun of the other persons] my-, thy-, our-, your-)Self(selves), etc..
“Imputing/Reckoning”—logizomai—Present Middle/Passive Deponent Participle—1) To reckon, count, compute, calculate, count over—1a) To take into account, to make an account of—1a1) metaph.--To pass to one's account, to impute, 1a2) A thing is reckoned as or to be something, i.e. As availing for or equivalent to something, as having the like force & weight, 1b) To number among, reckon with, 1c) To reckon or account; 2) To reckon inward, count up or weigh the reasons, to deliberate; 3) by reckoning up all the reasons--To gather or infer—3a) To consider, take into account, weigh, meditate on, 3b) To suppose, deem, judge, 3c) To determine, purpose, decide. Strong—middle voice from logov; To take an inventory, i.e. Estimate(literally or figuratively).
“Trespasses”—paraptwma—1) To fall beside or near something; 2) A lapse or deviation from truth & uprightness—2a) A sin, misdeed. Strong—from parapiptw[ To fall aside, i.e. figuratively--To apostatize]; A side-slip(lapse or deviation), i.e. (unintentional)error or (willful)transgression.
“Committed”—tiyhmi—2nd Aorist Middle(reflexive) Participle—1) To set, put, place—; 2) To make—2a) To make(or set) for one's self or for one's use; 3) To set, fix establish—3b) To establish, ordain. Strong—a prolonged form of a primary yew(which is used only as alternate in certain tenses); To place(in the widest application, literally & figuratively; properly, in a passive or horizontal posture, & thus different from isthmi, which properly denotes an upright & active position, while keimai is properly reflexive & utterly prostrate).
“Word”—logov—Noun Masc.—1) of speech—1a) A word, uttered by a living voice, embodies a conception or idea, 1b) What someone has said, 1c) Discourse, 1d) Doctrine, teaching, 1e) Anything reported in speech; a narration, narrative, 1f) Matter under discussion, thing spoken of, affair, a matter in dispute, case, suit at law, 1g) The thing spoken of or talked about; event, deed; 3) In John, denotes the essential Word of God, Jesus Christ, the personal wisdom & power in union with God, his minister in creation & government of the universe, the cause of all the world's life both physical & ethical, which for the procurement of man's salvation put on human nature in the person of Jesus the Messiah, the second person in the Godhead, & shone forth conspicuously from His words & deeds. Strong—from legw[a primary verb; properly--To "lay" forth, i.e. figuratively--Relate(in words [usually of systematic or set discourse); by implication--To mean]; Something said(including the thought); by implication--A topic(subject of discourse), also reasoning(the mental faculty) or motive; by extension--A computation; specifically(with the article in John)--The Divine Expression(i.e. Christ).
“Reconciliation”(See :18)—katallagh—Noun Fem.—1) Exchange—1a) Of the business of money changers, exchanging equivalent values; 2) Adjustment of a difference, reconciliation, restoration to favor—2a) in the NT--Of the restoration of the favor of God to sinners that repent & put their trust in the expiatory death of Christ. Strong—from 2644; Exchange(figuratively--Adjustment), i.e. Restoration to (the divine)favor. Used 4X.
Argumentation:
Some common human imaginations assume reconciliation with God is meaningless & pointless because, in our own understanding, ‘I do the best that I can.’
This fails on two points:
1)I elevates human ability & status
2)It limits God’s design to human parameters
Other common human imaginations assume reconciliation is/comes by means of penance—doing some sort of good deed(s) to make up for previous bad ones. A new life is ‘humanly chosen’—like a diet is chosen—in which we expend much effort in seeking to undo & overshadow our past. Hindus & Buddhists call this ‘karma’(action, work, deed—human effort of ‘cause & effect’)...’You get what you deserve,’ or what you put effort into, directly effects what is received in your future. But such is only partially true!—“& be sure, your sin will find you out”—Num. 32:23
The reality is that trust/faith in Christ is what is determinative of one’s present & future. Reception or loss of rewards in heaven is determined by one’s obedience to the voice of God in Christ thru the Holy Spirit. Likewise the most hellish parts of hell, are determined thru 1)A rejection of Jesus, followed by, 2)A blatant disregard for His life principles.
“As the Scripture proclaims in Micah, “He has told you, O man, what is good; & what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, & to love kindness.” We resist these demands, & rather than courageously accepting the reality of evil & advocating for justice, we psychologically distance ourselves, averting our eyes to the evil right before us.”—ChristianityToday.com, Halee Gray Scott, Dec. 9. 2014
Rom. 3:21-28—“But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law & the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all & on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned & fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just & the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.”
1Jn. 1:5--2:6—“This is the message which we have heard from Him & declare to you, that God is light & in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, & walk in darkness, we lie & do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, & the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, & the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful & just to forgive us our sins & to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, & His word is not in us. My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, & not for ours only but also for the whole world. Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” & does not keep His commandments, is a liar, & the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.”
1Jn. 4:7-16—“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; & everyone who loves is born of God & knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us & sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, & His love has been perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him, & He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen & testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, & he in God. And we have known & believed the love that God has for us. God is love, & he who abides in love abides in God, & God in him.”
Mat. 5:23-26—“Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, & there remember that your brother has something against you, “leave your gift there before the altar, & go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, & then come & offer your gift. Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, & you be thrown into prison. Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.”
Illustration:
I can recall numerous times when each of our children, at one time or another, refused to look at Momma & Daddy with favor—They wear a scowl every time they see you--their attitude changes in your presence—they refuse to allow you to hold them or kiss them—they hide in their room, locking the door—they will not answer you except tersely—they reply to your text messages with ‘mad’ & ‘sad’ emojies/
?What do we(the parents) do?/We approach the child a little differently, trying not to ruffle feathers, while letting them know in no uncertain terms that we love them/Letting them know, “This hurts me/us more than it hurts you.”/We, the parents affect RELATIONSHIP--Reconciliation
If you have a family member who is a confirmed unrepentant ‘whatever,’ you cannot relate to each other as you did/
?How many of you have ever been ‘on the outs’ with someone?—your son, daughter, mother, father, brother, sister, spouse, girlfriend, boyfriend, ‘that side of the family’,‘ex’, friend, boss, employee, pastor, church, etc. ad infinitum/You remember how you used to enjoy each other’s company in their own unique way—you used to at least ‘get along’ but now there is tension & its hard to talk to them like you once did/Your relationship is ‘strained’/You long for that relationship to be healed/But each of you keeps waiting for the other to make the first move/Your RELATIONSHIP needs repair!/RELATIONSHIP--Reconciliation
Application:
?Are New RELATIONSHIPs--Reconciliations apparent in your New Creation?
?Your New Creation Significant?
?Is yours a truly New Creation or a Creation by your own hand?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Alligator shoes & Barefoot Gators—“This one’s barefoot, too!”
Action:
A new creation is significant in its New...
8. NEWNESS/Creativeness(5:17)
9. RELATIONSHIP--Reconciliation(5:18-19)
1. PLEASUREs(5:9)
2. RECEPTION(5:10)
3. PERSUASION(5:11)
4. OPPORTUNITY(5:12)
5. SOUND INSANITY(5:13)Risk
6. LOVE(5:14-15)
7. CONSIDERATIONS(5:16)
Pts. 8-9 presented 02/28/2016pm to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SE
Carrabelle, FL 32322
