Dwell in the Word: 2 Corinthians 5:11-21

Think on these questions as you dwell in 2 Corinthians 5:11-21:

1. In this passage, Paul highlights the transformation that occurs when one is in Christ—a shift from viewing others or even Christ Himself by worldly standards to seeing them through a spiritual lens. How does this perspective change impact how believers should interact with others and view themselves in a world often focused on external appearances and societal judgments?

2. The concept of reconciliation plays a crucial role in this passage—reconciliation between humanity and God through Christ's sacrificial act. How does this understanding of reconciliation reshape one's relationship with God? In what ways does this concept of reconciliation influence believers' attitudes towards others and their role as "ambassadors for Christ"?

3. The passage emphasizes the substitutionary nature of Christ's sacrifice, highlighting the exchange of our sin for Christ's righteousness. How does comprehending this divine exchange shape believers' understanding of grace, forgiveness, and their own identity in Christ? How can this awareness impact the way individuals approach their faith and relationship with God, especially during significant events like Good Friday and Easter?

Transcript:

 Honestly, I did not plan this out, but I don't know that we could have come up to a better part of 2 Corinthians for Good Friday than we have today. We see here a lot of talk about what Christ has done for us. In fact, we see the idea that he died over and over again, right? We see, for the love of Christ controls us here in verse 14, because we have concluded this, that one has died for all, therefore all have died, and he died for all.

We see this important element of the gospel, the death of Christ and how he has saved a people for himself here in this passage. And so, we come here, and we see some interesting things that Paul is saying. Verse 16 specifically, from now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh, even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh.

What does that mean?  Is Paul suggesting that Paul did not rise or that Christ did not rise bodily from the dead. That's not what he is saying He is not denying the real resurrection of Jesus here What he is saying is that even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh in other words even though we once looked at him as a human and we judged him by human standards We no longer do that.

Look what happened when Jesus was regarded according to the flesh. They saw him to be offensive. They crucified him.  This is what looking at Jesus according to the flesh did.  But now we understand Jesus for the work that he did, even though he was bruised and battered. We don't consider, uh, that to be the standard that the appearance of that to be the standard by which we judge him.

And so, what Paul is trying to drive home to the people here in Corinth is that if they are in Christ, They're in the, then they are a new creation. They should stop worrying about appearances. They should stop worrying about what other people think of them. Instead, they should worry about who they are in Christ.

The old is passed away. The new has come. And what a blessing this is from God, Paul says. And it all comes because Christ reconciled us to himself, and he gave us this ministry of reconciliation. In other words, Jesus has made us right with God. We were at war with him, we were enemies of God, but now we have been reconciled to him.

Things are now, once again, good between us and God.  This was not done because God decided to let something pass. He did not. Say that, Oh, your sin isn't that big a deal. I'm not going to worry about it anymore. No. We were reconciled because the price was paid for our sin.  Christ did this work for us. He was the one doing the reconciling.

That is so important. So now that we are in Christ, we are new creations. What does this mean for us?  We see that God is no longer counting our trespasses against us, but he also gives us a ministry of reconciliation. We are passing on this This message of the salvation that we have in Jesus.  And so, Paul uses some interesting language here.

He says that we're ambassadors for Christ. In other words, we're going out into a world that is opposed to us. And we are spreading this message. We are giving this information. That there might now be peace between those other people in God. We are ambassadors for Christ We're making an appeal to people and so we spread this message and we see here what it is What Paul says we implore you on behalf of Christ be reconciled to God come to Christ.

Let him reconcile you with God and then we see the crux of Paul’s argument and the crux of the gospel for our sake He made him to be sin, who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Now, we have in our time, and in every time, there have been those who have questioned the substitutionary nature of the gospel.

They question this idea that somehow our sins are poured out on Christ, and we receive his righteousness.  But there's nothing else that you can come away from this passage with, especially this verse. Why did he do this? He did it for our sake and he made him to be sin. He became our sin, even though he knew no sin.

So, there's clearly substitution there. There's a swap there. There is a great exchange, right?  So that we might become the righteousness of God So our sin is put on him and we receive the righteousness of God from Christ And this is why we have been reconciled to God. It has nothing to do with what I’ve done.

It has everything to do with this reconciliation that Jesus has given us And so as we arrive on this Good Friday, and as we look at this passage, what a blessing that we have this reminder of the gospel this reminder that we not only have had our sins forgiven But we receive the perfect righteousness of Christ.

We are the righteousness of God And so may we continue to understand the substitutionary Nature of the gospel that we have received from Christ his righteousness and he has taken away our sin He has put it on himself and paid the price for it. He is born the wrath of God on our behalf, and so may we find joy in this message?

It's Good Friday and may the joy of Easter remind us about the righteousness that we have Because we have been justified by His grace and made right with God. May we celebrate this in the coming days.