Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
New
Creation in Christ
2 Corinthians 5:16-21
Therefore, if any one is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here. (2 Cor. 5:17)
Therefore, if any one is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here. (2 Cor. 5:17)
New
Creation: We are constantly bombarded with the need for change,
new goods, new look, and new ways of thinking. The market place is inviting us
to replace old with new, whether it is the newest gadget or a cosmetic surgery.
Yes, today we can buy the newest goods, access the newest information, and have
a total makeover in the blink of an eye. However, these acquisitions are
external and temporary. So, how do we get an internal change that is permanent?
Apostle Paul says we can have a new life only if we experience a transformation
through Christ. Then we become a new creation.
The Greek word for creation is 'Poiesis. It means 'being something that was not there before'. When we become a new person in Christ, we are totally transformed; not reformed, or rehabilitated, or re-educated. Paul is telling us that he himself is on the threshold of the new creation. He is seeing himself and others, in a new way from the past. There is a total transformation as we see in Zacchaeus after his encounter with Jesus.
In this passage, Paul is appealing to the Corinthians, who are facing many challenges, even doubting Paul's authority, to see their world through the new eyes of the gospel.
Reconciliation and Ambassadorship: Paul continues to say that 'All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation'... We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God was making his appeal through us'...verses 18, 19,20. We have been redeemed from our sins by God's righteousness and given the privilege of being ambassadors for Christ. As ambassadors, we are called for action to spread the gospel message. On a personal note, the greatest challenge I face, as an ambassador for Christ, is the lack of courage to stand up for truth, fight for justice, and be an agent for peace and reconciliation in a world where the values are counterculture to the gospel message. Often, the temptation is to conform rather than to speak up.
What are your struggles? How can you be an ambassador, an agent of reconciliation?
The Greek word for creation is 'Poiesis. It means 'being something that was not there before'. When we become a new person in Christ, we are totally transformed; not reformed, or rehabilitated, or re-educated. Paul is telling us that he himself is on the threshold of the new creation. He is seeing himself and others, in a new way from the past. There is a total transformation as we see in Zacchaeus after his encounter with Jesus.
In this passage, Paul is appealing to the Corinthians, who are facing many challenges, even doubting Paul's authority, to see their world through the new eyes of the gospel.
Reconciliation and Ambassadorship: Paul continues to say that 'All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation'... We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God was making his appeal through us'...verses 18, 19,20. We have been redeemed from our sins by God's righteousness and given the privilege of being ambassadors for Christ. As ambassadors, we are called for action to spread the gospel message. On a personal note, the greatest challenge I face, as an ambassador for Christ, is the lack of courage to stand up for truth, fight for justice, and be an agent for peace and reconciliation in a world where the values are counterculture to the gospel message. Often, the temptation is to conform rather than to speak up.
What are your struggles? How can you be an ambassador, an agent of reconciliation?
Prayer:
May God Bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half-truths and superficial relationship. May God give you courage to fight injustice, oppression and exploitation of marginalized people. May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation and war. May the Lord give you the opportunity to reach out to, comfort them and turn their pain to joy. And may God bless you with great strength to make a difference in this world. Amen.
May God Bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half-truths and superficial relationship. May God give you courage to fight injustice, oppression and exploitation of marginalized people. May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation and war. May the Lord give you the opportunity to reach out to, comfort them and turn their pain to joy. And may God bless you with great strength to make a difference in this world. Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
The God who made us can also remake us
Christian Education Forum, Diocese of NAE of the Mar
Thoma Church