“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:17-21 ESV)
The Bible uses this word “if” on purpose, for it means that what follows is a conditional clause. It is saying, “on the condition that…”. So we need to pay close attention to these “if” clauses. For this is not assuming that everyone reading this truly is “in Christ.” It is saying, “if anyone is in Christ” then the following is true. But not everyone who thinks he is “in Christ” is truly “in Christ,” for not everyone who professes Christ meets the conditions.
For the old to truly pass away and for the new to come, we must cooperate with God’s work of grace in our lives in dying with him to sin so that we can be resurrected with him to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. Then we must cooperate with him in no longer allowing sin to reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its desires. For if sin is what we obey, it ends in death.
For Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. He died that we might now live for him and no longer for self. He shed his blood for us on that cross to buy us back for God (to redeem us) out of our lives of slavery to sin so that we can now serve him with our lives in walks of obedience to his commands and in holy living; so that we now live morally pure, honest, and faithful lives in surrender to his will for our lives.
[1 Peter 2:24; 2 Corinthians 5:15; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Romans 6:1-23]
For to be reconciled to God means that I decisively change, exchange, as when two parties reconcile when changing to the same position; usually used in a redemptive sense of a sinner reconciling to the Lord; to change from enmity with God to friendship, fellowship, and partnership with God. It is about exchanging the old life for the new life in Christ Jesus. For we die with Christ to sin and now we walk in his holiness in obedience to him.
[Ephesians 2:16; Ephesians 5:20-21; 2 Corinthians 5:11-20; Romans 5:10-11; Romans 11:15; Colossians 1:22]
So, when this says that the old has passed away and that the new has come, this is not automatic based on a profession of faith in Jesus Christ. And it is not merely a status that we wear. It means that we have literally left our old lives of living in sin and for self behind us so that we can now follow Jesus Christ in walks of obedience to his commands. It means we are no longer walking in sin but in holiness, moral purity, honesty, and faithfulness.
So, if we are still walking in sin, still deliberately and habitually sinning against the Lord and against other humans, and if we are not walking in obedience to our Lord’s commands (New Covenant), in practice, then we are not “in Christ.” For the Scriptures teach that if this is our condition that we are not in fellowship with Christ, we don’t even know God, we are not born of God, but we are of the devil, and we will not inherit eternal life with God.
[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-24; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-11; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 10:23-31; 1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]
But it is true that is not of our own doing, not of the will nor of the flesh of man. This is of God. Even the faith to believe in Jesus Christ comes from God and is gifted to us by God and is not of our own doing. And this faith is persuaded of God as to his righteousness and holiness and of our sinfulness and of our need to forsake our sins to follow our Lord in obedience. But we have to cooperate with God’s work of grace in our lives, in his power.
So, when Paul said that he and Timothy, as ambassadors for Christ, implored the Corinthian church to be reconciled to God, he was speaking of their need to forsake their sins, to deny self, to die daily to sin, and to follow our Lord in obedience to his commands. For that is the essence of the gospel message. For Jesus became sin for us on that cross in order to put our sin to death with him so that we will no longer live in sin but for righteousness.
Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer
Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897
Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897
Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.
Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.
O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.
O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.
Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg
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