The SIGNIFICANCE Of A NEW CREATION-V—2Corinthians 5:9--6:10
Attention:
A true Christian receives a new nature.
Will you avoid disaster with your new life?
Need:
My life seems hollow...I’m missing something. But I’m powerless to do more than what I can do on my own. It depends on my ability & energy & I just can’t do it anymore. I have no joy or love of what my future holds.
I can’t seem to rise above the sinful desires of my heart. What do I do?
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—A new creation is significant in its New...
LOVE(5:14-15)
Explanation:(5:14-15)Appreciation
5:14—“For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died;”
That “love” which every believer has thru & in Christ has a “compulsive” power. That same “love” which “compels” Paul & Timothy to do what they do is the same “love” that should & can compel every believer. Such “love” is manifest thru the Holy Spirit.
Thus our “love” is directed toward that life which is offered in Christ(Jn. 1:4-5).
Jn. 1:4, 5—“In Him was life, & the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, & the darkness did not comprehend it.”
Paul & Timothy’s pertinent & decisive “judgment” regards Christ’s “death for all.”
This is telling us indirectly that Jesus did in fact “die for all”...“all” mankind of every age— past, present, & future. This is why anything less than faith & trust in Christ is ludicrous!
The very fact that Jesus “died for all” mankind tells us that “all” did in fact “die”! That is, that “all” mankind is fallen & he can’t get up...by his own effort. Mankind has fallen to the lie/dupe of sin(Rom. 1:20-25), the wiles of the devil(Eph. 6:11-12).
Rom. 1:20-25—“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power & Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, & their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, & changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man--& birds & four-footed animals & creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, & worshiped & served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”
Eph. 6:11-12—“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh & blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
Heb. 9:27-28—“And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.” “Love of Christ” “compels us” NEITHER to have a love of/for sin & death(Rom. 8:2), NOR does it compel us toward pride of life(1Jn. 2:15-17). But rather toward that which is of & for God.
Rom. 8:2—“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin & death.”
1Jn. 2:15-17—“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, & the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, & the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”
Since Christ “died for all” —paying for everyone’s sin & thus redeeming all humanity received individually— then it is obvious that every person did indeed “die” because of sin’s inherent condemnation. All have sinned & fall short of God’s glory.
Rom. 3:23-26—“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.”
And since “all have died,” then all are bound for the very hell intended for such as the devil & his angels!(Mat. 25:40-46)
Mat. 25:40-46—“And the King will answer & say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil & his angels: ‘for I was hungry & you gave Me no food; I was thirsty & you gave Me no drink; ‘I was a stranger & you did not take Me in, naked & you did not clothe Me, sick & in prison & you did not visit Me.’ “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, & did not minister to You?’ “Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ “And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Jn. 3:16-18, 36—“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”.....“He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; & he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
“Love”—agaph—Noun Fem.—1) Brotherly love, affection, good will, love, benevolence; 2) Love feasts. Strong—Love, i.e. Affection or benevolence; specially(plural)--A love-feast.
“Compels”—sunecw—Present Active Indicative—1) To hold together—1a) Any whole, lest it fall to pieces or something fall away from it; 2) To hold together with constraint, to compress—2a) To press together with the hand—2a) To hold one's ears, to shut the heavens that it may not rain, 2b) To press on every side—2b1) of a besieged city, 2b2) of a strait, that forces a ship into a narrow channel, 2b3) of a cattle squeeze, that pushing in on each side, forcing the beast into a position where it cannot move so the farmer can administer medication; 3) To hold completely—3a) To hold fast—3a1) of a prisoner, 3b) metaph.—3b1) To be held by, closely occupied with any business, 3b2) in teaching the word, 3b3) To constrain, oppress, of ills laying hold of one & distressing him, 3b4) To be held with, afflicted with, suffering from, 3b5) To urge, impel 3b51) of the soul. Strong—To hold together, i.e. To compress(the ears, with a crowd or siege) or Arrest(a prisoner); figuratively--To compel, perplex, afflict, preoccupy. Used 12X.
“Judge”—krinw—Aorist Active Participle—1) To separate, put asunder, to pick out, select, choose; 2) To approve, esteem, to prefer; 3) To be of opinion, deem, think, to be of opinion; 4) To determine, resolve, decree; 5) To judge—5a) To pronounce an opinion concerning right & wrong—5a1) To be judged, i.e. Summoned to trial that one's case may be examined & judgment passed upon it, 5b) To pronounce judgment, to subject to censure—5b1) Of those who act the part of judges or arbiters in matters of common life, or pass judgment on the deeds & words of others; 6) To rule, govern—6a) To preside over with the power of giving judicial decisions, because it was the prerogative of kings & rulers to pass judgment; 7) To contend together, of warriors & combatants—7a) To dispute, 7b) in a forensic sense—7b1) To go to law, have suit at law. Strong—properly--To distinguish, i.e. Decide(mentally or judicially); by implication--To try, condemn, punish.
“Died”2X(See :15)—apoynhskw—1) To die—1a) Of the natural death of man, 1b) Of the violent death of man or animals, 1c) To perish by means of something, 1d) Of trees which dry up, of seeds which rot when planted, 1e) Of eternal death, to be subject to eternal misery in hell. Strong—To die off(literally or figuratively).
From—apo—a primary particle; “Off,” i.e. Away(from something near), in various senses(of place, time, or relation; literal or figurative)—&—ynhskw—a strengthened form of a simpler primary yanw(which is used for it only in certain tenses); To die(literally or figuratively).
“All”2X(See 6:4, 10)—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.
5:15—“& He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them & rose again.”
There was a reason for Christ’s voluntary atoning death on the Cross. He died, paying for the sins of all mankind so that those who accept Him(“those who live”) “should” see fit, thru their new creation in Christ(:17), to “live no longer for themselves.”
Through this we know that if we live for ourselves then we are no friend of God. Thru living selfishly, we have made ourselves an enemy of God(Js. 4:4) as selfishness sets a person up as god.
Js. 4:4—“Adulterers & adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
We must allow God to be God. To do this we must recognize ourselves as His finite created beings, made in His image(Gen. 1:26-28; Isa. 29:15-16; Jer. 18:1-10; Rom. 11:33-36;1Cor. 2:11-16).
Gen. 1:26-28—Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, & over the cattle, over all the earth & over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male & female He created them. Then God blessed them, & God said to them, “Be fruitful & multiply; fill the earth & subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, & over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Isa. 29:15-16—“Woe to those who seek deep to hide their counsel far from the LORD, And their works are in the dark; They say, “Who sees us?” &, “Who knows us?” Surely you have things turned around! Shall the potter be esteemed as the clay; For shall the thing made say of him who made it, “He did not make me”? Or shall the thing formed say of him who formed it, “He has no understanding”?”
Jer. 18:1-6—“The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying: “Arise & go down to the potter’s house, & there I will cause you to hear My words.” Then I went down to the potter’s house, & there he was, making something at the wheel. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make. Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?” says the LORD. “Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel!”
Rom. 11:33-36—“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom & knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments & His ways past finding out! For who has known the mind of the LORD? Or who has become His counselor?” “Or who has first given to Him And it shall be repaid to him?” For of Him & through Him & to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.”
1Cor. 2:11-16—“For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.”
Rom. 3:1-4—“What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of God. For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written: “That You may be justified in Your words, And may overcome when You are judged.”
Thus in Christ, & in our being new creatures, our purpose & impetus in “living” is changed. Our impetus has shifted from self to the very One who “died for us” & “rose again.” He “died” taking our place & by proxy making perfect payment for our sin’s condemnation(Rom. 4:25). With His resurrection He secured our justification(Rom. 4:25) before God. That justification allows the believer unflinching entrance into heaven, into all the manifestations of God’s kingdom both here & in eternity.
Rom. 4:25—“who was delivered up because of our offenses, & was raised because of our justification.”
“The high doctrine of Christ's atoning death carries a correspondingly high obligation on the part of those who live because of him. Selfishness is ruled out by our duty to live "unto him who for their sakes died & rose again.”—RWP
Argumentation:
Php. 2:1-5—“Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,”
Mk. 12:28-31—“Then one of the scribes came, & having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?” Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. ‘And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, & with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Again: Jn. 3:14-18—“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
**Rom. 6:1-14—“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, & your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”
Illustration:
If you truly love someone, you will give yourself to that person completely, unhesitatingly, unflinchingly, joyfully, with a view toward a future/You gladly & excitedly change & allow changes in your life, because you see themas changes for the better/You willingly let go of your former life(without your spouse), in order to grasp this new life with the one you love completely/LOVE
*Human aspirations of ‘Love’ can be tainted with guilt, indecision, hesitancy, future surmisings, irrational musings, selfishness, false expectations, etc. No wonder marriages fail at such an alarming rate even among the saved! A truly new creation loves newly—in God’s way!
Read the titles of each step in ‘The Art of Loving Unlovable People” by Hillary McMullen...OR-what I would call...‘The 12-step Program for Forgiveness.’
1. Pray for the Holy Spirit’s intervention.
2. Consult God’s Word.
3. You don’t know their whole story.
4. It’s always possible to establish common ground.
5. Silence is golden, so think before you speak.
6. Don’t take yourself too seriously.
7. Be open to criticism—there could be some truth in it.
8. Don’t conspire against them with others.
9. Pray for discernment about whether to confront an issue or let it go.
10. Don’t go looking for trouble.
11. Remember, they are God’s precious creation.
12. Love because you are loved. Forgive because you have been forgiven.
Application:
?Are New LOVEs apparent in your New Creation?
?Your New Creation Significant?
?Is yours a truly New Creation or a ‘Creation’ by your own hand?
CONCLUSION:
Action:
A new creation is significant in its New...
6. LOVE(5:14-15)
1. PLEASUREs(5:9)
2. RECEPTION(5:10)
3. PERSUASION(5:11)
4. OPPORTUNITY(5:12)
5. SOUND INSANITY/Risk(5:13)
Pt. 6 only! presented 02/07/2016am to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SE
Carrabelle, FL 32322
