Christ’s Love Compels Us (Part 2): Newness and the Exchanged Life

A week ago, I introduced this series of posts which are based on 2 Corinthians 5:14-21 — verses which have ministered to me greatly.  The last post — which was the first in the series — focused on the phrase “Christ’s love compels us”, which affirmed in us the immeasurable value of God’s love for us, and how that love, when fully grasped, turns our world upside down and changes our hearts and steers our lives in new directions.

This is the second post in the series, and will focus on two important ideas from this passage: the exchanged life (verses 15 and 21) and newness of life in Christ (verse 16 through the beginning of 18).  Verses 15 and 21, though separated by several other verses seem to fit well together.  For in both a kind of exchange is revealed.  Jesus died for us so that we could live for him.  Jesus became sin for us, so that we could become righteousness for him.

•       Verse 15: “He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again” (NIV1984).
•       Verse 21: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (NIV1984).

To avail these tablets viagra cheapest pharmacy or to know more about them, visit ukkamagra.com. Canadian Pharmacy Online Saves Time Buying from a Canadian viagra generic india http://greyandgrey.com/brochure/verdic/ pharmacy just requires you to log on or make a phone call. These medications are different in appearance, but they have been prepared in canadian tadalafil chewable form. It is an FDA approved medicine, especially designed greyandgrey.com viagra professional uk to sort out male erection problems.
The typical way of understanding verse 15 is as a type of payback — Jesus dies for us, so we pay him back by living for him.  Taken too far, it gives us a sense of being slaves, serving for the rest of our lives to pay back a debt.  We still are getting quite a bargain, because Jesus did something for us that we could never do for ourselves — he reconciled us to God by living a morally perfect life, and then dying for us on the cross.  But from this perspective, it is out of an obligation that we serve.

There is a second way of understanding this verse, however, and it is perhaps a deeper and more important meaning for us.  The second meaning is that the only way for us to truly have freedom — the only way for us to be set free from sinning — is to live for Jesus.  Rather than an obligation, this verse is suggesting that this way of life is meant to grant us true freedom.

The fact that this interpretation might also be consistent with the full meaning of this passage is given in verse 21, which tells us that we are to be the righteousness of God.  Verse 15 understood in the second way shows us how to attain that righteousness.  We are to grow in Christ-likeness so that sin becomes less and less frequent, and the good and honorable qualities of Christ become more apparent in us.

Some Christians seem to think that it is through having good motivation and self-effort that you can live righteously.  That is, they are saved by faith so that they can work hard to not sin.  However, I am suggesting that Jesus did not die so we can try harder.  Jesus died so that we can stop trying, or at least so that we could try in a new sort of way.  Jesus calls us to be “other focused”; that is, we put our focus on Jesus.  We walk our faith out of a motivation of love for Jesus as we are led by the Spirit rather than earn the approval of God (through works).

Sin is essentially living selfishly — certainly in the sense that we choose our own way rather than that of God.  Jesus enables us to live for God.  If we try to obey rules, it still is “all about us”.  How are we doing?  Did we sin less today?  Are we trying hard enough?  Jesus’ way that he is calling us to is about relationship and love.  It involves living from the heart instead of the head.  It involves the Tree of Life rather than the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

There are a number of other passages in the New Testament that suggest that the way to live our lives is to look upon Jesus, and to imitate his example of living a life of love and sacrifice.  These include Hebrews 12:1-3, 1 Peter 4:1-2, Ephesians 5:1-2, and Philippians 2:3-7.

At verse 16 in 2 Corinthians 5, the Apostle Paul begins talking about how everything is different for those who follow Jesus.  The way we think about God is different; who we are on the inside is different; and all who follow Jesus change.  We ought to stop looking at things from our old perspective, which could not see with spiritual eyes.

“[16] So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. [17] Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!  [18] All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ…” (NIV1984).

Verse 17 is most emphatic on the change which takes place in a person who commits himself or herself to following Jesus.  But in what ways are we different?

•       We are told in Ezekiel that we have been given a new heart.
•       We have the Holy Spirit living in us.
•       We have spiritual gifts, and may acquire even more spiritual gifts.
•       We are becoming more like Jesus every day.

We have seen how putting our faith in Jesus has brought about a “new creation” in us, and how this new life is to be lived differently, exchanging our inadequacies for Christ’s sufficiencies.  Together with the last post’s understanding as our motivation coming from the love Christ has poured out on us, we are now ready for the next post: what are we to do with all this?

Questions for Discussion:

1) Which of the two explanations about verse 15 that I offered do you prefer, or do you have a third explanation that is even better?

2) How do you feel “new” since coming to faith in Jesus?

Link to FIRST POST in series.