The Glorious State of the Saved

Still in this great section,
2 Corinthians chapter 5, that will carry through all the way
to the end of this section of Scripture that we’ve been studying
for some time, that we’re going to close out at 6.10 for our
purposes. As you know, we took up this
matter back in September of considering the ministry, and we have been
there all the way from chapter 2, verse 12. And as I said, we
have already turned the corner and entered into the last great
section of this epistle where Paul begins to focus on the ministry
of reconciliation. That is the the overarching heading
of this section, the reconciliation of others to Christ. That is
the nature of the ministry. And sadly, some forget about
that. Many churches now focus on ministries
that almost are completely devoid of an understanding of reconciling
those to Christ because largely they don’t see people inherently
as at odds with the great God of the Scriptures. And so for
them, reconciliation is not even necessary. We began this section back in
chapter 5, in looking at the ministry of reconciliation, by
considering what we titled the soundness of the source. And
there, as we talked about, Paul got into essentially defending
his ministry for the ministry’s sake. Not for what he would gain
out of it, but essentially what Paul said was that he desired
to cultivate a genuineness in the ministry. Paul desired that
God would so work in him that ultimately he would be seen by
others as he was seen by God. And so there was the desire for
integrity there in verse 11, where Paul said, therefore, knowing
the fear of the Lord, we persuade men as to our character, as to
our motives. But we are made manifest to God,
ultimately God sees. And then Paul expresses his great
desire for integrity when he says, and I hope that we are
made manifest also in your consciences. Paul wasn’t saying he was a perfect
man, but he is expressing the desire that God’s grace would
be so much at work in his life that his life would be changed.
That’s the desire for integrity. Then the design of integrity
in verses 12 and 13, that it’s for others, not even for ourselves.
Look at verse 12. We are not again commending ourselves
to you, but are giving you an occasion to be proud of us so
that you will have an answer for those who take pride in appearance
and not in heart. There were those that tended
to look at riches and tended to look at power and prestige
and position. Paul says in verse 13, for if
we are beside ourselves, it is for God. If we are of sound mind,
it is for you. We desire integrity. We desire
that God would so work in us that sincerity of heart and life
that ultimately others would see us. They would see what God
has worked into us for the sake of the ministry. We need credibility. Finally, in that opening section,
not only is there a desire for integrity and a design for integrity,
but there is the drive for integrity. And in verse 14, Paul addresses
that. For the love of Christ controls
us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all
died. And he died for all so that they
who live might no longer live for themselves, But for him who
died and rose again on their behalf, we’re not in it for ourselves.
We don’t desire integrity for ourselves alone, neither do we
live for ourselves alone. The drive for integrity is for
the sake of usefulness for the body. Paul desired that others
would see him as God was working into him those gifts and graces. And it’s in that context that
Paul continues here in v. 16. 2 Corinthians 5. Consider v. 16. The passage is
there in the bulletin with place for notes if you need it. V. 16, where Paul draws the conclusion,
therefore, from now on, we recognize no one according to the flesh.
Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now
we know him in this way no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ,
he is a new creature. The old things passed away. Behold,
new things have come. I’ll never forget the first quote
unquote exposition of this passage. I think it was at the Young Life
House in Boulder during my college days. I had recently become a
Christian. I knew very little. And I can
remember coursing through this passage and the passage and the
thought of it being bandied about among those that were at least allegedly
more scholarly than I in the word. When one individual came
upon this passage, he expounded it in very simple terms. He said
that this was his driving force to no longer observe that there
were beautiful women there on campus, that he no longer recognized
anyone according to the flesh and and by God’s grace, he no
longer could tell whether a woman was beautiful or not. And we
all prayed for him. So that was my first introduction
to this, and as I said, I didn’t have any better idea of what
it meant, at least then. Therefore, we recognize no one
according to the flesh. But what Paul is beginning to
call us to hear, if he has already expressed his desire in cultivating
genuineness in the ministry, what he’s doing here as he turns
the corner is pointing out the glorious state of the saved. He’s pointing out the condition
of the converts, those in the Corinthian church particularly,
but even more broadly than that, Paul is saying, consider for
a moment the glorious state of those who are in Christ, of those
who are saved. And what he says, in essence,
is that we not only need to cultivate genuineness in the ministry,
but we need to develop a divine perspective of the saints. We need to begin to see one another
as God sees us. We need to see the gifts and
graces. We need to observe and acknowledge
what God is doing in the lives of His saints. Therefore, Paul
says, and it points back obviously to verses 14 and 15, which Paul
talked about salvation and talked about the purpose for salvation
is no longer to live according to self. And Paul says we need
to acknowledge that. We need to recognize when God
gives somebody, by His grace, a U-turn in life, we recognize
no one according to the flesh The verse has been variously
explained, not just by a men’s Bible study in Boulder, but through
the centuries, really. One said that this refers to
Paul’s judgment. That it’s Paul’s judgment here
that’s in focus and that his judgment was not to be determined
by carnal or selfish considerations. Paul was not led to approve or
disapprove, love or hate anyone from selfish or corrupt motives. And we know that to be true.
I mean, that’s a pretty basic principle of Scripture. But essentially
what the individual says here is that flesh here refers to
Paul’s own carnal heart and those tendencies that we have to judge
or better misjudge others. better still, that Paul didn’t
judge any longer from his old carnal heart. It’s an interesting
point, and it’s true enough, as Paul will go on to make essentially
the same point later, that we are to develop a spiritual perspective
of others as opposed to a fleshly one. But grammatically, it’s
clear that it is others flesh, not his own, that Paul is discussing. There’s a second perspective
of this passage, and it’s quite obvious that for the Christian,
judgment is not regulated or determined, as one said, by a
regard for what is external. We don’t judge by looking merely
at the external. It is not a man’s outward circumstances,
his birth, his station, his being rich or poor, Jew or Gentile,
that determines our estimate of him,” said one. And that’s
the position. That’s obviously the perspective
of the passage. It is others’ flesh, the outward
element of things, not Paul’s own fleshly way of looking at
things that is in view. One pastor said it this way,
the statement is that their knowledge of men is not according to the
flesh. This results from the death of all men accomplished
in the death of Christ, which makes for the Christian who looks
on things as Christ does a new point of view from which to regard
men. What Paul says is, look, When
Christ died in a very real way, we died and we rose again to
live in newness of life. We rose to live not to ourselves,
but to Christ. It’s interesting to note here,
too, for those up and coming Greek scholars, the we here is
emphatic and it’s a contrast even to what Paul had already
articulated. It’s a contrast to what others
were doing and how others treated people and how others observed
people, how others tended to rank people according to their
station, according to what they saw externally. We do not do this. Therefore,
we recognize. Paul had said that there were
those in verse 12 who take pride in appearance and not in heart.
They recognize the uniform. They recognize the position.
They cater to those things and they fail. They utterly neglect
to look at the character, to look at the heart. There are many, even in our own
day, who care and cater primarily to those earthly considerations
in their estimate of others. And Paul, in a sense, even acknowledges
that perhaps at one time he did so, but not anymore. When Paul says, we recognize
no one according to the flesh, what he points to here is what
a man is naturally. completely outside of what Christ
has done for him. And it includes such elements
as his birth, his position in life, his relative wealth, his race. We have a tendency naturally
to look at others on those terms. We have a tendency to look at
each other and to determine young or old and to rank them accordingly,
male or female, and to rank them accordingly. black or white or
Hispanic and to rank them accordingly. We have a tendency. But note that it’s not here,
as in other places where the word is used, it’s not saying
that all flesh is inherently evil because Paul will go on
to acknowledge that Christ took on human flesh. It’s not as the
Gnostics believe that all flesh is evil. And so we are not to
look In that sense, that human flesh as being evil. One described
the approach that we’re to take in these terms, he said, he who
knew no man after the flesh has, for example, in the case of the
Jew, entirely lost sight of his Jewish origin. In the case of
the rich man of his riches, in the case of the learned of his
learning, in the case of the slave of his servitude, We don’t
look at people and rank them according to those things anymore.
We look at those who God brings across our path as souls. Souls in need of Christ. Souls, in some cases, in various
states of growth and grace. But as souls, first and foremost. No longer do we regard and consider
each other based on a purely fleshly point of view, as Paul
says, but we look on others as being graced with a completely new principle
from above, as we’ll see in a moment. Paul addresses this in many cases
in his writings. In Romans 9, he Encourage the
Romans by saying you are not in the flesh, but in the spirit.
And he calls us essentially here to a spiritual perspective, to
look at others from a spiritual point of view. First Corinthians
chapter two, he addressed it as well. And he said there that
we have received not the spirit of the world, but the spirit
who is from God so that we may know the things freely given
to us by God. Which things we also speak, not
in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit,
combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. He goes
on to say, he who is spiritual appraises all things. We have
the mind of Christ. And he says that that here should
apply to our fellow saints, our brothers and sisters in Christ.
We should look at them with the mind of Christ. We should look
at them with a spiritual perspective. We don’t look at other people
the way the Jews did when they selected their king, right? By
outward appearance. One commentator said it this
way, his appraisal, his acknowledgement of persons is no longer as it
once was after the flesh in accordance with the estimate formed of people
by the unregenerate man and the world in general. The world’s standard of value
is respective persons in their outward appearance, but with
God there is no respective persons. You remember Romans 2, verse
11. There is no partiality with God. There is such a thing as divine
election, but it has nothing to do with the object of His
election. God didn’t choose any of us because
of what He got in us. those distinctions, worldly as
they are, earthly as they are, race and social status, and all
that wealth and all that outward show and the titles that come
with our various stations in life, cannot, must not, should
not govern the way Christians esteem their brothers and sisters
in Christ. Rather, we look at those who
are saved as spiritual beings first and foremost, as those
in whom God has begun a mighty work, a mighty work of transformation,
a work of grace that has begun and will continue to perfection. We look at something that has
just begun. Paul had his perspective arrested. How else could he write? Romans
10-12, there is no distinction between Jew and Greek. 1 Corinthians
12-13, by the one Spirit, we were all baptized into one body,
whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, and we were all made
to drink of the same Spirit. Galatians 3-28, there is neither
Jew nor Greek. There is neither slave nor free.
There is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ
Jesus. died for all in order that all
of us would stop living for ourselves and begin to live for Him and
begin to look with a new perspective on those that are outside of their own
frame. What Paul points to here is that
our consideration of others cannot be based on literally the face. what lies on the surface, but
what lies within the heart. We need to look as God looks
in order to see as God sees. But Paul knew, I believe, from
the remainder of this passage, because everything else is color. Everything else explains this
somewhat obtuse statement. No wonder guys in a dorm room
would get it wrong because it is a difficult statement that
we recognize no one according to the flesh because we obviously,
in some sense, recognize others. And so everything else begins
to explain what it is that Paul’s meaning. This is the gracious
words of the Apostle attended by the Spirit Himself to teach
us exactly what He means. And what we have here are three
clarifying truths. in our pursuit of seeing as God
sees. Look again at verse 16. First
of all, you see the occasion of this perspective. The occasion
of this perspective. Verse 16 says, therefore, from
now on, we recognize no one according to the flesh. And I grant for
those, again, up and coming Greek scholars that these three English
words translate, but two in the Greek. I know that. But they
are a good rendering of the original. And so I use these as a framework
for my brief comments here. By the way, I will get some kind
of an award at the conclusion of the service for keeping point
one exceedingly short today. Paul says we recognize no one
according to the flesh from now on, Paul has an orientation point
in mind. And it’s obviously the point
of conversion. The world cannot but look at
others from those standpoint. They cannot but be impressed
by wealth and by size and by power and strength and all of
those things that God says we are not to make an idol of. Paul says, from the point of
my salvation, from the point that we are that we have our
eyes opened, as it were, by God’s grace. Not like we used to see,
even as John read from Titus 3, hateful, hating one another.
That used to characterize our life. But from the point of salvation
on, we begin to see with spiritual eyes by God’s grace. God begins
to open our eyes and to see His work of grace in others. It’s
not like we used to see before we were in Christ. Suspicious.
Do you remember how suspicious? There is no honor among thieves.
Can you imagine how dim the honor is among sinners who know that
they’re sinners? Who live among other sinners?
No wonder. Suspicious. Hateful. Suspecting
every motive. Doubting every move. I’ve told people before, I’m
surprised that any who do not know Christ stay married at all. Paul says from now on, from now
on, from the point of our salvation forward, and he talks about the
here and now and he talks about how right now our perspective
should be different. And I believe that in saying
that he arrests many of us that haven’t had our perspective
changed, at least not substantially. So we’re still suspicious. We’re still doubtful. We’re still
critical, overly critical of others. We still have a complete
inability to look at others and to see God’s handiwork in their
lives. Paul’s talking about the here
and now. Paul doesn’t say, let’s wait till we get to heaven. And
boy, aren’t we going to be surprised. No, he says now. From now on. But he does say on. In a very
real way, woven into those two Greek words is that perpetual
change. It goes to eternity with perpetual
growth and grace. Not only do we begin to see with
new eyes, but it says here that it should last, it should endure,
it should grow. It should flourish in the Christian.
This ability to recognize others no longer according to the flesh.
We get to enjoy. Get this. We get to enjoy the
process. of watching others come to faith
in Christ, but we also get to enjoy the process of watching
others grow and mature in Christ to perfection. How exciting is that? To watch
others battle a valiant battle against sin and overcome by grace,
by God’s grace alone. as they apply that grace to those
weak areas of their life. And then into eternity, we get
to witness in a thousand different ways, in as many different lives,
the transforming grace of God to eternity. And into eternity. Not just up to the doorstep of
eternity, but we get to see perfected saints with whom we will fellowship
forever. Paul says, from now on, And not
just in this earthly life, but from now on, we recognize no
one according to the flesh. Secondly, I told you point one
was short. We’re looking at the condition
of the converts, developing a divine perspective in the saints, and
we see not only the occasion of this perspective, but the
pattern of this perspective. Look again at verse 16, if you
would. Therefore, from now on, we recognize no one according
to the flesh, even though we have known Christ according to
the flesh. Yet now we know him in this way
no longer. And this is admittedly a difficult
passage. It has been variously translated,
there are Many different perspectives as to what this means. What did
Paul mean when he said that we have known Christ according to
the flesh? To what is Paul referring here?
What is the contrast here? Having known the Lord according
to the flesh, as opposed to now knowing Him in a new and different
way, what exactly is Paul saying? The first question to be answered
must be to what is Paul referring? Knowing Christ, according to
the flesh, one said it this way. One argued that at one time Paul
had the very kernel idea that the Messiah must be an earthly
king who would conquer the Romans and set Israel free. You know
what? That is the Jewish perspective. Shouldn’t surprise us at all
that that was Paul’s position before he became a Christian. But is that what he’s referring
to here? The passage goes on to imply in the next verse will
point out very clearly that it’s the actual Christ, not just the
Jewish idea of what the Christ was to be. And so this view that
Paul is admitting a one time sorted view of Christ is most
likely a view he held, most likely a view that he held as an unbeliever.
Those things don’t surprise me, but I don’t believe that they’re
in view here. Another one said it this way,
Paul refers to his knowledge of Christ before his conversion,
a hearsay knowledge confined to reports of his personal appearance,
his deeds, his relations to the Jews, his alleged crime and punishment. Paul says, that was my knowledge
of Christ. And it’s all true. It’s very
likely true, but it’s not what Paul’s referring to here. It
must be remembered that Paul is about to apply this principle.
of how he views the Lord to how we are to view our fellow believers.
And so there’s a second perspective. At one time, Paul knew Christ
as a heretical and turbulent teacher. It’s not a position
all that different from what some of the Jews held. He goes
on to describe it. Who was justly condemned by the
Sanhedrin, crucified by the Romans. Consequently, his followers,
the Christians, were persecuted. So the argument, as one commentator
put it, goes like this. Paul had made a human assessment
of Jesus, concluding that He was merely a man, and worse,
that he had decided that Jesus was a false Messiah, a heretic,
a rebel against Judaism, one worthy of death. And as I say,
this too is true, but again, it’s not what Paul’s addressing. Stay with me. All we’re asking
is what does Paul mean? We have known Christ according
to the flesh. There’s a third option. That as a believer, he
had seen Christ in Jerusalem or elsewhere. Now, there were
actually people and it’s certainly possible, but there are actually
people that really made a strident argument for this particular
approach that at some point in time, Paul likely came across
Jesus. And that’s what’s in view, that
he had seen Jesus in the flesh. That’s a remote possibility.
One described it this way. It has been variously suggested
that Paul, when a disciple of Gamaliel in Jerusalem, must have
enjoyed ample opportunity for hearing Jesus and even meeting
with him. And as I said, it’s a remote possibility, it’s at
least conceivable that Paul, an upstanding Jew in the city
of Jerusalem, must have come across Jesus path at some point
while here on earth. But such an incident is never
recorded in the Gospels. It’s never found in the book
of Acts. Paul never mentions it in any
of his epistles if he’s mentioning it here. And I think it’s highly
unlikely that he would introduce the idea here because it doesn’t
fit the context. There’s a fourth option. That
he’s confessing that at some immature stage of his ministry,
and this is the most surprising of all, that he retained some
low ideas. Perhaps Christ wasn’t quite God.
Perhaps his sacrifice wasn’t quite what it should be. That
he still is entertaining some Judaistic ideas about Christ.
That he was saved, but still holding to this faulty view of
Christ. And this is the most far-fetched
of all. And I strongly disagree here that Paul is confessing
to all that he had held to some wrong ideas about Jesus Even
after his conversion, I just don’t buy it. And so what does
it mean? What does it mean that when Paul
says we have known Christ according to the flesh? I believe it points
to Jesus Christ incarnate to his earthly life in human flesh,
and Paul isn’t saying there’s anything bad about it. He says
we’ve known Christ according to the flesh, we’ve seen it.
We know that He came down. We’ve heard the Gospel accounts.
Many people are first-hand eyewitnesses to the occasion. It just talks
about His natural, His human appearance as a Nazarene. His
lowly birth rejected by men. All of that. And I believe that’s
the correct view. What Paul is articulating is
that yes, He, and more accurately, we, have this tendency to hold
to an earthly Christ, though. to mull over and meditate upon
and thereby isolate our Lord Jesus Christ only to an earthly
life. All of that is glorious and true.
Everything, all of His examples, all of His lessons. But we don’t
hold to a static Savior. We don’t. We must not fixate
on a mere three-year ministry period of Christ’s life when
in the reality, He is risen. His life, His ministry and His
reign go on. He is in heaven, seated at the
right hand of the Father. He is fully glorified. His work
of redemption is fully accomplished. But ministry goes on and Christ
is alive. what I would call dynamic perspective
of Christ, a Christ who is alive. He is spiritual. He is glorified.
This perspective can, and I believe Paul is saying here, should be
developed with respect of how we view fellow saints. Christ is transformed. We are
being transformed. By God’s grace, Christ’s ministry
of redemption is fully accomplished. Likewise, by God’s abundant grace,
we too are being transformed from glory to glory, as Paul
would say. It is because of the way Paul
now views Christ in this completed state that he admonishes us in
this context. Look back at the text. We recognize
no one according to the flesh. Verse 17, Therefore, if anyone
is in Christ, he is a new creature. The old things have passed away.
Behold, new things have come. And that just like the completed
perspective we have of the Lord Jesus Christ, having seen the
handiwork of God in his life in ministry, we must look for
the transforming work of grace at work in our fellow believers.
That’s what I believe Paul is saying in this whole section.
But first, Paul finishes his point in verse 16. Look again,
if you would. Even though we have known Christ
according to the flesh, yet now we know him this way no longer.
It’s not that Paul says we need to forget about his earthly life,
that we can skip over his earthly teaching, that the parables mean
nothing, that his life and example don’t count for anything. That’s
not at all what Paul is saying. But his ministry is so much grander,
so much greater than that. And it goes on and it goes on
in the lives of the people that he touches with salvation. As
one said, the opposite for Paul to the flesh is the spirit, the
spiritual element in man is introduced or developed only in the new
birth. The flesh and the spirit are
in Christ different, but not opposed elements. Paul’s knowledge
of Christ according to the Spirit changes entirely the view that
he had of Him. When he looked at Him only in
the flesh, but in Christ the Spirit dominates. Christ was
here and He was here in human flesh. But Paul says he began
to see and now he sees fully that He is so much more. So it’s
not flesh. As I said earlier, inherently
evil that is in Paul’s mind here. That merely speaking of how Christ
came and took on the human flesh, because of that, we don’t judge
any longer according to the flesh concerning Christ and no longer
do we estimate him according to his appearance. One summarized it this way. He
said this passage teaches us not to cling necessarily to the
details of Christ’s earthly life while they were done for our
salvation, but to pass over them quickly in order to reach Christ
Himself. Who has freed our nature from
earthly things and placed it at the right hand of God. Do
we want stories about Jesus or do we want the Jesus Himself?
We want Christ. And so we rejoice in the earthly
ministry of Christ, but we don’t stop there. We continue to rejoice,
not in what he was, but in who he is. What God unfolded before
our eyes and all that Christ was to become, we now see in
full. Third, in cultivating a divine perspective
of the saints, Paul now applies that Very principle to how we
are to view our brothers and sisters in Christ. Look at verse
17. Therefore, go back, if you would,
and let’s take a running start. Therefore, from now on, we recognize
no one according to the flesh, even though we have known Christ
according to the flesh. Yet now we know him in this way
no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ,
he is a new creature. The old things have passed away.
Behold, new things have come. Paul makes a further inference
here from what proceeds. He says this revelation of Christ
beholding His glory as it were, His love had worked in Paul such
a dramatic change. That that same perspective must
be applied to the lives of Christ’s people. that Paul must begin
to look at them differently. Look at this phrase, if anyone
is in Christ and what hope there is. In these great words, it’s
Paul’s familiar expression in Christ, which basically in such
short fashion, succinctly tells us about everything that God
has done for us. Everything is in Christ. There
is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. It’s by His
doing that you are in Christ. 1 Corinthians 1.30 We are faithful. We are saints in Christ Jesus. And over and over again in Paul’s
epistles, these words flow and they become so familiar to us,
we almost read over them. Essentially, there is nothing.
We are nothing. We have nothing. We could not
possibly be anything outside of being in Christ. One said it this way, the change
is produced by being in Christ. Personal connections with Him
bring for the individual the new order of things which was
brought about by His death and resurrection. This one has become
a Christian. He has become a member of Christ.
We are part of his body. We are literally in Christ. To be in Christ is the common
scriptural phrase to express the saving connection between
Christ and his people. They are in him as members of
his body, though the indwelling of his spirit, pardon me, through
the indwelling of his spirit. And they are in him by faith. We are in Christ. And if we are
in Christ, if you, my friend, are in Christ, he is a new creature. If anyone is in Christ, he is
a new creature. And Paul says to not observe
and not acknowledge and not to thank God for the work of God
done in our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ is a travesty. He’s a new creature. He had already
acknowledged that something’s taking place in verse 15. The
Christians no longer live to themselves, but for Christ who
died for them. But that ability is all divine,
it’s divinely given. It’s God that worked in that
change into our lives. One said it this way, a new creation
takes place within him. Whoever is united to Christ by
faith owns in him the gift of divine regenerated spiritual
humanity. It is imparted by Christ through
his spirit. And this life, which he did not
possess before, is in fact a new creation of the whole man. We
speak of regeneration. from time to time being made
alive, brought from death to life. It is a work not unlike
God’s work of creation, as we’ll see in a moment. Different words are used from
time to time in the Scriptures to speak of this creativeness
of God. John 5.21, just as the father
raises the dead, he gives them life. Even so, the son gives
life to whomever he wishes. It’s a creative work of God.
John 6.39, this is the will of Him who sent me that all that
He has given me, I lose nothing, but I raise it up on the last
day. 1 Peter 1.3, blessed be the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His
great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. It’s creation.
It’s re-creation. It is an enlivening that can
be said in the final analysis, something new. He is a new creation. One said it this way, the union
in Christ is transforming. It imparts a new life. It affects
a new creation. This expression indicates not
only the greatness and radical nature of the change effectuated,
but also its divine origin. God did it. It’s a divine work. It’s due to the mighty power
of God. Spurgeon talked about this. Spurgeon
talked about the glorious work that is done in the life of a
godless one who comes to Christ. What happens? And why is it so
wrong for us to overlook it? From time to time we talk about
somebody coming to Christ as if they got a new insurance policy.
I found Geico, right? But consider for a moment the
perspective of the great preacher when he said evangelical repentance
can never exist In an unrenewed soul, we are as helpless to cooperate
in our regeneration as we are to cooperate in the work of Calvary.
We were absolutely and utterly helpless. Sinner. Unconverted sinner. I warn you
that you can never cause yourself to be born again. And though
the new birth is absolutely necessary, it is absolutely impossible to
you unless God the Spirit shall do it. And what Spurgeon does
there is paint us all into a corner. We are all utterly helpless and
hopeless. The Spirit of God must make you
new. You must be born again. The same
power which raised Christ Jesus from the dead must be exerted
in us in raising us from the dead. The very same omnipotence
without which angels or worms could not have a being must again
step forth from His privy chamber and must do as great a work it
did at the first creation in making us anew As he did in Christ
Jesus, our Lord, in the salvation of every person, there is an
actual putting forth of divine power. Whereby, the dead sinner
is quickened, the unwilling sinner is made willing, the desperately
hard sinner has his conscience made tender, and he who rejected
God and despised Christ is brought to cast himself down at the feet
of Jesus. It’s a work of God. And we’re
going to pass over it. We’re going to treat it lightly.
We’re going to receive it casually if it’s no big deal, as if it
would happen either way. And we’re not going to thank
God for it. And Paul wants us to see. How great this change is that
takes place in the life, look again at verse 17. If anyone
is in Christ, he is a new creature. The old things passed away. What
old things? It’s the old man that we talked
about. It’s the old self. Romans 6. Ephesians 4. In reference to your former manner
of life, you lay aside the old self along with its corrupt desires,
old opinions, Old views, old plans, old loves, old perspectives. All of those things passed away.
All of those things that the unregenerate cling to and hold
to as their hope. Their values, their plans, their
dreams, their desires. All of those things. We would
cash them all in for Christ and we have. As one points out, the tense
of the verb points back to a definite moment, the experience of the
new birth. It is then that the old things, the distinctions
and prejudices, the misconceptions and enslavements of our former
unregenerate life were passed away. They all passed away at
the moment of conversion. Those things are dead and gone
in our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. And Paul says, behold,
I was sharing with the kids at Olive Tree the other day, that
word we don’t use anymore. Behold. And if we do use it,
everybody looks. And that’s what Paul wanted.
Maybe it was new for his day. Behold, new things have come. Look! It’s this spontaneous statement
of joy on Paul’s part. It’s triumph. It is exaltation
in the highest degree. Behold, new things have come. And what Paul says here is he
cannot look past the miracle of God’s grace at work in the
fellow saints to whom he ministers. He can’t look past it. And we
shouldn’t look past it either. God puts in us New habits, new
thoughts, new desires, new loves, new perspectives, new desires
and inclinations, new truths that we yearn for and long for,
new principles with a new destiny. It’s not unlike what the prophet
Isaiah foretold. Do not call to mind the former
things or ponder the things of the past. Behold, I will do something
new. Now it will spring forth. Will
you not be aware of it? I will make even a roadway in
the wilderness, rivers in the desert, and from one end to the
Scriptures to the other. Revelation 21.5 says, Behold,
I am making all things new. And He began with you and I. What Christ did in dying on our
behalf and in being raised by God for us is begin a new chapter
in the world’s history. And He began a work in our own
hearts and lives that cannot be overlooked, must not be overlooked.
You may remember that when I closed out our study of the first book
of Peter, I came back rather on knees of repentance, because
I had left off a series of verses just to kind of, you know, perhaps
not preachable. Difficult to find a message.
First Peter 5, 12 through 14. Through Silvanus, our brother,
for so I record him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting and
testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it.
She who is in Babylon chosen together with you sends greetings
and so does my son Mark. Greet one another with a kiss
of love. Peace be to you who are in Christ. You may remember
I had to come back that following week, didn’t I? I had to come
back for a more appropriate conclusion as we savored those words, because
you see, I had left those words on the cutting room floor. My
point then, as now, was that Peter took an active role. In
looking for the work of God’s grace in others, consider the
passage again. Our faithful brother. Sylvanus,
that didn’t come from Sylvanus, it was a work of God. God had
given to him the grace to be faithful. Our faithful brother, Sylvanus,
for so I regard him. She who is in Babylon chosen
together with you, Paul points us back. To this woman who he
doesn’t even name and says, look, we have our common salvation. Rooted in eternity past and God’s. Sovereign election. The third
and finally, he just calls Mark. His son. Having seen God’s grace at work
and others, we’re wrong not to acknowledge it. We’re wrong not
to observe it. And it’s the same with Paul and
it’s the same with us. We cannot overlook so glorious
a work as the recreation of human lives with whom we will spend
eternity. Can we? Let’s pray. O merciful God, thank You for
opening our eyes to the almighty work, the work of Your hands
in creating and recreating even before us the lives of the saints
with whom we walk. Grant us a new perspective and
help us to glorify You in all that we see. In Jesus’ name we
pray. Amen.