I wonder how many believers communicate Christ’s love through their lives, or do we communicate legal truth as a hammer to hit people to condemn their sin? Paul spoke about imparting Christ to people around us by having his Holy Spirit imparted to our hearts. Our lives should change because our hearts are truly impacted, rather than just intellectually informed. Our changed lives should then impact those around us. From my observation much of Christianity either revolves around judging other people of different styles of faith, or being wrapped up in our own personal edification rather than caring how we affect others. Paul said we are called to be ambassadors not just spectators.
This heart change that Paul talks about was “MANIFESTED” in the early believers so people who did not know God could tangibly see the love of God by how his followers acted in public and private. Secular people saw the transformation that Paul talked about in 2 Cor 5:17 where he says that the old things have passed away and new things come when people are born again. He calls it “Transformation” because Paul wanted people to know that being born again is not just a mental enlightenment, but a total change in our core that captivates our hearts. Paul talked about salvation in terms of “Conversion” rather than from a philosophical or theoretical perspective.
2 Corinthians 5:17-18
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature (creation); the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.
The change that Paul talks about in this New Covenant is one in which we are reconciled to God. Our forgiveness is “Predicated” on the idea of reconciliation. Unless we are reconciled to God there is no forgiveness, regardless of any sinners prayer or declaration by us or others. In our modern church forgiveness has become such a cheap commodity that anyone can receive forgiveness, regardless of their relationship with God. This is something the scripture totally denies.
2 Corinthians 3:1-3
Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or like some, do we need letters of commendation to you or from you? You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
When Paul uses the illustration of a “Letter” of Christ he is talking about a means of communication. Paul says this new covenant letter is possible by and through the power of the Holy Spirit in which life happens from the inside out. It is an impartation of God himself coming to live in harmony with us because we surrendered our selfishness and self- will which, in reality, was killing us. It is sad if we settle for a cheap form of grace that changes nothing other than our insecurity.
2 Corinthians 3:6
Who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
Paul goes further in this chapter and says if the Holy Spirit lives in our souls we will find liberty because Jesus has set us free from being controlled by our selfish passions. How foolish for people to speak about Jesus being in their souls while holding on to selfishness and self-interest above God. We all have seen and heard of people claiming to have Jesus Christ as the Lord of their lives yet are still in rebellion to God and his word. Confession doesn’t make their salvation real unless they are living a surrendered life. This kind of life won’t happen by our strength of will, but rather by surrendering our will daily to the Holy Spirit, who keeps us free. Our choices make a difference and should never be minimized, but if God did not offer us help, our will and choices would be irrelevant. Paul states very clearly that “IN” the Holy Spirit is true freedom and liberty.
2 Corinthians 3:17
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
Ask yourself this one most important question about this new covenant: Are you experiencing liberty to do what you want, or experiencing true liberty to do what God wants? The answer will either confirm who Christ is to you, or who he is not. My hope is that your confession will confirm the Lordship of Christ and declare to the world around you who your Lord is.
Additionally we need to understand that this transformation is not a one-time event or experience. Rather, it should be a daily journey as long as we continually yield our life to the Holy Spirit. My belief is that many who come to Christ for transformation get stuck in the initial encounter with Christ and are forever trying to live off that first experience. But, the fact is, we are called to experience Jesus in our lives freshly every day.
2 Corinthians 3:18
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.
Remember that scripture always refers to salvation from three perspectives: Salvation from our past, salvation over our current life issues and our salvation when Jesus comes back to earth to claim all who love him. To think of salvation as a one-time experience is totally contrary to how God presents it in his words, and is nothing more than the doctrine of man.
Real Christianity is about discovering the lover of our soul in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, who manifested the Father’s heart for humanity. It is in this revelation that we discover how to walk day by day.
May Jesus be the light that we manifest.
Questions:
1) Have you experienced the transformation Paul talked about in which the love of God changes you? This is what Jesus talked about in John 3 about being born again. Don’t be fooled by just embracing doctrines as if Christianity is just about theology.
2) Have you embraced the Holy spirit for empowerment in your personal life, or are you trying to live the Christian life by shear willpower? Many people live like orphans rather than children of God – read what Jesus said about not leaving us as orphans, but giving us the Holy Spirit in John Chapter 14.
May we enjoy the manifestation of the Holy Spirit daily,
Pastor Dale
