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>More literal than we realize

July 20, 2010 by Fritz

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“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. – 2nd Corinthians 5:17

The Bible takes our bodily connection to Christ1 more literally than we realize. The biblical position is that what you do, Christ is doing.2

This may be hard to grasp when we only see ourselves in the mirror, but we’ve had something similar in our business community for years – its called a corporation. In a corporation the activity of the President, factory worker, and everyone in between is all viewed as the activity of that corporation, and the corporation bears the liability.

Like a corporation, when we give our lives to Christ we are viewed as one with him and our actions reflect upon the whole, not just ourselves. To this new “corporation-like” creation both Jesus and we have contributed all we had and what we now have is shared by both. I contributed my body and my sins, he contributed his body, his payment for sin, his grace, his love, his mercy.

Now, in a very real sense, when I go to work it is the new creation sitting in the chair typing on the keyboard. When I go to prayer, it is me and Jesus as a unit standing before God with all debts paid. When I misbehave, it is both Jesus and I who bare the liability in the eyes of the world.

Unlike a corporation, he actually begins to move on us physically, mentally, and spiritually to actually become more like him.

We need to adopt the viewpoint God has already ascribed to us, it will help us understand God’s word and help us cooperate better with what he is doing with us.

– fritz


1 – Related Post: July 18, 2010 “Members of His Body“
2 – 1st Corinthians 5:16

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>Knowing What We Are, and Why

July 19, 2010 by Fritz

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“When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” – 1st Corinthians 13:11

“I’m an atheist!” said the little girl at the Russian school we were visiting in 1992.

The Berlin wall had fallen and that vast communist country opened its doors and hearts to something different. We were there sharing our home education program in their schools and offering to partner with them in teaching character.

My friend said to this little girl, “Oh? What’s an atheist?”, and after thinking a while she responded, “I don’t know.”

We are sometimes like that little Russian student, thinking we believe something without really knowing what it means or why.

As believers we need to grow up and learn what is true and how to apply it in ways that actually make a difference.

-fritz

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>Members of His Body

July 18, 2010 by Fritz

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“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” – 2nd Corinthians 5:17

Something happens when a person gives his or her life to Jesus; the Bible says a new “creature” is begun. The term “creature” literally means “formation”, “building”, “creation”.

This is not just a euphemism for a mental change or attitude adjustment; the biblical view is that we become joined to the risen Christ in such a way that we are bodily part of him and he is bodily part of us.

Our physical bodies are not valueless. God created them with purpose and, joined with Christ, they become an expression of Himself.

Listen to how the Apostle Paul expresses it,

“Now the body is …for the Lord; and the Lord for the body … Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. – 1st Corinthians 6:13, 15

How would your actions change if you saw your body as actually being God’s earthly representation of Christ’s body?

-fritz

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