Partners In Grace (part 2)
2nd Installment – excerpts from the book Partners in Grace (by Larry Easton)
What About Today
In similar fashion, Paul argues persuasively in his epistle to the church at Corinth for a radical rethinking of our approach to sin and transformational change – a discovery of grace which unleashes power for living.
And 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. 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.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
2 Corinthians 5:15-18 (NIV)
Paul offers a liberating new perspective concerning those who are “in Christ” by delineating between past or, even present behaviors, and our new status as believers. Christ’s redemptive work has effectively reframed our lives, creating a new reality in which God alone enjoys the privilege of defining us.
No longer can our past or even present behaviors enjoy the last word in defining our identity, who we really are. To “regard no one from a worldly point of view” is an injunction against narrowly defining others (or ourselves) by their behaviors alone. It is an urgent endorsement of the miracle, the unparalleled impact of redemption. Christ has, through Calvary and His resurrection, broken the power of sin, its claims, and reign over our lives. Something changed, fundamentally and existentially because of what God, in Christ wrought through redemption.
The words of the Accuser (Rev. 12:10) no longer reflect reality, even if they should seem for the moment to gain legitimacy through our actions. What if you were approached by a friend, a Christian, who began describing his struggle with sin? Perhaps he offers, in detail the nature of his struggle. You’re now confronted with a choice. Do you define this man by his faults, his weaknesses (e.g., he’s an angry person, he is immoral or untrustworthy, etc.) or do you reframe his behavior within the context of his new identity, his new nature in Christ? That is, you recognize his actions, his behavior as a weakness or fault present in his life which has contributed to sinful acts, but not as the defining characteristic of his life and person. This approach allows us to deal candidly, yet without condemnation regarding sinful actions, leaving us available and eager to encourage others in God’s grace.
We do not deny that a problem exists, that sin is anything less than sinful, requiring confession and repentance. We are, however, carefully attentive to the profound need and obligation to acknowledge the preeminence of God’s workmanship in those who have received Him. We perceive the reality of their new nature, and we take great care in allowing God the privilege of defining His own in light of redemption, and we seek to remain in agreement with His opinion of them.
Not only will this approach cultivate greater transparency and authenticity, but real growth in grace, and true liberty. Our churches and relationships will become places where true friendships can be cultivated and flourish, and where the reality of God’s love and grace offer a profound witness to others.
Again, rather than viewing fellow Christians only through the prism of their actions and behaviors, we choose instead to embrace them as “a new creation”, carefully affirming that truth as we journey toward redemption with them. While this approach doesn’t ignore the reality of sin or its consequences, it does underscore the impact of redemption and the reality that is the invisible kingdom, encouraging within our lives the ministry of reconciliation.
Coming in our next installment – An Important Distinction
