2 Corinthians 5:16-21
Remembering old news
These truths are not new truths. There is no such thing as new truths. If it's new it's not true, and if it's true, it's not new. There is such a thing as freshly discovered truth, or freshly applied truth, or freshly revealed truth, but there is no such thing as new truth. That is why we receive truth by revelation - revelation implies by its very nature seeing something that is already there.
That is what I read from Emile Wolfaardt.
There is no such thing as new truth. I had to think about this as I wrote my sermon for this morning. You see, as a preacher you want to find something new, perhaps a new insight to the text never yet heard by others. You want to bring something new to the congregation, something that will make them think or perhaps feed their souls.
However, I had a difficult time finding something new in our Lenten text for today. It is a very familiar text. It is a text that I have preached from many times before. It has very powerful statements like if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation (v. 17) and God reconciled us to himself through Christ (v. 18) and we are ambassadors for Christ (v.20).
I read a sermon that spent a great deal of time explaining what an ambassador is and does. He went on to talk about his experiences with two USA ambassadors under Ronald Reagan's presidency. Yet, I did not learn anything new. I already know and suspect you do to, what an ambassador is. In the Roman Empire, the Roman ambassador represented Caesar in such a way that if you offended the ambassador, you would offend Caesar as well. The ambassador was to be received as Caesar himself. The words that the ambassador would say were to be taken as the words of Caesar.
Yet, as much as focusing on being ambassadors for Christ makes for a good sermon, before becoming an ambassador, Paul seems to say, we must become new creations. In other words, we can not become ambassadors for Christ if we have not been transformed into something new. Verse 17 reads, So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! (v. 17). And, according to Paul, becoming something new has to do with how we look at the world. He writes, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way (v. 16). Preacher and teacher William Loader talks about changing our value systems; how we value people and life itself.
The point that Paul is making is that those of us who are in Christ should look at the world through the eyes of God. How we look and judge others matters and is a good indication of what our values are. For example, do we see a dirty drunk homeless man on the sidewalk, or do we see a beautiful creation of God hurting and in pain- in need of love, strength and peace? Do we see and highly value the educated and socially influential politician as someone to be respected and admired or do we see him also as a beautiful creation of God perhaps also hurting and in pain perhaps also in need of love, strength and peace. With what eyes do we see and value the world through our human North American eyes or through our Christian new creation eyes?
Yet, as much as preaching about being and acting as new creations makes for a good sermon, I suspect I am not saying anything new to you. We know and understand that God sees the world differently than how the world sees it self. We know that what the world highly values; power, influence and prestige; is not what God values. We know and understand God's value system often described as the Upside Down Kingdom, the reversal and contrast of what matters to the world and what matters to God. Loving our enemies and doing good to those who persecute us God's message vs. the elimination of our enemies, destroying those who do not have our nation's best interest in mind, for example.
Perhaps before becoming new creations, then becoming ambassadors of Christ to the world, we need to be reconciled to God. And, I think this is where Paul begins. He writes, All this is from God; who reconciled us to himself through Christ (v. 17). I could spend a lot of time explaining to you the conflicts and theological arguments this verse alone has created. You see, this verse implies that it is God that reconciled us to himself- without any human participation. Some people have taken this to mean, God is the dominant participant in this God-man/woman relationship, which means God chose to reconcile himself with us and we had no choice in the matter. This is the Free will vs. Election argument. Do we have the free will to accept or to reject God's forgiving grace? Or, are we simply elected by God as one of the few who He has chosen to receive His forgiving grace? Of course, there are many other passages in the Scriptures that more clearly describe this dilemma; supporting either side of the argument.
To me, the argument is fruitless. To argue about whether we are elected or freely chose God's forgiving grace is to miss the point. Whether we are elected or freely chose God's grace is secondary to the fact the believer is made new, has become a new creation. In other words, I do not know if I chose God or God chose me, but I know what a believer looks like and what a believer does. It is written in front of me. As a Christian, I would rather ask God to continue to transform my life and continue to make me new, rather than to ask him to reveal to me whether or not I chose Him or He chose me.
In fact, I believe Paul was not concerned with this Free will vs. Election argument. His point was: God took the initiative to come to us, took the initiative to find reconciliation between Him and us. And, the way we find this reconciliation is through Jesus Christ. Verse 18 reads, All this is from God who reconciled us to himself through Christ (v.18). The focus of his argument is Jesus Christ. Through Jesus Christ we find reconciliation with God. Through Jesus Christ we have become new creations. Through Jesus Christ we are now ambassadors of the Living God here on earth.
Yet, as much as being reconciled to God through Jesus Christ makes for a good sermon, I suspect this too is not new to any of us. After all we are celebrating the Lent Season. These 40 days of preparation before Easter are meant to help us understand what took place when Jesus defeated Death and Sin. We are to remember that we were disconnected from God, separated from His grace and forgiveness, yet through Jesus Christ we have come home; we have found forgiveness and reconciliation with our God.
Again, sometimes is not about finding something new a fresh interpretation, or a fresh look a new in site to the text. Sometimes it is about remembering the truth we know, the message we have already embraced. Sometimes it is about reflecting again on who we are and what we do. Sometimes it is about doing some self analysis, self reflection. And, I think this is the case for us this morning. After all this is what Lent is all about.
I do not bring to you new revelations, new biblical truths, new and exciting discoveries. I have not found for the first time ever the tomb of Jesus Christ and of his family including his wife and child. This by the way, was an incredible mistake, worse than when Geraldo Rivera tried to find the treasures of Al Capone live on TV. At least Geraldo Rivera was in one of the buildings owned by Al Capone. We can't say the same about the other discovery.
I do not bring to you new revelations, new biblical truths, new and exciting discoveries. What I bring to you is a humble reminder of the truth we already know and perhaps a reminder of who we should be and what we should do.
Perhaps we should end today asking ourselves these questions:
Do I truly believe in God's reconciliation, forgiveness and grace, through Jesus Christ? Or, do I by pass this passage and find my own reconciliation in my own way, with God?
Do I believe I need to be transformed, continually created into something new? Or am I content with who I am and see no need to change?
Do I believe I am the ambassador of God, given the responsibility to be God's presence here on earth and to share with the world his message and his agenda? Or am I simply satisfied with knowing I'm forgiven and seek to do what matter to me, do the things that will get me more power, influence and prestige?
How concern am I in saying and doing what I see the Scriptures telling me what I should do and say?
Thanks be to God that we have found reconciliation through Jesus Christ. Thanks be to God that we are not left as we are, but that God is ever changing us into something better into something new. Thanks be to God that we have a purpose for our lives, an agenda to bring to the world, a mission from our God and King. Thanks be to God that he took the initiative to come to us and make all these things possible.
Amen.