“IN CHRIST!”

2 Corinthians 5:16-20                             (ESV)

"16 From now on, therefore, we regard NO ONE according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded CHRIST according to the flesh, we regard HIM thus no longer.

17 Therefore, if anyone is “IN CHRIST”, he is a NEW CREATION. The OLD has PASSED AWAY; behold, the NEW has COME.

18 All this is from GOD, WHO through CHRIST reconciled us to HIMSELF and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;

19 that is, in CHRIST GOD was reconciling the world to HIMSELF, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for CHRIST, GOD making HIS appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of CHRIST, be reconciled to GOD."

There seems to be a GREAT EFFORT to see other people for who they IDENTIFY THEMSELVES to be, in other words, who they project themselves as.  One could argue that they are simply trying to be GOD by changing ourselves to become what the god of this world deceives them into believing they are.  There are males saying they feel as though they are female, and females saying they feel as though they are male.  One might even hear of a human feeling as though they are some sort of animal!?!  And “this world” says whatever a person “feels” must be right, even though Genesis 1:27 says “So GOD CREATED MAN in HIS OWN image, in the image of GOD HE CREATED him; MALE and FEMALE HE created them.”!?!

But when Believers are SUPERNATURALLY changed by the finished work of JESUS CHRIST, this world doesn’t want to accept HIS evidence of transformation.  The enemy has blinded them, and they cannot SEE the TRUTH.  2 Corinthians 4:4 explicitly says “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of CHRIST, WHO is the IMAGE of GOD.”  SEEing TRUTH is something that the enemy is totally against (John 8:44), and he will do whatever he can to silence it.  

Do you ever wonder why that different racial groups can never find common ground to agree upon?  And why different socio-economic groups hardly ever socialize?  Even different denominations of “the (so-called) church” tend to abstain from intermingling because “the enemy” is so prevalent in wearing sheep’s clothing, disguising himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:4)!  Genesis 3:2 says the enemy is the “slickest” of all creation, so why do we listen to his lies?  People, our OLD selves are PASSED AWAY and we are NEW CREATIONS!  Only JESUS makes that possible!  

JESUS CHRIST lived a perfect life, suffered and died the most cruel of deaths, AND overcame death, hell and the grave so that HE could REMOVE the barriers that are used to divide.  But the human race seems to Glory in the division that the enemy uses in an attempt of minimize his own demise.  JESUS CHRIST is the ULTIMATE OVERCOMER.  All we have to do is be “IN CHRIST”, and let HIM be in us, and the enemy is relegated to eternal defeat, because of what JESUS has done.  Allowing “IN CHRIST” to shine in my life is the greatest thing GOD ever performed for me. I am Blessed that HE chose me!!!