Good morning. Continuing from yesterday: therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. We are like the ambassadors from our country. They represent the interests of the United States and its citizens in other countries. We also represent Christ and Christians' interests in this world, foreign to us. When people see us, they are supposed to see Christ. When we behave badly, we give Christ a bad name; just like ambassadors of the United States give the United States a bad name, if they behave badly. Now the next verse can be confusing if you do not realize that the word sin is a noun and not a verb. He made Him who knew no sin (to be) sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. God did not make Jesus commit the act of sin – He made Him to actually become sin on the cross. When Jesus died, sin died. We could not have become the righteousness of God without that happening. Several verses later Paul says: do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness ... or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? I'm sure you've heard many applications of this verse; especially concerning marriage. Of course it can be overdone. If you're not careful, you could never sign a contract for a car or house or anything like that. We are the temple of the living God. He then quotes verses about God dwelling in us and walking among us and being a father to us. Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Notice that Paul puts it on us to cleanse ourselves from these defilements. Sometimes Christians like the things that God considers defilements. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. If you bend a little here, the whole thing crashes down upon you. If we believed and acted like God was right there with us and in us, we would not do some of the things that we like to do. Big Brother may be watching us everywhere outside of our home; but God is watching us even there. Father thank You that the reader is an excellent ambassador for You. He/she is an excellent representative to the world for You.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners

  Good morning. So, was the law a bad thing? We know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully (not to control people, as some were), realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane…, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching, according to the glorious gospel of the Blessed God, with which I have been entrusted. I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer etc. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. Formerly Paul was good in the eyes of the law, but unrighteous in the eyes of God. Despite that, God was more than able to use him in a magnificent way to bring the gospel to the Gentiles. Father thank You that Your Grace is gre...
Read more

Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me

  Good morning. Paul then gives a list of a lot of things that he has gone through as an apostle. I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. There could be many people that you listen to either in church or through the Internet or other means; but there was only one person (as a general rule it was a person) that lead you to Christ. Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me. He was saying that just like a child imitates his or her father, they were to imitate him. He says that again seven chapters later. Since it is easy to forget some things about people we have not seen in a while, Paul says that he sent Timothy to them to remind them of his ways which are in Christ, just as he taught everywhere in every church. Some have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. I shall find ou...
Read more

Philip, who was one of the seven deacons, went down to the city of Samaria and began preaching Christ to them.

  Good morning. Therefore, those who had been scattered went about preaching the word. Philip, who was one of the seven deacons, went down to the city of Samaria and began preaching Christ to them. This is the area where Jesus had the discussion with the woman at the well. Remember from Acts 1:8 that after Jerusalem, Samaria was mentioned. Samaritans were looked down upon by the Jews and considered more or less half Jews. A lot of the Jews of the northern kingdom were taken away and replaced by others who were not Jews. They intermingled with the Jews that were living in the northern kingdom. Even though Samaria was not far away, the disciples had not come there to preach the word before this. The disciples may have even thought that it was impossible for them to get saved, just like the Gentiles. The crowds with one accord were giving attention to what was said by Philip, as they heard and saw the signs which he was performing. Even though he was “just a deacon”, God worked throug...
Read more