2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV)
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
I was taught whenever I see the word “therefore” in the Bible to ask the question, “What’s the therefore there for?” I am certain the context goes beyond the previous verse, but at least the previous verse ought to be considered.
2 Corinthians 5:16 (KJV)
Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.
We find here a definition of being “in Christ.” And we may find in the Apostle Paul an example of the definition. Paul was contemporary with Jesus and, while we have no record of him meeting Jesus, he was a Pharisee of that same time period, in the same region of Jerusalem as Jesus and must have known of Jesus. One could hardly fathom a Pharisee of that day, however low his position may have been, or young, not having conversations with his peers about Jesus, the things He was doing, and their superiors’ responses to Christ. He must have known Christ “after the flesh.” He must have at a minimum, heard of His crucifixion, His death, and His burial.
But a radical change happened one day on the road to Damascus.
Acts 9:3-5 (KJV)
And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
On that day He came to know Christ, not after the flesh, but after the resurrection. After that meeting, Paul went into the city of Damascus just as he had planned. But his work there had been turned around. Paul was a new creature. He had been changed physically, spiritually, emotionally, economically, eternally.
The difference is, if you will pardon the cliché, from religion to relationship. It’s the difference between believing in Christ and knowing Jesus Christ. To have heard of His death, burial, and resurrection and to believe they happened is not the same as having met and now knowing Jesus Christ. It’s why religious people and non-believers get so frustrated with those who are in Christ. They don’t know who we know. They know about Christ “after the flesh.” But we know Him to be resurrected, alive, and fully engaged in our lives. That knowledge has made us new, different, unchangeable creatures
#NewCreationInChrist #LifeTransformation #ResurrectedSavior #FaithJourney #KnowingJesus
Knowing Christ: From Flesh to Faith
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