Christ
the Center
"Therefore, if any man
be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away, behold, all
things are become new" (II Corinthians 5:17).
Life in Christ is completely
new and the presence of the Lord Jesus in our lives gives us a completely new
dimension. Our old worldly and self-centered ambitions, outlook on life, and
moral values are changed as we come to know Him personally and as His power
becomes operative daily in our lives.
The verse begins with
"therefore" and whenever you see a "therefore" in a verse
you must try to understand what it is there for, so you can properly understand
the meaning. Here Paul is referring back to the previous verses that taught
some powerful and dramatic truths.
He taught that you and I who
belong to Jesus must not live for self, but for "Him who died for us and
rose again." Then he goes on to remind us that our outlook on life should
not be from a purely human point of view. Of course not! We are now children of
the living God and we see things from the perspective of heaven.
This vital Bible verse goes
on to show the universality of the claims of Christ. He speaks of "any
man." There is not a person alive who is not welcome in the kingdom of
God. There are organizations, clubs, fraternities and sororities that some of
us could not get into. But we are all welcome "in Christ."
Jesus said: "all that
the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no
wise cast out" (John 6:37).
Note that you and I are
"in Christ." Paul had told the Ephesians: "But God, who is rich
in mercy, for his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in
sins, hath quickened us together with Christ (by grace ye are saved), and hath
raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ
Jesus" (Ephesians 2:4‑6).
What does it mean to be
"in Christ?" It means that when we have repented of sin and turned,
by faith, to the Lord Jesus and are trusting Him and Him alone for our
salvation, we actually become part of Christ's body in the earth. We are
members of the Body of Christ. Therefore you and I have brothers and sisters
whom we have never seen, and in spite of the fact that they may be living
thousands of miles from us, we are actually joined to them in the fellowship of
the Lord Jesus.
He goes on to tell us that
when we are in Christ we are new. We are a new creation. Just as God created
the world by the word of His power, so you and I have become a new race of
people in this world; people who walk in newness of life in the midst of
multitudes who are dead in trespasses and sins.
Because of that old things,
old ways, old habits, old desires, old sins, have passed away and all things
have become new. Of course they have! We are new because of our new life in
Christ. We have a new name written in Heaven, a new heart, and a new nature. We
live by new rules, with new goals and objectives in the new company of our
fellow believers in Christ.
This vital Bible verse is
just one of 60 carefully selected scriptures that are contained in the
Navigators Scripture Memory course. If you want to
memorize Scripture, but aren't sure what to memorize or how to get started,
this is exactly what you need. The Topical Memory System includes memory verse cards in four different Bible versions -
NIV, KJV, NASB, NKJV. Topics include all of the basics of the Christ-centered
Spirit-filled life, sharing your faith, and growing on to maturity in your walk
with God. May God bless you as you fill your life with His Word.
© Copyright 2002, LeRoy Eims