Being in Christ

So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 2 Corinthians 5:16-18

The world thinks that life is self-help where you can fix yourself to get better. This is in disregard of the fact that Christ came in this world and that through His sacrificial death on the cross, man can be forgiven of their sins and believing in Him will provide what is needed so that life will be changed. Paul, from the text, declared that believers in Christ should “stop evaluating others from a human point of view.” Real change in life takes place only by relying on the atoning death of Christ. Once a person repents from a life of sin and receives the new life He offers, he or she becomes a new person (2 Corinthians 5:17). Paul’s declaration collides with the superficial way of evaluating people in our time. Nowadays, people are valued based on their looks and the things they possess in life. The common cliché “It’s all about image” means that right appearance is everything. God in His word tells His followers to be done away with this worldly distinction. This is important especially now that God’s purpose for Christians is to take part in reconciling others to Him. Great things happened to our lives when we came to know Christ as Lord and Savior. Now, God has called us to let others know about these wondrous things we have. The only way we can be effective in living out His will for our lives is when we look at others through the eyes of Christ’s love. Our continual surrender to His working will help us overcome arrogance and selfishness. We then are loving people instead of hating them. Once we belong to Christ because of our relationship with Him, we regard no one from a worldly point of view. In this regard, we start to discover what Christlikeness means. “Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had” (Philippians 2:3b-5).

Blessing,

Noel De Guzman

www.my-wbc.com