“From now on” is a challenge for every Christian in November, 2020
By Dean Collins
Paul didn’t know anything about 2020. But even though a couple of millennia separate us from Paul, he has a remarkable and timely approach for how to deal with our current situation. He starts with these words: “from now on.” The implication is that regardless of how you approached people yesterday, there is a better way to think and act today.
I can’t think of better advice for us in this moment. Whatever the state of the virus, whoever is leading the country, no matter what someone shouted on social media, these words open a powerful approach to how we can, we must, regard the people in our life and in the rest of the world. And thanks to technology, nearly everyone in the world can become a part of your life. Regardless of location, race, religious affiliation, sexual identity, or occupation, the people in the world are literally one click away from you. We are all the people in each other’s lives, and we must consider Paul’s words.
I can’t think of better advice for this moment.
“We regard no one according to the flesh” (2 Corinthians 5:16). Some translations translate these words as “from a human point of view.” Paul uses “according to the flesh” in contrast to another phrase, “according to the Spirit. “ A further reading of Paul’s letters to Romans and to the churches of Galatia helps us better understand his meaning. We either operate and live according to the here-and-now physical and flawed self, or we can live life from God’s perspective fueled by His spirit. And there is a dramatic difference. To operate by the flesh, according to Paul, involves the following;
“Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these...” (Galatians 5:19, 20).
Let’s set aside the sexual challenges of the flesh for a second so we don’t miss the other equally dangerous fleshly attitudes and behaviors: enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, and envy. Is there a better list of words to describe the sad state of how we are treating each other in the current moment of 2020? And sadly, Christians are lining up with (if not leading the pack in) practices that clearly are rooted in the flesh. Paul says we can’t do this any longer because if we have chosen Christ we are different than the flesh. We are a “new creation .“ We have a fresh start. The past is the past, and a new beginning has arrived. And all of this is because Christ paid for our sins on the cross and therefore reconciled us with God. We are to live as if we are in the Garden before the fall of man.
The past is the past, and a new beginning has arrived.
Living as new means we must stop the old. And this is not humanly possible to do. It is only possible when we set our minds on the things of God and allow the Spirit of God to guide and direct us. This is not a theoretical exercise. It is possible when daily surrendered to God. It won’t happen accidentally, either. It is cultivated by daily focus on God, his Word, his Spirit, his life. It is what C.S. Lewis and others call the great exchange. It is a choice we make and a transformation we receive.
If we continue to speak and act in hatred with those with whom we disagree, then the evidence suggests we have returned what God has offered. An appropriate response for our attitudes and words in recent months can only be repentance. We are the ambassadors of Christ. His kingdom is about life and peace with God and with each other. His life produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Fellow ambassadors, it’s time for the kindness of God to be visible. The world has seen enough hatred for this year. Let’s do this together. We are not strong enough to do it alone. Let’s offer our weakness to God and see what he might yet accomplish even in the latter days of this year and the final extent of our lives on earth.
Your time with God’s Word
2 Corinthians 5:16-21 ; Romans 8:3-8; Galatians 5:16-26 ESV
