Sunday September 23, 2018 | Greg Boyd
"For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them. From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human
point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!"
"Therefore just as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all. For just as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous."
In this week’s sermon, Greg examines 2 Corinthians 5 to uncover a paradigm shifting truth that from God’s perspective, all people are in Christ, and explores how this truth shows us that hospitality is at the heart of God’s character.
In today’s sermon, Greg examines 2 Corinthians 5: 13-17. In this verse, Paul explains how he has been compelled by the love of Christ. Here is a fundamental truth of the gospel: It is more beautiful than we can imagine. The beauty of our lives will never out run the beauty of our picture of God. So, Greg urges us to remember that God is always more beautiful and wonderful than we can imagine. Once the gospel starts to sound too good to be true — that is when we are on the right track!
In this verse Paul tells us that all are in Christ and that the old self (which is what would be true of us if Christ had not died on the cross for us), is gone and the new self has come. Verses like this one and Romans 5:18-19 seem to point to Universalism or the idea that all will be saved. Though we all should hope for this, as God also desires this, we need to look at the full weight of scripture. Many other verses warn of consequences of not being in relationship with Christ. Because salvation is a love relationship, it must be chosen. That means that people can choose otherwise. However, this verse give us God’s perspective on the matter. God sees all people in Christ, individuals then have freedom to embrace this reality or deny it. Sin is ultimately just denying reality and living your own way.
Our fundamental job as believers is to align ourselves with truth and to live out of reality. We live in a world that is under the deception of the enemy, yet we are called to see everyone as God sees them. We should see every single person as someone Christ has died for and who is welcomed into God’s family. Hospitality is what it looks like when we live out of this truth. Greg encourages us to make space for the stranger even on Sunday morning. Introduce yourself to someone you don’t know and welcome them in. Just think of how far God went to make space for us.