The Bethany Bullet - Week of March 6, 2016

Text: II Corinthians 5:16-21

New Living Translation

In today’s world we count likes, followers, friends and the more the better.

If God were to count sins, more wouldn’t be any worse…for one is all it takes.  One transgression, one trespass, one occasion of intentional wrong doing, one mistaken time we failed to do what we ought and that is all it would take.  Just one sin proves that we are not perfect; pure nor holy as He and His demands require.  Of course, were we to count today alone, we’d quickly surpass one!  If God were to count, we would be lost, without help and without hope.  Re-read the text (II Corinthians 5:16-21), “God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them.” 

It’s not that sin doesn’t “count” nor that God simply turns a blind eye towards it!  Rather, God counts our sins, all of them, each transgression and trespass, each intentional wrong and accidental infraction; He counts them ALL AGAINST JESUS.  Re-read the text (II Corinthians 5:16-21), “God made him who had NO SIN to BE SIN for us.”

The result of God’s counting our sins against Jesus, and in turn crediting us (through faith) with Christ’s perfection, purity and holiness is this: 

V  We are reconciled to God!  Once we were enemies, now we are His friends.  Once we were far off, now we’ve been brought near.

V  We are righteous in God’s sight.  Though by nature sinful and in action sinners, we are saint of the Lord in Christ as His fulfillment of the law has been counted as our own.

V  We are now God’s representatives.  The Lord is counting on the church to bring His love and grace, His mercy and compassion, His reconciling righteousness to a world that, you can count on it, needs it!  Re-read the text, “We are Christ’s ambassadors, and God is using us to speak to others.”   

-Pastor Kevin Kritzer