II Corinthians 5:17-21
If anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! -- Because we are "in Christ" we don't have to fall back into the old pattern of doing what we think we want, into that old way of responding to that bad habit, or that old hurt that formerly ruled our days.
All this is from God, -- God has performed a miracle in each of us in causing us to be born into His own family by the New Birth.
Who reconciled us to Himself -- Just as I change my checkbook register to reconcile it to the bank statement, so God changed us to agree with who He is; the life He has is spiritual and He has given us that same spiritual life that He lives, causing His Spirit to come into our spirits to make them alive. Where we were dead spiritually, we are now alive.
Through Christ -- Because of what Jesus accomplished on the Cross and His Resurrection.
And gave us the ministry of reconciliation: -- We have a job to do, a ministry, to let people know what God has done for us.
That God was reconciling the world to Himself -- God is the only One who changed (will change) everything in relation to Himself.
In Christ, -- Only by what Jesus accomplished.
Not counting men's sins against them. -- God doesn't need to consider our sins on our side of the Ledger, but can now put them on Jesus' side.
And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. -- This is the message we are to teach the world, that God has already taken care of all our sins, wounds and problems; in putting them on Jesus on the Cross to pay for all our debts; and God raised Him from the dead to prove that He accepted that payment on our behalf.
We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. -- We are to implore, to beg you, to take God up on His offer to allow Jesus to pay your debt in full, and let Him change you into the person God created you to be, in planting in you His own Spirit to make you alive and able to do the good works that God planned ahead of time for you to do, so that you will get the benefits and He will get the credit.
God made Him who had no sin -- Jesus.
to be sin -- to carry our very sin-nature.
for us, -- in our place, each of us, to pay our debt of death.
So that in Him -- Only in Christ, who paid it.
we might -- Now it is possible.
become -- Actually be, not just do.
the righteousness of God. --To be able to do what is right in every circumstance because of the power of His Spirit living in us, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. Each of us now is His temple, where He lives.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
