Seeing the Invisible (3)

 

“We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:18).

 

“Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer” (2 Cor. 5:16).

 

In the previous reflection I wrote that we’d return to 2 Cor. 4:6 in this meditation, but I think instead we’ll touch on the third foundational passage about seeing the invisible, 2 Cor. 5:16, and having done that we’ll then circle back to 4:6. Then we’ll work out way outward into the other sections of Paul’s letter. I hope as we develop this that seeing the invisible will come into focus for you (and me).

 

In 2 Cor. 4:6 we see that when Paul reads the account of creation in Genesis Chapter 1, that he sees through and beyond God creating the physical creation to God creating us in Christ as new creations. He extends this vision to 5:16 when he writes that we no longer see one another based on the flesh, on outward appearance – but we look beyond the flesh, beyond what the natural eye sees, beyond the tent that others dwell in (see 2 Cor. 5:1 – 4), and we see Christ in our brothers and sisters, indeed, we see the image of God in man – even when man is defacing and rejecting that image. “We recognize no one according to the flesh.”

 

This also can mean that when people look good and righteous on the outside “as servants of righteousness”, that they may be Satan’s messengers on the inside (2 Cor. 11:13 – 15). Seeing the invisible can mean seeing Christ in others despite outward appearance; it can also mean seeing evil in others, despite outward appearance. Paul writes of those who have a “form of godliness, although they have denied its power” (2 Tim. 3:5). Things are not always as they seem, they may seldom be as they seem.

 

Why is it that we recognize no one “according to the flesh”? It is because a fundamental change has taken place in our lives – as individuals and as a collective whole:

 

“For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf” (2 Cor. 5:14 – 15).

 

Then we have what follows 5:16, with Paul connecting 5:16 with 4:6 via 4:18, “The God who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” We are now new creations in Jesus Christ, “the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (5:17).

 

Just has Genesis Chapter 1 portrays a comprehensive creation, so the New Creation in Christ in comprehensive, “Now all these things are from God” (5:18).

 

Our basis for not recognizing others according to the flesh continues in 5:18 – 21:

 

God has “reconciled us to Himself through Christ” (5:18).

 

This reconciliation occurred through the Incarnation, and through it God no longer counts our trespasses against us (5:19).

 

When we ask, “How can this possibly be? How can God reconcile us through Christ? How can God possibly not count our sins against us?”

 

God answers, “He [God the Father] made Him [Christ the Son] who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (5:21).

 

We learn to no longer recognize one another according to the flesh, according to visual appearance, but we learn to see one another in Christ, we learn to acknowledge one another in Christ, based on our new identity in Him, as new creations. Jesus Christ has become sin for us on the Cross that we might become His very righteousness. (This is both organic and forensic, both imputed and infused – hence we have Romans 3:21 – 26; 4:22 – 25; and also Romans 6:1 – 11; 8:9 – 30).

 

Now, there is more to this than we might think, much more. While this is an exciting way to live, and while there is no Message as glorious as the Message of Reconciliation, there is a challenge that we’d rather not confront.

 

“That they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf” (5:15).

 

We may like to talk about being new creations, we may rejoice in our sins being forgiven, we may be awestruck by the idea that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself – but do we really want to confront the results of this? Do we acknowledge the claim this has on our lives?

 

If we have died with Christ (2 Cor. 5:14; Romans Chapter 6; Galatians 2:20; 6:14), then we are no longer our own, we no longer belong to the old creation, but have been raised to newness of life in Christ and therefore must no longer live for ourselves, but for Him who died and rose again on our behalf.

 

We would rather do without this. Our pastors dare not teach this, they dare not call us to this, they dare not use this as a benchmark for our lives – either individually, as marriages, as families, or as congregations. We expect, we demand, that our pastors and teachers gloss over this passage and others like it, such as Mark 8:34 – 38, for our lives will always be our own to do with as we please and no one has a right to tell us differently or to expect us to change our self-centered orientation.  

 

If we have pastors who insist on seeing us in Christ, if they insist on calling us to live in our identity in Christ as new creations, then there will be conflict – for they will call us out of the Christian entertainment business and the Christian self-improvement and self-help and group therapy business, they will call us to Biblical discipleship, to return to the Cross as our Way of Life in Christ. They will call us to move out of Christian nationalism and to live as citizens of heaven (Phil. 3:20); if we obey the Message then we will become Christians without borders – for we will see others not according to the flesh, but according to Christ. (We have a wonderful example of Christians without borders in 2 Corinthians chapters 8 and 9).

 

So we see, I hope, that the Gospel contained in 2 Cor. 5:14 – 21 has the seeds of conflict within it, for to be a new creature in Christ means that we no longer live for ourselves but for Christ Jesus, it means that we no longer belong to ourselves, it means that our change of identity has brought with it a change in our center of gravity. Faithful pastors will hold their people accountable to this calling. They will affirm our identity in Christ, our righteousness in Christ, as well as call us to live out from that identity – not for ourselves, but for Christ and others.

 

Looking at the things that are eternal, seeing the invisible, not recognizing others according to the flesh – leads us to a higher Way of Life, the Life of the Cross.

 

In our next reflection, the Lord willing, we’ll ponder the words, “even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer” (5:16).

 

Postscript: I imagine this is new territory for many of us, and I’m pretty sure that this requires time and prayer and meditation. New territory usually requires these things. Even as I have been writing this reflection, I’ve been seeing new dimensions in Christ Jesus, and what I have known, I have only known in a measure…but I think this is nearly always the case…we know in a measure, only in a measure. Jesus calls us to know Him, not to have all the answers, not to wrap up loose ends, not to speak the final word on the glories of His Kingdom and our life in Him. Jesus alone will speak the final word, and He alone will wrap up the loose ends. I hope you will read these passages of Scripture again and again and again – for they reveal Jesus Christ and your life in Him.

Do Not Be Afraid

 

“Darkness had fallen, and Jesus had not yet come to them” (John 6:17b).

 

O yes, O yes, I remember that night. I was thinking about it when I was on the Isle of Patmos receiving the revelation of Jesus Christ. Considering all the darkness I witnessed in the Revelation, up close and personal, it was, I suppose, inevitable that I’d think about that night on the Sea of Galilee.

 

It was after Jesus had fed the multitude and withdrawn to the mountain by Himself. As evening came, leaving Jesus behind we got into a boat to sail to Capernaum. Sailing at night was normal for us fishermen, I’m not sure how the others felt about it, but Peter, James, Andrew, and I had fished many a night in our business – some nights the catch was great, other nights meagre.

 

You may have noticed that I wrote, “Darkness had fallen, and Jesus had not yet come to them.” You see, we expected Jesus to show up – He had that way about Him; He has that way about Him. O my, how He showed up on Patmos…He showed up in a way I never expected, in a way I wasn’t looking for. But then, isn’t that the way He is?

 

Anyway, the thing is that the sea became agitated, the wind was blowing, we couldn’t use the sail and so we rowed, and it was hard going to put muscle to oar. The waves were rising and falling and tossing the boat, and the brothers that weren’t fishermen were wishing they’d stayed behind. We were asking one another, “Where is Jesus? Where is Jesus when we need Him? Why did He send us by ourselves? Why couldn’t we have waited for Him?”

 

That’s another thing about Jesus. Sometimes He says, “Wait for Me.” Other times He says, “Go on ahead.” That’s crazy isn’t it? After all this time I still don’t understand it, I still don’t understand Him. O there is a lot I know, but it doesn’t seem there is a lot I understand.

 

I know He loves you and me. I know He never leaves us or forsakes us. I know He is our Good Shepherd. I know His mercy and grace are without measure. I know His peace passes my comprehension. I know His perfect love casts out all fear.

 

I know all of these things, but I sure don’t understand them. I know Him, O how I know Him, but I can’t say I understand Him.

 

Well, darkness had fallen and the sea was throwing us up and down and there were times we thought our boat might capsize. Then we saw Him, walking on the tempestuous water – and we were scared, just plain frightened.

 

Now go figure, if you can. On the one hand we are asking each other, “Where is Jesus?” Then when we see Him we are frightened. What sense does that make? I don’t know if we were more afraid of the storm or of Jesus. I’m shaking my head as I write this.

 

Storms can be disorienting. Storms in darkness can be especially disorienting and cause you to lose your equilibrium.

 

Notice that Jesus was “drawing near to the boat.” Do you think that lessened our fear of Him? No indeed! The closer He came the more we trembled!

 

Yes, as I was experiencing His revelation on Patmos, I truly was thinking about that night on the Sea of Galilee when darkness fell and Jesus had not yet come. I was indeed thinking of the churning of the sea, the howling of the wind, the boat being tossed about like a child’s toy. I saw much darkness on Patmos, I saw churning waters and felt howling winds, and the thunder, the thunder and lightning in Revelation was deafening and blinding – Revelation was, at times, like being in an amphitheater filled with kettle drums whose vibrations shake your very soul.

 

On Patmos, when I first saw and heard Him “I fell at His feet like a dead man” (Rev. 1:17).

 

Then what did Jesus do? Why He touched and said, “Do not be afraid.”

 

That also reminds me of that night on the sea, for He said, “It is I; do not be afraid.”

 

Isn’t He always saying that to us? “It is I; do not be afraid”?

 

When darkness falls but Jesus has not yet come, when the storms howl about us and toss our boats, filling them with water, stretching their seams; when we see images on the ocean that we do not understand, when those around us are panicking, when we wonder what in the world we are doing and how in the world we got where we are…we can be sure that Jesus is coming to us, we can be sure that through the gale force winds and the uncertainty of every moment, when our hearts want to leap out of our chests and we are chasing our breath – we can be sure, we can be certain, we can be confident that Jesus is speaking to us, that Jesus is saying, “It is I; do not be afraid.”