2 Corinthians 5:14-17

For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

2 Corinthians 5:14-17

As he has been doing, Paul continues to justify and elaborate upon the ministry to which he has been called. He states his purpose in v11 (to persuade others) and shows in v12 and v13 that it is not to gain the acclaim of men that they serve. Rather it is to serve God. They are doing what they were called to do not so much for the sake of the calling but because of the one who called them. Their judge is the Lord, not man. That is why they can claim that: “For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God.” They preach because they have been called by the Lord Most High.

From this place, Paul pauses to elaborate upon the implications of their message (the gospel). As missionaries, their actions (or calling) are the results of the gospel affecting them. But what truly happens in the heart of the one whom Christ calls? The answer to this question is relevant to all who call themselves believers because it is not only to missionary preaching or church-planting that Christ calls us. Our Lord calls each of us to be his disciples, to live a life of radical dependence and empowered service.

We concluded, He controls

For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died.

Paul asserts that he and his co-laborers (or more generally, all believers) are controlled by the love of Christ. This is a bold claim, both for himself and, most certainly, for us. I know that I certainly don’t feel controlled by the love of Christ most days. Rather, I find myself controlled by greed, lust, comfort, fear, and a host of other forces that press in upon me. Even in the service of Christ, many of us are awash in conflicting motives and emotions that war within us with the will of God.

Look closely at the timeline of v14. Though the statement: “the love of Christ controls us” comes first, it only does so because Paul has come to a conclusion. This conclusion predates the love of Christ’s control. While this may seem to be grammatical minutia, please bear with me. What is it that Paul has come to the conclusion of? Namely, that one man (Jesus Christ) died and that all men (us) have been substitutionally united in His death. More than that, Paul has become convinced of the great implication of this fact: that those for whom Christ has died do not live for themselves but rather for Christ.

Paul came to understand this. He came to understand that he was no longer his own. Through Christ’s death, he too had died and therefore, through Christ’s resurrection, he too was resurrected. Paul’s life was no longer Paul’s life--- it was Christ’s. He no longer had any claim to control or comfort on his existence. His life was like a bottle that had been emptied of its contents and being thus emptied, was now able to be refilled by the love of Christ.

What this means for us is that calling ourselves Christians isn’t enough. It isn’t enough to intellectually assent to a set of beliefs. It is not enough even to do good works for the Lord. Without understanding that our lives are not our own, all of these good things are empty and void, simply another manifestation of our selfish desires. Even worse, to do so on our own masks our selfish and sinful desires with the sheen of altruism.

All of us, those who have been raised as Christians and those who have come later to the faith, must look deeply at our own hearts. It is dreadfully easy to mistake action for conviction, to substitute good deeds for right motives. Those of us who oftentimes doubt that the love of Christ controls us must cast aside the pretension of looking like a ‘Good Christian’ however long we have been in the Church and ask deep, hard questions. Am I still living for myself? Sure, I may not outwardly disobey God as much anymore but are my actions actually motivated by Christ or are they simply another activity that I am choosing to participate in? Only when we wrestle with the understanding that we hold no claim on our lives, no claim to likes or dislikes, personal preferences or prejudices, can we ever fully be controlled by the love of Christ. Without that understanding and surrender, our the Lord will answer us as he did the people of Israel when he spoke through Isaiah: “Then the Lord said, “Because this people draw near with their words and honor me with their lip service, but they remove their hearts far from me and their reverence for me consists of tradition learned by rote,”.

How we view our lives is Christ determines the axis point in our life.

This understanding that our life is no longer our own serves as the axis point of our lives. Until we reach that point of comprehension we are simply trying to pour new wine into old wineskins. Once we reach that tipping point however (though we must also surrender to it again every morning) we can begin to see the world in new ways. Paul gives three examples, two of which I will highlight here.

First, with the understanding that the life of the believer is no longer his own, we no longer can see men and women as simply a collection of their past actions or a compilation of attributes. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Not only should we be living lives free of rampant prejudice, we also must recognize each other not as Jane Doe living her own life, but rather the love of Christ residing in and acting through Jane. Our respect for each other should rise dramatically since we are truly witnessing Christ working through our humble vessels. We must train our eyes to see not merely the material affairs but also to recognize the unseen, the spiritual events unfolding before us.

Secondly, with our new understanding that it is not we who control our lives, but Christ, we can come to see the real world applications of this thought. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. If we can see that our lives are not our own, but rather Christ’s, then we can truly see ourselves not just as the same person we were, but rather a new creature entirely. This has many implications only some of which include: freedom from the guilt and shame of our past sins and the freedom to live out Christ’s will for us. Our old self that longed for control and selfish desires is dead and buried in the grave. In its place is the Holy Spirit who longs to comfort us, direct us, and guide us. We must remember each morning as we rise to put to death the old self and awake in the full reality of the new. We are not what we once were. We are a new creation, whose life and will exists now to serve the will of Christ. We have no claim of ownership to ourselves but rather owe all that we are to Christ who has given us this new birth. We can walk in freedom for the chains of sin and death have been removed by the blood of Christ. To the one who saved us, who freed us, who recreated us, we owe everything. Let us strive to give everything.