A New Way to Live

When new things happen to you, new ways of living with them are needed from you.

I remember as our first child came along, we had the view that this little bundle of joy was not going to have any effect on how we as two adults lived. Our baby would fit in with our lives and not rule our lives. We would still go camping, go out, have lots of friends over … That didn’t last long! We realized that this little bundle of joy required us to do some adjusting to the new life we now were called to live. We approached life with new eyes.

Same when your kids grow up and become adults who are smart and capable. You can hold on tight to the ‘way things are done’ on the farm or in the business or in this house, or you can adjust to the new scene and let go of complete control and let the kids have a go and hopefully flourish. They might do things differently, but things still get done, and often in surprisingly good ways.

You need new eyes to let this new scene teach you and shape the future.

Paul is doing all he can to encourage these Christians in Corinth to realize that the new life of God has come, and that they need new eyes to live in it.

You have God’s favour now, he says. The promised ‘heart-to-heart’ close relationship founded on God’s grace, not your skill or effort is here.

This new way to live is not based on God’s condemnation of you but on his underserved kindness and love. Life in the new creation is not founded on terror of wrath and judgement, but sure hope of God’s blessing, favour and acceptance in any terror. This new life is not self-orientated, self-powered, futile or meaningless hard work, it is other-orientated, Spirit- powered purposeful, meaningful but still requires hard work.

“Those days of never being sure if your behaviour is good enough are gone!”, says Paul. God has bought you with his good behaviour in Jesus of the cross!

So, “Make the most of this new life; this new scene, this new gift – the gift of God’s unearned, ‘un-achieved’ all-encompassing love for you, each other and your city and world”.

But what is Paul saying that is actually ‘new’ now? What is he asking his people and us to adapt to, live in, see life with?

Well, a lot!

Through the death of Jesus and then his rising and ascending to rule, a new kingdom, a new creation a new way to be people has come into this old dying, trouble-filled life we know.

Like a footy club in full rebuild and review, sweeping changes are made. Sweeping changes have been made by our Creator.

After the long years of struggle, corruption, decay and death looming large like a pall over a coffin, the world got to see something totally new – the funeral pall being lifted off and a dead man springing out of that death. Now, your death won’t kill you! So live in that hopeful way!

How? By dying everyday to the old broken creation and riding to live in the new. That is the only way to be made new. We are called to now die to self and live to God, die to control and power and ego and self and live to grace, forgiveness and sure hope.

And that is where Paul, these Christians in Corinth and you and I come in. This new kingdom with this new king has his new ambassadors of this reconciliation work in his world.

God is not inviting you and those you know to simply have a nice religious experience or learn a few wise things. Jesus is calling us and empowering us to die and rise daily as we bring a message from this new king to anyone and everyone.

It is now possible to be totally reconciled to God not by achieving or earning his favour but by simply receiving all of his favour by his pleasure, his work, his movement, his heart.

Paul is no mere philosopher or moral teacher or trickster. Neither are we. He is a reconciler.

Paul gets so tender.

He launches into a catalogue of what this new king, this new creation, this new life has meant for his life. It is a remarkable piece of speaking; opposite things put together to jar the ears and really make you think!

We shudder at the cost! This is what living in this new creation with the new eyes fixed on the Saviour and ears open to his Word every day, brings into being in our day.

This is authentic Christianity. This is real life under the real cross for God’s real future for real people. It cost God everything to begin this reconciling work in the world he loves.

As we live in this reconciliation way will cost us too. Hopefully not in some of the more extreme things mentioned here!

On the one hand, we Christians live no shallow, merely outwardly religious, falsely positive thinking way.

Neither do we live with constant doom and gloom as if everything is too difficult and always frustrating.

We live with gospel hope in both. At the moment when we are content, we are still searching for more. As we experience the joy of God’s favour and grace we are aware of the suffering of people. As we make our plans in good conscience, we are aware that tragedy can strike at any moment.

So we grieve and we celebrate, we question and we rest in Jesus, we work hard and yet we rest in him, we take risks and speak of him and yet we share common appreciation for Jesus with each other too. We gather together and sense that great fellowship of the Spirit and we sometimes feel alone and isolated when we are not together.

In all of it, above all if it, we are reconcilers. We have this special contribution to make to our community – genuine peace between people and the God who created them and loves them; genuine forgiveness for wrongs done by us and to us.

A lifestyle of forgiveness – truthful speaking, forgiveness giving.

This is what it is to live with new eyes in this new creation under this new king as we head toward the great day when all things will be completely new.

What will you take from this? Will you adjust? Will you ask the Spirit for new eyes – Jesus’ new eyes of grace and truth for your family, your work, your friends, your enemies, your future plans?

We can close our ears and eyes to this new scene; pretend nothing much has happened, it is all about us, we have to do it all, we are the centre of our lives, forgiveness is weakness or impossible or to be left for the professionals, as if it is “not my calling”, “not my responsibility”.

There is no room for that lack of trust here in this letter to a community in conflict.

He is calling us to constantly adjust to his grace and favour: to trust him when he says we have it, we have him, we can live in his forgiveness and have real hope for real relationships and a real future in him.

Make the most of it, friend.

Your heavenly Father has not withheld his affection from you even if your own Dad or others have. He has shown his affection for you by calling you into his new community through death and resurrection in your baptism.

He will show you how to adjust, how to see with his new eyes.

Please him and persuade them in this lifestyle of forgiveness we are called to enjoy and share.

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