Christians need to get used to “different.” No, I’m not talking about being “weird.” I’m talking about a mindset. Religion wants us to think a certain way, but a lot of times that way of thinking is contrary to what God’s Word says. Think about Communion as an example.
These are some facts about Communion that you may or may not know, but let me state them to lay out a groundwork:
The Body of Christ is represented in the bread we take; the Blood of Christ is represented in the wine (or juice). Concerning the Body of Christ:
- The stripes Jesus took on His body were for our healing…
- His body being destroyed had great significance.
- He was broken so we can live in wholeness, health and fullness of life.
The Blood of Jesus bought our salvation:
- It was shed for our sin.
- It washed away all our sin, past, present and future.
- His Blood has made you free.
- His Blood has wiped away the sin nature so we can walk and talk with God in our righteous new nature.
What the Blood of Jesus Forgives
Already, some reading this are questioning if those statements are simply too good to be true. The facts are, though, that they are very true! What the Blood of Jesus forgives, the Body of Jesus removes!
“All this is from God. Through Christ, God made peace between Himself and us. And God gave us the work of bringing people into peace with Him. I mean that God was in Christ, making peace between the world and Himself. In Christ, God did not hold people guilty for their sins. And He gave us this message of peace to tell people. So we have been sent to speak for Christ. It is like God is calling to people through us. We speak for Christ when we beg you to be at peace with God. Christ had no sin, but God made Him become sin so that in Christ we could be right with God.” – 2 CORINTHIANS 5:18-21
I’ve talked before that the fullness of salvation is purely through Christ Jesus; there’s nothing we can do to make us righteous; as 2 Cor. 5:18 says, “All this is from God. Through Christ, God made peace between Himself and us.” a few verses earlier, the Apostle Paul reminds the Corinthians, “When anyone is in Christ, it’s a whole new world. The old things are gone; suddenly, everything is new!” The New King James Version gives even more clarity. we are “a new creation; old things have passed away.”
So here’s my question for you: If our old life is dead, why are we always comparing new life to the dead life?
“Why are we always comparing new life to the dead life?”
Who we thought we were – before coming to the revelation of what Jesus Christ has made us – is a dead life. When was the last time you asked advice from a corpse? Do you routinely go to a dead person and ask them for their opinion? Of course not! The corpse isn’t going to answer because it’s dead! So why are you trying to get knowledge and basing your life upon life experiences you had before you realized what Jesus has done for you?
Remember, even though Jesus had no sin, God made Him become sin so that in Christ we could be right with God. The Mirror Bible calls this “the divine exchange.” Jesus embraced our distortion; He took our sins and in exchange, we became His innocence!
When people take Communion, those who don’t understand see it as a time of self-reflection…a time where our past or present sin is remembered. Instead, get used to different: Next time you take Communion, realize just how innocent and righteous you are because of Jesus’ great exchange, and rejoice in the love and faithfulness of God!
To watch the May 2, 2021 service on which this post is based, CLICK HERE.
