A New Creation: The Responsibility of God’s Coworker

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away and look, new things have come. Everything is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed the message of reconciliation to us. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, certain that God is appealing through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, ‘Be reconciled to God.’ He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:16-21)

When a person is born again through Christ, when they are saved, they become, as the passage says, a new creation. His sins are washed away by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. The person who lived before this point is a dead old man. He, effectively, no longer exists. This doesn’t necessarily mean a born-again Christian becomes unrecognizable to others, but that he (or she) is now under the auspices of Christ.

He is being sanctified by the workings of the Holy Spirit. His lusts and cravings of the flesh begin to dissipate. No longer does he focus on selfish things as his primary mission in life, but on the work and good news of Jesus Christ. He becomes an advocate for Christ as the Lord is an advocate for him. The central part of his character becomes living for Him and proclaiming the gospel.

Now, I am not a pure man. I would be a hypocritical liar if I said that I was perfect and never sinned or had unwholesome thoughts. But I am a changed man, a man who sees his sin and despises it, calling out to the Lord my God for forgiveness and instruction. He is gracious to me, comforting me, reminding me of the great task ahead of me and the inevitable glory He has prepared for Himself through His workmanship.

I am confident that He who began His work in me will see me through the end (Philippians 1:6). While all this is ongoing, nevertheless I am confronted by the steadfast need to evangelize. That’s why I do these posts, in the hopes and the faith that He who made and remade me can act through this blog for His divine purposes.

If I have reached even one person through this blog, then I consider that a victory – not for myself, but for Christ. It is not my own doing, but God working in His servants. As Paul says to the Corinthian church:

“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. Now the one planting and the one watering are one in purpose, and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s coworkers. You are God’s field, God’s building. According to God’s grace that was given to me, I have laid a foundation as a skilled master builder, and another builds on it. But each one must be careful how he builds on it. For no one can lay any other foundation than what has been laid down. That foundation is Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 3:6-11)

According to Scripture, God claims us as His coworkers! High praise, indeed. But we must be careful, as Paul says in this passage, to lay the correct foundation. We must not plant a seed that will not flower into love for Jesus Christ. We must not water the field with our own knowledge, but with the glorious good news of Jesus Christ, who died, was buried, and rose on the third day, becoming the full, satisfying payment for the totality of our sins.

Our works will be tested. Whatever we add to the foundation of Jesus Christ must be profitable, not found wanting or contradictory, to survive the trial by fire.

“If anyone’s work that he has built survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, it will be lost, but he will be saved; yet it will be like an escape through fire.” (1 Corinthians 3:14-15)

In other words, our fruit must be good fruit. If it is bad fruit, whatever it is will be burned away, but He will keep us. When we add jewels and stones to the foundation of Jesus Christ, they must be in accordance with His will, pass the test of Scripture, and not be the works of man for selfish gain or confusion.

A man is not God. A servant of man is not God. God’s coworkers, esteemed as they are, are not be to thought of as worthy of admiration or worship, for such things inflate ego and pride and other such lusts of the flesh.

“Now, brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the saying: ‘Nothing beyond what is written.’ The purpose is that none of you will be inflated with pride in favor of one person over another.”

As a born-again Christian, I must do the work my Lord calls me to do. But I must also be humble, I must not pump myself up or let anyone boast of me in such a way that I become convinced of my own self-righteousness, and I must not add anything worthless to the good news of Jesus Christ. If I have erred (and I’m not arrogant enough to think I haven’t), then works born of that error will be burned up.

So I must work honestly, openly, and with the conviction that whatever I do it must reflect His goodness and not mask His truth. I’ll fail at times, make mistakes, because I am fallible and sinful, but I believe that His great love for me and His grace will see me through the trials of this life and the work He has put before me.

“But from eternity to eternity the Lord’s faithful love is toward those who fear Him, and His righteousness toward the grandchildren who keep His covenant, who remember to observe His precepts.” (Psalm 103:17-18)

“Hallelujah! Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His faithful love endures forever.” (Psalm 106:1)

Thanks be to Him that He has given me the courage to make these blog posts. Thanks be to Him that I no longer dwell in the darkness. Thanks and praise be to Him!