"How Deep Is His Love?"
2 Corinthians 5:14-21 (NASB)
(This Sermon was preached at Trinity Bible Church on October 15, 2000)

Note: Although this sermon is has a lot of Greek mixed in it, I do not go through every word during my sermon.  These Greek references are only that, references for me to use if it strengthens the message.  Plus it is helpful if someone has questions about what I said after the sermon.

Introduction: I remember back in the 70's the song, "how deep is your love," by the BeeGees where they sang over and over the question of "how deep is your love." This song was about an earthly love that individuals could have for each other. Man's love is never very deep and often it is only skin deep. This is why we often let each other down at times. But there's a deeper love, that can only be found in God's love for us; that was demonstrated by His giving His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the cost for our sins. Paul speaks of the deepness of God's love for us here in our passage today, and what affects that it has upon the believer and his ministry to others.
 

I.Strong Enough To Stabilize Lives (vv.14-15).
1. By its steadfast love (v.14a).

A. “The Love of Christ”

1) It refers of His love for us.
2) “love,” agape {ag-ah'-pay: n, nom, f, sg}; a deep deep love and affection, a sacrificial love.
3) This is the same love in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (NASB).
4) Romans 8:38-39, "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (NASB)

B. It is a love that compels us to service.

1) “controls,” sunecho {soon-ekh'-o: v, indic, pres, act, 3 per, sg}; to hold together, to press ears together, to press on every side, to hold fast, constrains, control.
2) Marvin Vincent: This carries the idea of shutting up to one line and purpose, as in a narrow, walled road (Word Studies in the N.T.).
3) A.T. Robertson: Paul's conception of Christ's love for him holds him together to his task whatever men think or say (Word Pictures in the N.T.).
4) Kenneth Wuest: “For the love which Christ has [for me] presses on me from all sides, holding me to one end and prohibiting me from considering any other, wrapping itself  around me in tenderness...” (Word Studies in the Greek N.T.)

Application: Many think that if they accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, that it will tie them down, thus bringing restrictions their lives.  But this isn't what Paul says here in this passage.  Paul found the “love of Christ” as something that “pushed him forward,” it “motivated” him to share the good news of God's salvation everywhere he went. It was the love of Christ that gave stability to Paul's life during his times of trials and hardships. The love of Christ can be a stabilizing factor in our lives as we live in an unstable world.

2. By its impelling conclusion (vv.14b-15).

A. Paul was impelled by the truth of the gospel message to serve Christ (v.14b).

1) “concluded,” krino (kree'-no: v, part, aor, act, acc, m, 1 per, pl}; dividing out or separating off (used here as making a personal evaluation and reaching a conclusion).

A) Accusative Case: marks the limit or the end of an action.
B) Aorist Tense: states the fact of an action in the past...

2) Paul put to rest all doubt that he may have ever had about Christ, and came to a unwavering conclusion about the truth of the gospel message.

- Acts 9:1-5, "Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.  And it came about that as he journeyed, he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; and he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?' And he said, 'Who art Thou, Lord?' And He said, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting,'" (NASB)

B. The impelling message of death, resurrection, and a higher calling (vv.14b-15).

1) Christ died for all (vv.14b, 15a).

A) “one died for all,”

- “one,” eis {hice: adj, pron, card, nom, m, sg}; one, only one, single
- “died,”apothnesko {ap-oth-nace'-ko: v, indic, aor, act, 3 per, sg}; of natural death, to die, suffer death, be dead.
- “for all,” pas {pas: adj, pron, gen, m, pl}; each, every, any, all, the whole.

B) Notice that no “one” else has or could died for you or me, but only “one” person, and that “one” person is Jesus Christ (Grk: Cardinal number, and singular).

- John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.’” (NASB)
- Acts 4:12, "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved." (NASB)

C) Second, notice that He died for “all.”

- This is not speaking of an a universal salvation for every person in the world.
- He died for those who “live”, i.e., those who put their trust and faith in Christ (v.15a).

2) The purpose of Christ's death and resurrection (vv. 14b, 15b).

A) When Christ died, we (Christians) died in Him and with Him, so our old lives should have no hold on us today.

- Christ took our place.
- Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me.” (NASB)

B) Not only did we die with Him, but we were also raised with Him that we might walk in a newness of life.

- Christ didn't die so that we could continue to live according to our own selfish desires, but He died so that we could be changed from our old ways to live a new life of devotion to an eternal God.
 - Romans 6:4-7, “Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.  For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin; or he who has died is freed from sin.” (NASB)

Application: Oliver B. Greene (The Gospel Hour) said of this passage, “One sad, pathetic thing about any person's spending eternity in hell is the fact that Christ died for every person...Salvation is free to all, yet not all will accept the free gift of God.”  I don't think that I will ever to be able to fully comprehend the depth of God's love, because it is bottomless.  But I can understand what He did for me, a sinner condemned to an eternal hell.  It was His love for me that reached down and snatched me from the flames of an eternal hell; when I accepted His Son's sacrifice for me, put my trust in Him. How deep is His love?  It is deeper than the deepest sea, and able to save the biggest sinner in the whole world if they are willing to accept it.  The love of Christ is deep and steadfast.  It is the only thing that brings a stability and security to a sinner's life.
 

II. Miraculous Enough To Change Lives (vv.16-17).
1. By giving us a new perspective (v.16).

A. Paul no longer evaluated people on the basis of externals, unlike the false teachers in verse12.

1) “from now on we recognize no man according to the flesh”

A) “recognize,” oida {oy'-da: v, indic, perf, act, 1 per, pl}; know, understand, perceive, comprehend, recognize.
B) “according,” kata {kat-ah': prep, acc}; according to, after, by.
C) “to the flesh,” sarx {sarx: n, acc, f, sg}; flesh (used here speaking of the fleshy way of looking at men).

2) Before a person becomes a Christian, they can only see men and Christ according to their fleshly, unregenerate, eyes.

A) The world looks at how we dress, how our outward body looks like, or a person's job or education.
B) How the world sees Christ.

- In Matthew 16:13-14, give us a glimpse of how the world sees Christ; “Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He began asking His disciples, saying, ‘Who  do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.’” (NASB)
- 2 Corinthians 4:4, “in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (NASB)

 B. Paul no longer looks at men or Christ as with the eyes of world.

1) “yet now we know Him[Christ]thus[in the flesh] no longer”

A) “now,” nun {noon: adj, adv}; at this time, the present, now.
B) “know,” ginosko {ghin-oce'-ko: v, indic, pres, act, 1 per, pl}; know, be acquainted with (used here to indicate that Paul no longer knew Christ in the old, fleshly way that he did).
C) “no longer,” ouketi {ook-et'-ee: adj, adv}; no longer, no more, no further, any more.

2) Paul had a “new world view,” because of Christ's death for him.

A) Colossians 3:10-11, “and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him -- a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian [sith' ee-uhn: i.e., the most repugnant barbarian and slave], slave and  freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.” (NASB)
B) When we become Christians we no longer see people as the world does, but as Christ sees them.

- We now look at men from the standpoint of the Cross of Christ

2. By making us a new creation (v.17).

A. When a person accepts Christ as their savior, they become a ‘New Creature.”

1) “new creature”

A) “new,” kainos {kahee-nos': adj, nom, f, sg}; new, recently made, fresh, different, of a new kind (i.e., of what was not there before).
B) “creature,” ktisis {ktis'-is: n, nom, f, sg}; creation (i.e., of God's creative action)

2) This isn't something that we learn or do on our own, but an act of God.

A) It is initiated by God; 1 John 4:10, “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (NASB).
B) It was brought about by the Holy Spirit; Titus 3:5, “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,” (NASB)
C) It is made possible by Christ; Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (NASB)

3) It is an instantaneous change.

A) “behold new things have come.”

- “new things,” kainos {kahee-nos': adj, nom, neut, pl}; new, recently made, fresh, different, of a new kind (Robertson:“have become new to stay so”).
- “have come,” ginomai {ghin'-om-ahee: v, indic, perf, act, 3 per, sg}; have become, have come to pass, happened, took place.

B) The old life of slavery to sin is gone.

- “the old things passed away.”

-- “old things,”archaios {ar-khah'-yos: adj, pron, nom, neut, pl}; old things, ancient, what is old, what existed before, former.
-- “passed away,” parerchomai {par-er'-khom-ahee: v, indic, aor, act, 3 per, sg}; to go past, passed away, disappeared, came to an end (Vincent: Behold; as if contemplating a rapidly shifting scene. As in a flash, old things vanish, and all things become new).

B. Being a “New Creation in Christ” means that we are placed in a new relationship with God.

1) This doesn't mean that we no longer have any bad habits or that we cannot sin ever again.
2) Positional truth;

A) To God through Christ we are sinless and will someday be resurrected in a sinless body.
B) H.A. Ironside put it this way, “It is the new creation that all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ.  This reconciliation is even more than justification, When we come to Christ, all our sins are forgiven; more than that, we are justified from all things.  God look upon us as though we had never sinned at all.”

3) Experimental truth:

A) We are now able to understand God's truth and see the things of this world as God sees them; our old thought pattern has passed away.
B) As a new creation, we also have a new desire to please the Lord and not just ourselves.

Application: Only the deep love of Christ is able to change the heart and mind of sinful man. It changed Paul from a “religious” person, to a person of faith devoted to serving a risen Savior. Only the love of Christ is miraculous enough to change lives, to break the cycle of endless sin so that we now have the ability to serve a Holy God.
 

III. Gracious Enough To Reclaim Lives (vv.18-21).
1. By reconciling us to God (vv.18-19).

A. The source of reconciliation (v.18a).

1) God is the one who reached out to us for reconciliation.

A) “reconciliation,” katallasso {kat-al-las'-so: v, part, aor, act, gen, m, sg}; to reconcile, return to favor with, to put someone into friendship with God, change from enmity to friendship, to change thoroughly one's relationship.
B) This is more than just salvation, but goes involves a completely changed relationship (inside and outside).

2) Because of the fall of man by his rebellion, man was the enemy of God and out of fellowship with Him.

- Romans 5:12, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned” (NASB)

3) But through the work of the Cross, Jesus Christ has brought man and God together again.

A) “through,” dia {dee-ah': prep, gen}; by, through, with, on account of.
B) “Christ,” Christos {khris-tos': n, gen, m, sg}; Christ, anointed, the Messiah, Son of God.

B. The ministry of reconciliation (vv.18b-19).

1) “the ministry of reconciliation” (v.18b)

A) “ministry,” diakonia {dee-ak-on-ee'-ah: n, acc, f, sg}; service, ministering or ministry, as the role or position of one serving God in a special way.
B) “of reconciliation,”katallage {kat-al-lag-ay': n, gen, f, sg}; adjustment of a difference, reconciliation, a change from enmity to friendship, restoration to favor (i.e., of restoring favor of God to sinners who repent and put their trust in Christ).

2) The ministry of reconciliation is every Christian's call from God to make know to everyone the nature and condition of God's plan of reconciliation.

A) God needs no reconciliation, but is engaged in the great business of reconciling us to himself (Vincent: God was all through and behind the process of reconciliation).
B) This has to be done on God's terms and is made possible through Christ
C) This invitation of reconciliation is given to everyone, although not accepted by all.

- “not counting their trespasses against them,”

--“not,” me {may: part, neg}; no, not, none, neither.
--“counting,” logizomai {log-id'-zom-ahee: v, part, pres, mid/pass, dep, nom, m, sg}; to reckon, count, to pass to one's account, impute, charge or credit to someone's account.
--“trespasses,” paraptoma {par-ap'-to-mah: n, acc, neut, pl}; to fall beside or near something, a lapse or deviation from the truth and uprightness, sin, deviating from living according to God's Word.

- Kenneth Wuest: “...not putting down on the liability side of their ledger their trespasses...” (Word Studies in the Greek N.T.)
- God has offered to forgive anyone who will accept His offer of reconciliation, but those who reject God's offer will be held accountable for their sins (Rev.20:11-15).

D) God has committed to Christians the word of reconciliation (v.19b)

- “committed,” tithemi {tith'-ay-mee: v, part, aor, mid, nom, m, sg}; committed, entrust, established, arranged, fixed, set forth.
- “word,” logos {log'-os: n, acc, m, sg}; word, speech, the sayings of God, doctrine, what is declared.
- “reconciliation,” katallage {kat-al-lag-ay': n, gen, f, sg}; adjustment of a difference, reconciliation, a change from enmity to friendship, restoration to favor (i.e., of restoring favor of God to sinners who repent and put their trust in Christ).

A. The messengers of reconciliation (v.20).

1) Paul says that we are ambassadors of Christ, sent forth with God's message of reconciliation to a rebellious world.

A) “ambassadors,” presbeuo {pres-byoo'-o: v, indic, pres, act, 1 per, pl}; be an ambassador or envoy, a representative sent by Christ.
B) we are heaven's ambassadors, appointed to proclaim the impassioned plea of the gospel of Christ.

- “entreating,” parakaleo {par-ak-al-eh'-o: v, part, pres, act, m, sg}; to call to one's side, summon, call for, invite, entreat, beseech.
- “to be reconciled to God,” katallasso {kat-al-las'-so: v, imper, aor, pass, 2 per, pl}; to reconcile, return to favor with, to put someone into friendship with God, change from enmity to friendship (lit., "Get reconciled to God," and do it now).

--  God has presently extended His peace plan, but some day He will come in war.
-- 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10, “For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. And these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed-- for our testimony to you was believed.” (NASB)

- “we beg you on behalf of Christ,”

-- “beg,” deomai {deh'-om-ahee: v, indic, pres, mid/pass, dep, 1 per, pl}; to desire, make request, pray, ask, make petition, plead.
-- “behalf,” uper {hoop-er': prep, gen}; in behalf of, for the sake of, for, on account of.

2) It is a high honor for God to chose us to be His ambassador!

A) An ambassador is a minister of state, representing his own ruler in a foreign land.
B) Paul always spoke of the Christian ministry as an exalted and dignified calling.

B. The doctrinal foundation of reconciliation (v.21).

1) God made reconciliation possible by placing our sins upon Christ who was sinless.

A) “who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf,”

- “knew,” ginosko {ghin-oce'-ko: v, part, aor, act, acc, m, sg}; know, be acquainted with.
- “no,” me {may: part, neg}; no, not, none, neither.
- “sin,”amartia {ham-ar-tee'-ah: n, acc, f, sg}; sin, wrongdoing, departure from doing what is right.

B) “On our behalf,”

- “behalf,” uper {hoop-er': prep, gen}; in behalf of, for the sake of, for, on account of.
- It is for our sake, not His.
- It was our sins, not His.

2) The reason for God placing our sins upon Christ.

A) “that we might become the righteousness of God in Him,”

- “might become,” ginomai {ghin'-om-ahee: to become, be made, come to pass.
- “righteousness,” dikaiosune {dik-ah-yos-oo'-nay: n, nom, f, sing}; righteousness, what is right, (i.e., of God putting man in a right relationship with Himself).

B) The only way a filthy sinner can stand in the presence of a Holy God is to be cleansed of their sins; to have their relationship restored with God and this can only be done through Christ.

Application: God's love is so deep that He was willing to send His own Son to die for our sins on a cross made by men.  It's no wonder why Paul spoke of the Christian ministry as an exalted and dignified calling.  We are ambassadors for Christ, sent forth with God's message of love to a lost and dying world.
 

INVITATION: (Truths to glean from this passage)

1. Know that God's extended hand of reconciliation will not last forever.

A. People need to know that someday the Lord will return, not to reconcile but to judge those who have rejected Him.
B. People need to know that without accepting Christ's sacrifice for them, that they WILL be held accountable for their sins one day.

2. Know that God loves you deeply.

A. Deeply enough to save you.
B. Deeply enough to preserve and keep you until the day He calls you home to be with him.
C. Deeply enough to change you into a “new creature,” with a new nature and desire to serve Him.

3. Know that as a Christian that God has entrusted you with a precious position and message to the people of this world, as His ambassador.

A. When the unsaved see you and I, do they see Christ's ambassadors or just another individual like themselves?
B. Are you living up to God's expectations?