In business, whenever a merger or takeover is underway, both sides of the deal usually draw up terms by which each agrees to partake in the transaction. Side A and Side B try and make the deal as beneficial for their own side as possible. In the same way, in war, when one nation is demanding the surrender of another, to avoid bloodshed, sometimes, a nation will offer terms of peace, and each side will then make concessions with the other. Coming to Christ is no different. Since the beginning, we’ve tried to negotiate with God the terms to which we’ll follow Him. Typically, we want all the blessings and benefits without any of the obedience. We demand the Holy and Almighty Creator of the Universe bow down to our will, rather than trusting the One who designed us. In this way, our terms are always unacceptable.
To come to Christ, one must simply hand over everything. Consider it this way: a reformed murderer is still just that, a murderer. He may never kill again, may even regret the action, but the blood on his hands always remains there. Same with liars, thieves, adulterers, and every other thing we tend to do to ourselves and one another. We can’t come to God on these terms and demand the blessings. We’re simply not worthy. This is why we need to surrender it all. We need a NEW life, and so our old life MUST be surrendered. The Old and New are not compatible. This is why our terms are unacceptable: Christ is offering us something new, but to have that newness, we must put the old to death. To be free of our debts, we must give up that which cause the debt, and let Jesus manage our life from here on out. To gain all that Christ promises, our lives must say “Under New Management,” and through the Scriptures, by the Holy Spirit that Jesus implants within us, we can have Christ and all of our debts paid and cancelled. But first, we must meet Him on His terms.
1 Corinthians 5
For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience. We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 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. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself 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 entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
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