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In the Greek language in which the New Testament was originally written, the word 'kattalasso 'is used. It was a word which meant changing money into a currency which had spending power.Confederate dollar bills, foreign coins and monopoly money are no use as they are, because they won't buy anything in your country.
When the Bible says that we must be changed it was that very monetary word, and it is translated as 'reconciliation'. Last week we were focusing on reconciliation, and now I ought to add this aspect of the subject.There is something about us, as we are, which God can't use. First, He needs to change us into viable currency before he can use us to help in the process of changing the world. Reconciliation changes 'bad money' into good. It turns enemies into friends, and before we can be used to change God's enemies into his friends we first need to be changed ourselves.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone and the new has come!
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. II Corinthians 5: 17-18
Now that is great good news. God has taken the initiative. When we were morally and spiritually bankrupt, in snarling enmity with God: he acted in Jesus his Son. He paid the debt He didn't owe, for those who owed but could not pay. The cost was enormous, but paid entirely by God. That was the real reason why Jesus came to this earth. To reconcile us to God, to change us from God's enemies into his friends: from counterfeit coins into real money, to be revalued not devalued.
See again those awesome words in all scripture.
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. We implore you, on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. II Corinthians 5: 21 and 20b
Now read II Corinthians Chapter 5: 11-21, slowly.
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