Alive With Him

Meditations on Second Corinthians

May 25, 2023

Alive With Him

Christ is not weak when he deals with you; he is powerful among you. Although he was crucified in weakness, he now lives by the power of God. We, too, are weak, just as Christ was, but when we deal with you we will be alive with him and will have God’s power.

2 Corinthians 13:3b-4

Read: 2 Corinthians 12:19- 13:4

One of the issues facing Christianity in 21st Century America is the notion that the Christian faith is something we can add on to our existing life, fitting it in where we can without too much inconvenience. Paul completely dispels that notion in today’s reading.

I am reminded of Paul’s introduction to the sixth chapter of Romans: “Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?” Paul goes on in Romans 6, as he does here, to strongly affirm that when we accept God’s offer of new life in Christ, we are called to an altogether different lifestyle. We have new, Godly values. We are called to turn away from the ways of the prevailing culture and turn toward God.

In making his point, Paul reveals a characteristic of the New Testament church that has all but vanished in 21^st century churches, at least in the USA. Church discipline was a vital component of the New Testament churches. These churches were opposed by both the government and the customs of the times. If the churches did not work diligently to maintain their Godly values, they would soon be assimilated into the world around them.

My Takeaway: The passage quoted above (13: 3b-4) assures me that as I am alive with Christ, his power will sustain me as I seek the life in Christ as my way of life.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2023 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.