Title: When the Image of God Is Revealed
2 Corinthians (7) When the image of God is revealed (2 Corinthians 2:5-11)
<Forgive and Forgive>
The church is a community called to heal the wounded. So, the most wrong attitude in church life is to criticize and condemn others even in the church. There is no condemnation in Christ (Romans 8:1). Therefore, members of the church should not trample on and condemn those who have fallen through hardship.
The adversary who threw the church into chaos by opposing Paul was eventually exposed to the truth and was punished by the church (verses 5-6). At that time, the Apostle Paul exhorts us to forgive, comfort, and love our enemies (verses 7-8). It is difficult to love the person who hurt you with human emotions, but try to understand the universal fragility of human beings and love them as much as possible. The one who loves more than the one who is always loved becomes the protagonist of God's love and grace.
If you forgive, the Lord will forgive you. Therefore, there is no foundation for a greater blessing than forgiveness. Satan tries to stop the blessing, and somehow urges him to be unforgiving (verse 11). If you do not forgive like that, you are not proud before the Lord and you are deceived by Satan, so you must overcome the problem of forgiving. No matter how much you hate someone, don't feel bad for them. Even if it is necessary to discipline and discipline your enemies from time to time, basically, have a forgiving heart. That way you won't fall victim to Satan's operations.
< Represent the image of God >
It is an existential task for the saints to express the ‘image of God’ through forgiveness. When we see the miserable reality of human beings, ordinary people raise the question, "Is God really alive?" But those who have experienced God's love are reminded of the question, "What should I do at this time?" When faced with a great disaster, do not doubt the existence of God, find what you need to do after experiencing God's love, and let those who are having a hard time experience God's presence.
One day, a man came to the house of eternal life run by Mother Teresa. He quietly went to the women's quarters and stood by a nun caring for a filthy sick woman. When he saw her hands, face, and eyes, he realized that it was God's love that gave her the strength to work, and he turned to Mother Teresa and said: “Sister! I came here full of hate, but now I have God in my heart. I saw the love of God in the way he cared for the sick.”
Be a true ‘ambassador for Christ’ who reveals God’s presence. How to become an ambassador of reconciliation? Enter God's presence and listen to God's voice, even for just ten minutes a day. When you sit with your heart set on God, you will experience that God's love surrounds you. It was then that he realized that the human things he was obsessed with were not very important.
The time in God's presence is the time to correct the messy life order and the moment to put down the heavy burdens of life. Even if we are freed from the false bondage of money, fame, and power, our souls become lighter. It also makes it easier for us to forgive, and our holy desire to obey God's Word increases. Be blessed reconcilers who always abide in God's presence and reveal God's presence with forgiveness, acceptance, love and obedience.