Different Ingredients…
Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. ~ II Corinthians 5:18-19 NKJB
Pepperoni is a delicious cured meat that originated in Italy. The texture and flavor engulf your sense of taste. It’s a little greasy and it has many uses in a variety of dishes. It is one member of the “meat” family.
Why would a pepperoni ever want to become cheese? It would be impossible to make such a change.
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Cheese is another delicious food item that comes to us from a variety of animals milk. Sheep, goats and cows are the primary animals we think of when discussing cheese, however, there are others as well. Cheese has a wide variety of flavors, textures, aromas and has endless uses in food preparation and dining.
Why would cheese ever want to become flour? It would be impossible to make such a change.
Flour is a raw product that can be used in a variety of ways, and a variety of cooking methods. It’s one item that should be transformed before consuming. Eating raw flour is not a pleasant experience, especially if it is consumed solo.
Why would flour ever want to become a tomato / tamoto? It would be impossible to make such a change.
Tomatoes, ah tomatoes – you say tomato and I say tamoto. Is it a fruit, is it a vegetable? The ways a tomato can be used or eaten are endless. They can even be used as a weapon.
Was anyone called while circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. Was anyone called while uncircumcised? Let him not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters. Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called. I Corinthians 7:18-20 NKJB
We can, and should, remain what we are while we are transformed into our Christ identity.
These four simple items, which each one has a variety of uses, are like our world. We could dive deeper into the food analogy and run it out to twelve different items that would represent the twelve tribes Jesus discussed, but the point should be clear with just the four.
Each one of these items looses their individual identity when they are used to make a meal. Pizza, stew, gumbo, salad and the list goes on and on and on. Their individual identity is transformed into something greater than before. Their individual identity (who) becomes whatever the new dish is called – pizza, stew, sandwich, gumbo, salad and the old identity is gone forever.
This is how Jesus Christ works with every person in the world. Their original identity is not who they are. Once a person accepts Christ as their personal Savior, the Savior of the world, and is baptized by water and touched by the Holy Spirit, that person is transformed into a new creature. That person has been transformed into their Christ identity and the old identity should melt away and be forever gone. We enter the Kingdom through Jesus Christ.
Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new ~II Corinthians 5:16-17 NKJB
Peter, Paul, Gideon and many, many others could not change their identity of their own free will. No, they had to discover their Christ identity through Jesus Christ. There is no other way.
Either the Gospel is the divine Word of God teaching us how to live and how to be a reflection of Him, or it’s nothing more than a historical account of events.
