Therefore from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh

In the previous verse from this quote from 2 Corinthians 5:16, Paul tells us that Christ “died for all, so that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.” It is for this reason, that we determine to no longer see others according to the flesh, but rather to see them in the spirit, as God sees them. And God sees each one of us as saints, as new creations (verse 17). It’s easy to see others according to the flesh, seeing their faults, seeing the trash. It’s less easy to see the treasure that God sees. And part of this, is that God sees the end from the beginning. He sees the end results of the character polishing that our trials and tribulations and difficulties are intended to forge (Romans 5:1-5).

It is He who does the work, the character polishing, the transformation (Philippians 1:6; Romans 12:2), and sometimes we get in the way. How many of us in our relationship difficulties have tried to fix the other one? if an older sibling tries to take over from the parents, disciplining (or fixing) the younger ones, then likely the parents will have to deal with the interference of the older sibling first. And how do the younger ones react? They will likely resent it and fight back, and not always gently! We need to see our trying to fix others in this light. That is not to say, that we should not exercise healthy boundaries, or become enablers for dysfunctional behaviour. Indeed there will be times when we need to “go to our brother” (Matthew 18:15 we will get to this eventually!). But the fact of the matter is that trying to fix each other is a huge problem in relationships. And more often than not, it makes things much, much worse.

We need to see the other person, and to treat the other person as God treats us and them. As regards to how He sees them, we will likely have to ask Him. And how does He treat us? Well first and foremost He does not try to control us, He treats us with dignity and respect even when we have messed up big time. When that happens, He invites us “Come now, and let us reason together, though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:18). So then even in the midst of our differences and difficulties, we need to deal with each other as He does, with honour. We need to be slow to speak and quick to hear (James 1: 19), and we need to take responsibility our part in what is going wrong. We will be returning to this in the days to come in our “iron sharpening iron” series.

Father, You tell us “In lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself” (Philippians 2:3). And we can’t likely do that if we are still seeing our brother or sister according to the flesh. We are so used to seeing the trash rather than the treasure. We have a long way to go Father, and we need Your help. Open our eyes Lord, take the wax out of our ears, help us to see our brothers and sisters as You see them, and to act accordingly. How good and how pleasant it is to see the brothers dwelling in unity, it is the very essence of life in all its fullness (Psalm 133; John 10:10b). I bless You this morning Father in Jesus Name Amen