“From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer.” 2 Corinthians 5:16 ESV
Reflection: what about the people you meet or know impress you?
Most have someone they look up to. A role model. Perhaps even follow. Might be a famous person like a movie sports star, or a politician. Might be a successful entrepreneur, executive or a colleague. Or it might even be a close friend or relative. If you think about it, the feature to “follow” someone in many social media apps are really using this idea. And if we start analyzing who a person is following, we can also get an idea of why. There will be a theme or profile emerging from it, like a type of personality the person is admiring, certain political views, capabilities, talents, or the like.
The truth is that we all have something we admire in others. What we see in them that impress us. Paul is eluding to this in our focus verse today, saying “From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh,” 2 Corinthians 5:16a ESV. If you remember from yesterday’s devotional, Paul made this observation that our flesh, our physical man, is like a tent compared to our eternal house, our spiritual man, made by God. So what he is saying is that he has stopped regarding others according to the physical, but instead is looking at everyone through a different lens, through the eternal, the invisible. Because, in the end, that is what really matters.
And in this context, with an eternal perspective, Paul says “Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience. For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died;” 2 Corinthians 5:11, 14 ESV.
This is such an important message to all of us, about what we look for in others. What we admire, what impress us with others. Someone might be very successful in this world, in the flesh, but very empty spiritually speaking. Do we see their success, or their emptiness? Similarly, others might not be successful in the eyes of the world, but full of the Spirit of God. To consider this also gives us a better perspective in our conversations with others. To see them from an eternal perspective as opposed to just this short life.
Finally, what do others see in us? Are we trying to impress others in the flesh? Or do they see Christ in us, our eternal man?