2 Corinthians 5:17-21 – Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. ¹⁸ All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; ¹⁹ that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰ Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. ²¹ For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Footbridge across the Little Miami River.  John Bryan State Park, Yellow Springs, Ohio.

Depending on the parks and trails you hike, you may have the luxury of finding well-built footbridges that allow you to cross rivers and streams with ease.  In more remote locations, however, where there are no bridges, fording fast-moving water can be a dangerous and potentially deadly task.  If you have never forded difficult water and are unsure what to do, your wisest choice may be to go back the way you came.  (See Safety Tips for Fording Streams and Rivers)

Fortunately in our Christian walk the bridge has already been built.  The cost of constructing this particular bridge was very high, though, nothing less than the blood of God’s own Son shed on the cross.  Christ, who was sinless, took on our sins “so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”  But, without Christ we are completely cut off from God; we have nothing to rely on but our own good works and righteousness, which, if examined honestly, we will find completely lacking.  The good news is that it does not depend on our efforts because, “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself.”

The bridge is already standing, God calls us to the other side, and once there we have responsibilities that, as followers of Christ, we are expected to fulfill.  He “gave us the ministry of reconciliation,” he “entrusted to us the message of reconciliation,” and now “we are ambassadors for Christ.”  Again there is good news, it is not upon our own efforts that we must rely, because “in Christ” we are “a new creation.”  And, as we read in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

Read more about my “God is Revealed…“ category of posts

© Todd D. Nystrom and Todd the Hiker, 2013.