To enjoy the future, accept God’s forgiveness for the past.

接受上帝赦罪之恩，得享自由的生活。

Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. 2 Corinthians 5:17 ()

若有人在基督里，他就是新造的人。-哥林多后书5章17节

Chris Baker is a tattoo artist who transforms symbols of pain and enslavement into works of art. Many of his clients are former gang members and victims of human trafficking who have been marked with identifying names, symbols, or codes. Chris transforms these into beautiful art by tattooing over them with new images.

克里斯·贝克（Chris Baker）是一位刺青艺术家，擅长将各种痛苦和奴役的标志转化为艺术创作。他的客户多数是前黑帮分子，或是人口贩卖的受害者，他们的身体被刺上各种名字、记号或是暗号等。克里斯在这些刺青上覆盖新的图像，将这些记号变为美丽的艺术。

Jesus does for the soul what Chris Baker does for the skin—He takes us as we are and transforms us. The Bible says, “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Cor. 5:17 nlt). Before knowing Christ, we follow our desires wherever they lead us, and our lifestyles reflect this. When we repent and begin to walk with Christ, the passions and pitfalls that once dominated our lives are the “old life” (1 Cor. 6:9–11) that fades away as we are transformed. “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ” (2 Cor. 5:18).

克里斯能将痛苦的记号转为美丽的图案，耶稣则能使失丧的灵魂获得新的生命。耶稣接纳我们原本的样子，且改变我们的生命。圣经说：“若有人在基督里，他就是新造的人，旧事已过，都变成新的了” (哥林多后书5章17节) 。我们在认识基督之前，顺从自己的欲望而放纵生活。当我们悔改，开始与基督同行，过去曾支配我们生活的激情和诱惑，都成为“旧事”了 (哥林多前书6章9-11节) 。因我们成了新造的人，“一切都是出于上帝，祂藉着基督使我们与祂和好” (哥林多后书5章18节) 。

Still, life as a “new person” isn’t always easy. It can take time to disconnect from old habits. We may struggle with ideas that were foundational to our old way of life. Yet over time, God’s Holy Spirit works in us, giving us inner strength and an understanding of Christ’s love. As God’s beautiful new creations, we’re free to leave the past behind.

的确，要过新的生活并不是那么容易，摆脱旧有的习惯需要时间。过去主宰我们生活的旧观念仍会困扰我们，然而上帝的圣灵在我们里头动工，让我们的内心得着力量，帮助我们明白基督的爱。身为上帝的美丽新创造，我们可以忘记背后，得着自由。

Jesus, thank You for the power of Your death and resurrection. Your victory over sin means that I can be forgiven and can enjoy a new life in You.

亲爱的耶稣，感谢祢死而复活的大能，
不仅胜过罪恶，使我罪得赦免，
还让我在祢里面享受新生命。

2 Corinthians 5:12-21NIV

12 We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart. 13 If we are “out of our mind,” as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:[a] The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin[b] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

整理：于姊妹