"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."
2 Corinthians 5:16 (NIV)
You are looking at people the wrong way. Not because you are cruel or careless, but because the old lens is still the default. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:16 that from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. That word "now" means the resurrection changed how we see permanently.
The old lens has a name, and Paul already gave it to us. It is kata sarka, according to the flesh, the grid that ranks people by what is visible. It measures track record, past failure, and reputation. It feels like discernment, but most of the time it is just judgment wearing a respectable coat.
God has never used that lens, and 1 Samuel 16:7 makes it plain. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People see the outside, but God looks at the heart. Resurrection sight is not a new idea but simply how God has always seen.
If we are honest, we have all done this. We have written people off because of what they used to be. We have decided who is too far gone, too broken, or too hard to reach. The church can be where people feel most judged rather than most seen.
The person you have nearly given up on is not beyond resurrection sight. Think of who that is right now, the one whose past keeps speaking louder than their future. Ask yourself whether you are seeing them through the old lens or through the eyes of God. How you see them shapes how you treat them, and both shape what they believe.
Godseekers, you cannot give what you have not received. If God sees you through the resurrection and not your record, you owe the people around you that same sight. The person who failed you is not just their failure. See them the way the risen Christ sees you, and watch what changes.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, You have never looked at me the way I look at others. I praise You because You saw past every failure and chose me anyway. Forgive me for the people I have judged, dismissed, or written off because I was looking at the outside. Give me resurrection eyes today, and let me see the people in my life the way You see them. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Personal Reflection
- Who in your life have you been seeing kata sarka, and what would change in how you treat them if you chose to see them through the resurrection instead?
- Is there a place in your church, your family, or your community where people are being evaluated by their worst moments rather than seen through the eyes of a God who raises the dead?
Step of Faith
Today, name one person you have nearly written off. Pray specifically for them by name and ask God to show you one thing He sees in them that you have been missing.
