2 Corinthians 5:16-17 (NLT) - 16 So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! 17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

FIVE CHARACTER TRAITS OF BELIEVERS

1. We are the CAPTIVES of Christ.

• We are His people.
• 2 Corinthians 2:14 (NLT) - 14 But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ's triumphal procession.

2. We are the FRAGRANCE of Christ.

• We carry His presence.
• 2 Corinthians 2:15-16 (NLT) - 15 Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. 16 To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?

3. We are the LETTERS from Christ.

• We are the proof.
• 2 Corinthians 3:3 (NLT) - 3 Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This "letter" is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts.
• You are the only Bible most of the world will ever read.

4. We are the JARS of Christ.

• We are the carriers of a great power.
• 2 Corinthians 4:6-10 (NLT) - 6 For God, who said, "Let there be light in the darkness," has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. 8 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. 9 We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. 10 Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.
• "Wear the world as a loose garment, which touches us in a few places and there lightly." - St. Francis of Assisi

5. We are the AMBASSADORS of Christ.

• We've been given authority to represent the Kingdom of God.
• 2 Corinthians 5:20 (NLT) - 20 So we are Christ's ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, "Come back to God!"