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Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5: 19 f. that "in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself .... we entreat you in Christ's stead, be reconciled to God." _"that"_ _of his word, God was reconciling the estranged world to himself. And he, Jesus, entreated, or is represented as entreating, those to whom he spoke in God's stead, as an ambassador for God, God making his appeal through him, "Be reconciled to God, who is reconciling himselftohimself to you\!"_ _Formally,_ _Marxsen replied, Bultmann is correct: "Being in Christ" is a later way of putting things, presupposing, as it does, Easter and the post-Easter Christ-kerygma. But_ _materially,_ _Paul's statement "holds true already of ofthethe period of ofthethe earthly Jesus," and thus oftheo fthe Jesus-kerygma. "Jesus announces the present breaking in oftheof the kingly rule of God (thought of as in principle something that is coming) (Mk 1:15). Paul says that, amidst the night that still persists, the Christians live as children oftheof the coming day (1 Th 5:5). Thus both say that what counts is to accept God and God's salvation now, in the midst of this world that is passing away. This is always a risk, because appearances speak against it. Yet this is precisely what faith is._ _It_ _was not Paul who fIrstfirst summoned people into this faith; Jesus had already done so." "Whoever gives oneself over to Jesus of Nazareth gives oneself along with him to the inbreaking of God's rule and then lives 'a new creation.' For this person (again and again, in each such act), the 'old' that has surrounded him or her has 'passed away.'_ _It_ _is no longer determinative. Therefore, the 'new' has actually come" (JC: 51, 73;_ _Wer sich aufJesus von Nazareth einlaftt, laftt sich mit ihm zusammen aufeinbrechende Gottesherrschaft ein-und dann lebt er neue Schopfung. Fur ihn ist (immer wieder, beijedem Einlassen) das ihm umgebende Alte_ _2{_}{_}vergangen. Es bestimmit ihn nicht mehr. Darum ist wirklich Neues geworden \[Ch-p:_{_}55\])._