Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19
The best relationships are those that are reconciled. When we reconcile, we restore friendly relations with someone. Reconciliation creates an environment in which two parties can co-exist in harmony. To be reconciled is to establish a compatibility with another. Today’s passage is all about the reconciliation that we can have with God through Jesus Christ.
- God reconciled us to Himself through Christ
At the cross, everything necessary for us to have a compatible relationship with God was established. When we consider the cross, we can think of God doing something for us that we are incapable of doing for ourselves. All of the judgment that goes along with God’s justice intersected His great love for His creation. Jesus took the punishment rightfully belonging to us and, in exchange, we were given the status of becoming sons and daughters of God through Jesus’ one act of obedience (Romans 5:18). Even a lifetime of good works does not qualify us for this reconciliation. Only when we fully trust in Christ do we find ourselves being made right with God (Galatians 2:16). This is what Jesus is declaring when He says the following:
For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
John 3:17-18
- Believers in Jesus have been given the ministry of reconciliation
As a result of our reconciliation with God, we are now to enter into a life-long ministry of telling people the good news that they too can be reconciled to God. Consider the mission that Jesus gives to the church:
And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.”
Mark 16:15-16
Non-evangelical Christianity is unbiblical. That is to say that every born again believer in Jesus is to carry with them the ministry of reconciliation. It is a misconception that only some people in the church are to engage in this activity of proclaiming reconciliation to the world. Yes, some are called to various vocational positions within the church but it is the responsibility of every believer to let others know about God’s grace, mercy, forgiveness, and salvation offered freely as a gift to all who will believe (Romans 6:23). And why wouldn’t we? If we truly love someone and care about his/her spiritual wellbeing, we will do everything in our power to make sure that that individual knows Jesus Christ in a saving way. Failure to do so would only suggest our own lack of caring or a complete lack of understanding regarding salvation in our own lives.
- God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself
“God was in Christ.” That is a powerful, theological statement. As Jesus hung on the cross, God was in Christ doing the work of reconciliation. God is the only One who could succeed in accomplishing such a monumental task. Consider these two passages revealing God’s intention for the world:
For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
John 3:17
…and He Himself (Jesus) is the propitiation (atoning sacrifice) for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.
1 John 2:2
God did not send Jesus into the world as a means of condemning us rather as an opportunity for us to be reconciled to Him. Jesus became the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the entire world. This is an important theological concept since many believe that God may not care about them or the plight in which they find themselves. But He certainly does and Jesus is the demonstration of that love and caring. Through the cross, God was reconciling the world to Himself. But a response from us must take place. That is the reason for Paul’s final declaration.
- Believers in Jesus now carry the message of reconciliation
The word of reconciliation is similar to the ministry of reconciliation. In fact, one could argue that they are indeed the same thing. Both are references to our responsibility to take the gospel message to a lost and dying world. Knowing that many will reject Christ, it is still our job to make sure that they have heard and understand exactly what God has done for them at the cross. Consider this summation of the gospel:
Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him (Jesus) forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and through Him (Jesus) everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses.
Acts 13:38-39
But while the promise of God to save anyone who comes to Him by faith (Romans 10:13) is fully reliable, we still have to make sure that His promise has been met with our receiving it by faith. Consider the warning in Hebrews:
Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.
Hebrews 4:1-2
There is salvation in Jesus Christ but that reconciliation with God must be received, and this is done when we admit our need and come to Him by faith, fully relying on the work of the cross to reconcile us to God.
Have you been reconciled to God? If so, are you actively participating in the ministry of reconciliation, telling others of this wonderful news?
It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.
1 Timothy 1:15
mytwocents.info 