The Ministry of Reconciliation
And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
–2 Corinthians 5:18-20
Notes:
For a situation to be reconciled there must be one or more party(s) at fault that caused the separation. For true reconciliation to take place, the issue cannot be settled upon, but must be completely eliminated altogether. This is what God did for those that believe in Christ. God was in Christ bringing back the world unto Himself, and forgiving the sins of those that believe. Christ was the bridge that brought reconciliation back to the Father, and through Him we become the righteousness of God. It is not that if we don’t believe we will be condemned, but rather it is that those who do not believe are already under condemnation and the wrath of God. Thankfully, God has made a way through Christ, and has poured His wrath upon Him on the Cross, so that those that are “In Christ” will never taste condemnation or the wrath of God, but will experience just the opposite, His grace, love, righteousness, and eternal life. Thanks be unto God for His indescribable gift!
Willing to Take the Challenge?
The gospel is not only “good news”, but the greatest news the world has ever and will ever know. It is to say that through Christ, we have access to the God the Father, the creator of all things, at any moment of the day. It is only through Christ that we may come boldly to His throne, to receive grace and mercy, every single time. When we look at people around us, we should find out whether or not they have been reconciled to God through Christ. If not, we should, through the reliance upon the Holy Spirit, do all we can by whatever means to get them to be reconciled, so they can experience His transforming grace and eternal life.