Christ
our Reconciliation
Adam enjoyed perfect fellowship and communion with God before
he disobeyed Him in the Garden. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God that fellowship was
broken, and Adam tried to hide himself from God (Genesis 3:8-11).
That broken relationship with God needed to be restored or man would
be eternally separated from God’s holy presence.
The apostle Paul tells us God “reconciled us to Himself through
Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to
Himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And He has committed to us
the message of reconciliation” (2 Cor. 5:18-19).
God “makes one” that which was formerly a broken
relationship. The word “reconcile” properly denotes to change, like exchanging
money, and in relationship to persons, it is to change from enmity to friendship, and thus
to reconcile.
This is what God accomplished by exercising His grace toward us
sinners on the ground of the death of Christ for our sins. We are the ones who needed the
change from enmity to friendship with God. We needed to be reconciled to God.
Because of the atoning sacrifice of Christ men in their sinful
condition and alienation from God are invited to be reconciled to Him. The change in
attitude is on our part, not God’s. Sinful, rebellious, disobedient men are the ones
who need to change. God in love and grace reached down to man and provided a means whereby
He could reconcile us to Himself.
The change that is needed on our part is repentance and faith. A
spiritual birth brings about this change in our hearts toward God.
The apostle Paul tells us that we were the ones who were reconciled
to God in Christ. “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the
death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life”
(Rom. 5:10). We were the enemies and hostile to God. Until this change takes place in our
hearts we are under condemnation, exposed to the wrath of God.
How can God reconcile us to Himself? The death of His Son is the
reason of removal of God’s wrath and thus we receive the recondition.
The emphasis of these passages is on the attitude of God in grace
acting toward us to change our attitude toward Him. We love Him because He first loved us.
We receive “reconciliation” because Christ offered
atonement for our sins. Therefore, God can act according to His unchanging righteousness
and lovingkindness toward sinners. He did not forget that we are sinners, nor does He
“make up” with sinful men. We needed to be reconciled to God because of our
enmity.
Sin always separates and destroys relationships. Just like God went
searching for Adam after he sinned (Gen. 3:9), He comes searching for us and reconciles us
to Himself.
The only person who can mediate between the guilty sinner and God and
bring reconciliation is Jesus Christ (1 Tim. 2:5). The barrier that separates us from God
was removed by the death of Christ. Our reconciliation to God is made possible because of
the sinless sacrifice of Jesus as our substitute. God reconciles us to Himself through the
redemption in Christ. It was an act of God because “God was in Christ reconciling the
world unto Himself.”
It is an act of grace. We do not deserve it, but God in His love took
the initiative and removed the barriers (2 Cor. 5:21). The reconciliation for the believer
is complete. He has removed all enmity and nothing stands as an impediment to peace with
God. Have you been reconciled to Him?
Selah!
Message by Wil Pounds (c) 2006
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