The ministry of reconciliation is introduced by the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:18. He clarified in the lines before that because Christ died on our behalf, the old has passed away and the new has arrived, making us new creations in Christ.
“All of this is from God, who gave us the ministry of reconciliation and made us right with Himself through Christ.”
What does this mean, and why is it necessary?
1. Why do we need to be reconciled to God?
In 2 Corinthians 5:19, Paul offers a good explanation himself. “God was bringing the world and Himself together in Christ, not holding their transgressions against them, and giving us the good news of reconciliation.” Christian reconciliation is the process by which God restores both men and women [to a positive relationship with Himself] via Christ. He accomplishes this by ceasing to hold our transgressions against us. Our sins are no longer held against us. Why was restoration of our relationship with God necessary? Due to the fact that the first man and woman severed their connection to God’s kindness [by rejecting Him in the Garden of Eden] (Genesis 3).
2. Did we deserve this? Were we entitled to be reconciled to God?
Simply put, no. According to Romans 5:10, it was actually “while we were God’s enemies [that] we were reconciled to Him.” Not only had we done nothing to merit forgiveness, but our disobedience had exacerbated the circumstances. We “were His enemies, having [our] evil thoughts and deeds kept us apart from Him.” (NLT translation of Colossians 1:21).
However, there is a God who loves us! Each of us can rely on and find joy in the assurance that “He has reconciled you to Himself through the death of Christ in His physical body” once we have acknowledged Jesus Christ as our Savior. You are holy and spotless as you stand before Him without a single defect because He has welcomed you into His own presence as a result (Colossians 1:22, NLT version). Thank the Lord for our awesome and magnificent God!
3. God’s rescue plan – some background information
“For all that was written in the past was written for our guidance, so that we might have hope through perseverance and the inspiration of the Scriptures.” (Romans 15:4)
Since the beginning of time, God has been working toward our salvation, and every book in the Old Testament foreshadows Jesus and God’s plan of redemption for both men and women. The Hebrew word for “reconciliation” or “atonement,” which is translated differently, is used in a number of Old Testament books in the Bible. It is connected to atonement and (blood) sacrifices, and according to Mosaic Law, it was a human-initiated, transient act of restoration.
This temporary reconciliation required the sacrifice of an animal whose blood was immaculate. This was due to the fact that Hebrews 9:22 states that “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness,” which is a metaphor for the blood that Christ shed on the cross. The act of the priest placing his hands on the head of the animal during the sacrifice symbolized that it carried God’s punishment in place of the sinner (Exodus 29:10), which is a premonition of our need to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior.
4. Can God not simply say: “All is forgotten”?
There is a brokenness between two people that needs to be repaired when they need to make amends with one another. When it comes to God and humanity, the brokenness that resulted from our disobedience and the wicked character that followed it was our sin. More importantly, because God is [completely holy] and just, our choosing to disobey Him caused us to become estranged from Him.
We are not holy enough to be welcomed into God’s presence. In harmony with God, Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden prior to being “evicted” (Genesis 3:23). This indicates that God walked with Adam and Eve while they were here on Earth. However, as a result of humankind’s disobedience (Romans 3:23), God was cut off from both our everlasting spiritual life and our physical existence (Romans 6:23). Atonement and reconciliation are essential, and they cannot be disregarded.
5. Eternal gratitude
Men and women, due to their sinful nature, did not and could not use their initiative to seek reconciliation. We had no idea about what would happen after our physical death. We are and were not able to redeem ourselves, and we didn’t even realize that we needed to, happy as we were to use our free will to do what we wanted. That is why God introduced the Mosaic Law (to provide us with an understanding of His holiness) and began to reveal His redemptive plan. Occasionally, His prophets were given clues. Daniel was told that there will be a time when the punishment for the people’s sins will come to an end, that the people will no longer turn against God and the price for their sins has been paid (Daniel 9:24). The prophet Isaiah, in particular, was made aware of many details concerning Jesus (Isaiah 52:13 through to 53:12).
By trusting in Jesus, we can make peace with God as a result of His suffering and death on the cross. This was made possible for us by our benevolent God, and for that, we will always be grateful.
As a result, God uses us as His representatives to represent Christ and make His case. On Christ’s behalf, we beseech you to make peace with God. Corinthians 5:20
