Anddra
March 20th, 2010, 06:00 PM
What is it?
When a serious matter has arisen between two people and bad feeling has come in, or they may even have become enemies, it needs to be resolved before normal relationships can be restored. Once the problem has been resolved, peace between them may be enjoyed - the two people have become reconciled!
When it comes to God and man the principle is the same with one exception - it is man alone who has caused the enmity! The Bible always teaches that, in our relationship with God, we are to be reconciled to God, and never that God is to be reconciled to us.
"When we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son." (Romans 5:10)
Why do we need to be reconciled to God?
The cause of enmity between ourselves and God is the matter of our sins. Because God is holy and cannot allow sin in His presence, we as sinners become enemies to God (Colossians 1:21), but the atoning work of Christ in His death on the cross has entirely removed the question of our sins in the sight of God.
Through that work, God has a righteous basis on which to forgive the sins of everyone who believes in Jesus. So with the problem dealt with to God's satisfaction and sins removed, we can be reconciled to Him. Reconciliation is known and enjoyed as we repent and believe in the Lord Jesus. God does not regard us any more as enemies, because our sins have gone!
"And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation." (2 Corinthians 5:18)
What is to be the effect on us of reconciliation?
We need to realise that through the death of the Lord Jesus, God's Son, with the distance and enmity removed, we are to live our lives in the peace of a settled relationship with God and we are to know nearness to Him in place of distance, and love in place of enmity.
The apostle Paul encourages us to be ambassadors for Christ by entreating others to be reconciled to God. An ambassador is the chosen representative of his country and is sent abroad to live in a foreign country to represent his own country to the people who live there. This is exactly our position - we belong to heaven and we are to become representatives of God to the people around us. This is another view of our witness for God in this world.
"Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." (2 Corinthians 5:20)
[Reproduced with permission]
When a serious matter has arisen between two people and bad feeling has come in, or they may even have become enemies, it needs to be resolved before normal relationships can be restored. Once the problem has been resolved, peace between them may be enjoyed - the two people have become reconciled!
When it comes to God and man the principle is the same with one exception - it is man alone who has caused the enmity! The Bible always teaches that, in our relationship with God, we are to be reconciled to God, and never that God is to be reconciled to us.
"When we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son." (Romans 5:10)
Why do we need to be reconciled to God?
The cause of enmity between ourselves and God is the matter of our sins. Because God is holy and cannot allow sin in His presence, we as sinners become enemies to God (Colossians 1:21), but the atoning work of Christ in His death on the cross has entirely removed the question of our sins in the sight of God.
Through that work, God has a righteous basis on which to forgive the sins of everyone who believes in Jesus. So with the problem dealt with to God's satisfaction and sins removed, we can be reconciled to Him. Reconciliation is known and enjoyed as we repent and believe in the Lord Jesus. God does not regard us any more as enemies, because our sins have gone!
"And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation." (2 Corinthians 5:18)
What is to be the effect on us of reconciliation?
We need to realise that through the death of the Lord Jesus, God's Son, with the distance and enmity removed, we are to live our lives in the peace of a settled relationship with God and we are to know nearness to Him in place of distance, and love in place of enmity.
The apostle Paul encourages us to be ambassadors for Christ by entreating others to be reconciled to God. An ambassador is the chosen representative of his country and is sent abroad to live in a foreign country to represent his own country to the people who live there. This is exactly our position - we belong to heaven and we are to become representatives of God to the people around us. This is another view of our witness for God in this world.
"Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." (2 Corinthians 5:20)
[Reproduced with permission]