Reconciled!

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who 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 people's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.

2 Corinthians 5:17-20

Paul stresses the word reconciliation. Nothing could be more damaging to our humanity than to be estranged from the God who made us. The best news men can ever hear is that some means of reconciliation with God has been found. It is the privilege of Christians to declare this good news to those by whom it is desperately needed and who are willing to listen because of the hurts and holes in their own lives.

Certain elements of this ministry are underscored by Paul to indicate its greatness and its relevance. To review these is to become aware of the privilege of proclaiming such a message to hurting men and women.

• The ministry of reconciliation originates with God. The offended One, God Himself, initiates the way of reconciliation. We, the offenders, only respond.
• The ministry of reconciliation is universally inclusive. One of the wonders of true Christianity is its universality. It has proven to satisfy the spiritual hunger of people from every culture and ethnic background. It brings the wholeness of God to the whole need of every person — physically, spiritually, and emotionally.
• The ministry of reconciliation is without condemnation. Because of the cross, God does not require anything but the honest acknowledgment of evil to eliminate its destructive results. No penance is demanded, nor will any be accepted. This is not only true when a person first comes to Christ, but it remains true throughout his entire life.
• The ministry of reconciliation is personally delivered. The good news does not come by means of angels or dusty volumes from the past. It is delivered by living, breathing men and women who speak from their own experience. Incarnation, the word become flesh, is forever God's way of truly communicating with people.
• The ministry of reconciliation is authoritatively accredited. Ambassadors are the official spokesmen of a sovereign power in a foreign state. Their word is backed up by the power that sent them out — but only when the word of the ambassador truly represents the will of the sending state. So Christians everywhere are authorized spokesmen for God.
• The ministry of reconciliation is voluntarily accepted. Paul uses words that underscore the non-coercive nature of the gospel: appeal, beseech, entreat. Since we make our appeal on behalf of Christ it is important that we be no more coercive than Jesus was when He ministered in the flesh on earth. There is a remarkable absence of pressure in the presentations Jesus made to people. He invites them to respond, but he does not harangue them. When they don't respond, He neither prolongs the occasion nor makes the invitation easier.
• The ministry of reconciliation achieves the impossible. Here is the supreme glory of the new covenant. It achieves what could never be achieved by fallen man: righteousness (worth) before a holy God! It seems impossible even for God. How can a God of justice justify the unjust? It is a puzzle that staggers the angels. But it was achieved! He who knew no sin, Jesus the Righteous One, was made (on the cross) to be sin on behalf of us, who knew no righteousness, in order that the righteousness of God might be forever ours!

Thank you, Father, for the gift of reconciliation through Christ. May I live out the privilege of being your ambassador.