Reconciliation

“For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.” Colossians 1:19-20

God is in the business of reconciliation. In the Old Testament the blood of the sacrifice was sprinkled on the altar for atonement to reconcile the nation of Israel to God. We often think of reconciling as in reconciling a bank account or financial records, in that we make it balance or come out right. Jesus, through His blood on the cross, has balanced our account with God. By God’s love and grace we have been made right with God through Jesus Christ. It is nothing of ourselves, but it is of God.

In 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 Paul goes on to say, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.” Because God has reconciled us to himself through Christ, we are now in Christ, a new creation.

It is imperative that we see ourselves as a new creation. We often look at our failings and do not see ourselves as God sees us. Our ability to walk in newness of life, to be overcomers, and exemplify the life of Christ to the world resides in our ability to see ourselves as God sees us. For the way you perceive yourself is the way you will act and respond to life.

It is out of this position of new creatures in Christ Jesus that we are given the most important ministry in the world, and that is the ministry of reconciliation, which is reconciling the world to God through Christ Jesus. If we do not see ourselves as new creatures, then we are bound to defend ourselves, we are easily offended, and become defensive or protective of ourselves. Our focus is then on ourselves, rather than our ministry of reconciling people to God. It is only out of our confidence of who we are in Christ that we can lay down ourselves for the world as Christ gave Himself for the world.

Our primary ministry on earth is the ministry of reconciling the world to God. When we begin to walk in the ministry of reconciliation, a miracle happens because God gives us a “word of reconciliation.” When you begin to look at people with the intent of reconciling them with God, God by His Spirit will begin to give you keys to reach into that person’s life that will set them free, that is the “word of reconciliation.” Lord, help us today to reconcile those around us to you.

Andy Clark
www.worldhorizonsusa.org