In 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, Paul reveals a profound truth about our relationship with God and how it can be restored. The concept of reconciliation appears five times in this short passage, highlighting its importance in understanding the Gospel message.
Reconciliation means restoring a relationship that has been damaged. Think of two friends who have fallen out—one reaches out to restore the friendship. This gives us a glimpse of what God has done for us, though with one key difference: in our relationship with God, we are 100% the offenders, and He is the offended party.
Paul begins by reminding us that "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come." This transformation happens because "all this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ."
But why do we need to be made new? Why do we need reconciliation?
We are born and conceived in sin, alienated from a holy God. The greatest issue with sin isn't just that it hurts us or others—it's that it offends God. When we understand this, our motivation for overcoming sin shifts from self-improvement to pleasing God.
Without God's intervention, our condition is hopeless—we are lost, dead, broken, and separated from Him. We cannot save ourselves, no matter how moral or disciplined we become.
Paul continues:
"God has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us."
If you've been reconciled to God, you've automatically been given a ministry—the ministry of reconciliation. This isn't just for pastors or missionaries; it's for every believer. We are all Christ's ambassadors.
What is an ambassador? Someone who leaves their home to represent someone else's agenda in another place. As citizens of heaven living on earth, we represent Christ's interests wherever we go. We are extensions of His kingdom.
And what do ambassadors do? Paul says we "implore" and "beg" people: "Be reconciled to God." This goes beyond simply living a good Christian life and hoping people notice. We must actively persuade people with our words.
The only way for us to be reconciled to God is for Him "not counting people's sins against them." But here's the dilemma: God cannot simply overlook sin—that would violate His justice.
The solution? A substitute. "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
Jesus is the cure for our condition. He is the only way we can be put into a right relationship with God. Because God is perfectly just, all sins must be punished - either the sinner bears the punishment, or Jesus does.
On the cross, Jesus was treated the way we deserve to be treated, so that we could be treated the way Jesus deserves to be treated. He died the death we deserve so we could live the life we could never earn. He was made sin so we could be made righteous.
As we reflect on this powerful message of reconciliation, here are some ways to apply these truths to your life this week:
Ask yourself:
Remember Paul's urgent words:
"Now is the time of God's favor. Now is the day of salvation."
The best time to take a step toward God—or to help someone else do the same—is always right now.
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