The Ministry of Reconciliation (Part I)

Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. 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. 2 Corinthians 5: 16-19

Reconciliation is the essence of our faith. We are all in need of reconciliation with God. We were not capable of doing anything to wipe out our sins before a Holy and loving God. It was Jesus who did the work and extended His hand to reach us and bring us back to the original plan that God intended when He created Adam.

In addition, the Lord has given us the ministry of reconciliation to bring others to Christ and to reconcile people. Just as we have experienced forgiveness and freedom, we are called to share the Good News with others. This requires us to purify our hearts, so we can be in a position to help reconcile others. The above scripture gives us insight about the ministry of reconciliation.

1. Every man is a sinner in need of forgiveness and reconciliation with God. Everyone was guilty of sin and was powerless to do something about it. The Lord reconciled us to Himself through the work of Jesus. Every person has to repent to receive this reconciliation. We were at war with God, but Jesus ended the war! There is no one on the face of this earth that does not need reconciliation with God. After salvation, we are still subject to sin, and when we sin, we need to be reconciled to God through Jesus and with repentance on our part. 

2. Paul states that we no longer can look at others in their old nature. Those that God has reconciled to Himself are His new creation. There was a time that Paul looked at Jesus in His humanity and saw Him as a threat to his religion, but now that Paul understood Jesus’ work on the Cross, he no longer regarded Jesus as a threat. Instead he saw Jesus as His Lord and Savior. This is also true of people who accept Christ are believers. We need to look at them with new eyes and see them in their new nature. Do we honor the work of God in others’ lives? 

3. If we are going to be effective in ministering reconciliation, we need to let go of our prejudices towards others.  Jesus set the standard by reaching the Samaritan woman at the well and having dinner at a tax collector’s house.  Those actions were looked down upon by the Jewish people, but Jesus came to reconcile people to God. That was more important than trying to have the approval of the religious and cultural people. 

Peter saw certain groups of people as unclean, so God had to come to him in a trance and break that prejudice ( See Acts 10) . This allowed him to go to Cornelius and share the gospel with him, and thereby opening the door to the Gentiles to come to salvation. Peter could not hold on to the old religious rules, his childhood upbringing, or the cultural expectation, and be a minister of reconciliation. 

Are there any prejudices that keep you away from people who are inside or outside the church? I will continue with this subject in the next devotional. 

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