As I shared in the last devotional, Paul make some key points about the ministry of reconciliation and what it means to us as believers. Jesus came to the world to reconcile man to God, and in turn, He has given us the ministry of reconciliation that we can draw others to the truth. I will continue with the same scripture from last time.
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
In the above scripture, Paul states that “we regard no one according to the flesh.” This is a critical point that sometimes we forget. The Cross showed that everyone is in need of reconciliation with God. We cannot regard people according to the flesh. That means that we cannot hold a different standard for our family members, friends, those in power, or those with similar political views.
Sometimes, when you ask someone if their loved one is a born again believer, they have to go through a long dissertation to explain this person’s relationship to religion or God. They seem to have a hard time saying that their loved one is not a believer. How can we reconcile someone to God if we are not clear about their spiritual state? Every person has to be looked at through the prism of the Cross and every person is in need of repentance before God. While we can be merciful and compassionate towards others, we still understand that God’s word is the way to the truth and the freedom that the person is seeking.
Furthermore, as ministers of reconciliation, we need to hold on to the Biblical standards in relationships, so we can assist in reconciling people to one another and avoid showing favoritism due to our fleshly love for one of the parties in the relationship. This leads to the issue of loyalty in relationships. If we are loyal to someone more than being loyal to the truth, we are not in a position to be effective minsters of reconciliation.
Loyalty to the truth will get us out of our comfort zone and will make us uncomfortable with the facts. We cannot justify anyone’s sin or shortcomings because they are our friends. If we know their actions or attitudes have not lined up with the Word of God, the Lord is available to forgive them when they repent. However, by us taking their side or act like they are always right, we are not doing them a favor, and neither are we fulfilling our call as ministers of reconciliation. In addition, when we protect our loved ones from facing their sins or shortcomings, we reinforce those issues to continue to grow and become a stronghold in their lives. Eventually, our loved ones’ actions or attitudes will come back to bite us as well.
If we are going to be effective in our ministry, our focus should be that God is always right, and He is the only perfect one. Each person has to look at their own actions and allow the Lord to deal with their part in the relationship. Seeking His wisdom and His heart rather than someone’s side, is going to help us in understanding the situation and speak the truth lovingly to both sides.
Are you able to remain neutral in dealing with others’ relational issues and listen to the Lord about the relationship?
I will continue to with this subject in the next devotional.
