The ministry of reconciliation.

2 Corinthians 5:11-21 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences. ¹² We are not again commending ourselves to you but are giving you an occasion to be proud of us, so that you will have an answer for those who take pride in appearance and not in heart. ¹³ For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you. ¹⁴ For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; ¹⁵ and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.

¹⁶ Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. ¹⁷ Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. ¹⁸ Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, ¹⁹ namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

²⁰ Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. ²¹ He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.     There are two important dynamics in this one brief statement, from today’s text. First is that God reconciled us to Himself, through Jesus Christ. Having been reconciled to God is more than having eternal life with Him, in heaven when we die. When God created man, He created us in His image and likeness.     Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness” (Genesis 1:26)    Being like God, God fellowshipped and communed with Adam and Eve. He walked with them and talked with them. After Adam and Eve sinned, and their eyes were opened, knowing good and evil, Genesis 3:8 says: They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.     God did not separate Himself from man as a result of sin. But rather, because of the knowledge of good and evil man hid from God. It is not the knowledge of good and evil that causes the separation between God and man. It is the fact that knowing both, good and evil, man chooses evil. Genesis 6:5 says:    Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.         The psalmist acknowledges the condition of man in Psalm 14:1-3:    The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; There is no one who does good.  The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men To see if there are any who understand, Who seek after God.  They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; There is no one who does good, not even one.          Because of His great love, God continued and continues still to seek after man despite our tendency toward evil. Romans 5:8 says:  God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.     Today’s text says:  Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.   Because of God’s love, we are reconciled to Him. We are recreated, made new, restored to the image and likeness of God. We not only have eternal life with Him, but we, like Adam and Eve, can walk with Him and talk with Him.

Having been ourselves reconciled and restored, the text says:   and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.    Our ministry, our mission for God and for Christ is a ministry of reconciliation. Paul says:   Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.      We are to be ambassadors for Christ, appealing to others that they be reconciled to God. We have not been given a ministry of condemnation. Romans 8:1 says: Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.     If there is no condemnation for us, there should be no condemnation in us. We cannot fulfill our role as ambassadors for Christ if we make our ministry and our message one of condemnation. Just as condemnation does not lead to reconciliation, neither does tolerance and acceptance of sin. John 3:16 is one of the most often quoted verses regarding salvation, it says:   “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”   What Jesus says after that is a key to our part in the ministry and mission of reconciliation:         “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.  He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.  But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”

It is not the knowledge of good and evil which separates man from God. It is that man chooses evil over good, darkness over light. As ambassadors for Christ, we are to appeal to others to choose good over evil, to choose light over darkness. We do that, not through condemnation, nor through tolerance and acceptance of sin, but rather as Jesus says in Matthew 5:13-16, we who have ourselves been reconciled to God:     “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.  “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;  nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”       The natural inclination of the heart of man is toward evil and darkness. As ministers of reconciliation, we are to be those who help to give them knowledge of good and light. It is not that our actions, the things we do or the things we say will save anyone. It is that we are to appeal to them to be reconciled, to know and believe that:      He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.    In Christ alone there is righteousness and there is reconciliation.

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ, my redeemer, my reconciliation, the One who restores me; precious Holy Spirit, my guide; thank You for redeeming, reconciling, restoring; recreating me to all that You intended. May I be a faithful ambassador, an agent of light in the darkness, one who brings the knowledge of good where evil abounds, may I fulfill my ministry of reconciliation. In the name above all names, in the only name by which men can be saved, in the name of Jesus, I pray.     Amen