Be reconciled to reconcile
2 Corinthians 5:20
“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God”
What is reconciliation?
To be reconciled: to bring back in alignment, reunite someone or something with someone after separation for the goal of mutual harmony, lasting peace, love, justice, etc.
What takes place:
- Restored trust
- Truth and accountability
- Forgiveness
What to expect:
- A gradual process for relationship restoration involving consistency and full participation.
What is reconciliation with God?
To be reconciled with God is to be united to the heart and mind of God, and the Spirit, and separated from the acts of the flesh.
Alignment with God is to love him faithfully (remain in intimacy), to love others, keep his law, and to do his good and perfect will. This will enable security, safety, success, and overall blessings that bring honor to God and his diligent servants.
2 Corinthians 5:16-21
[16] So from now on, we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. [17] Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! [18] All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: [19] that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. [20] We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. [21] God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
What does Apostle Paul mean in this excerpt of 2 Corinthians 5:16-20? How can we as ambassadors of Christ be ministers of reconciliation?
1) See others the way Christ sees them (v 16-17).
2) The mission of Christ Jesus, the son of God, came in the flesh as a mediator so that God can be reconciled through his creation. The personable, intimate Father is longing for us to return to Him in everything. (v 19).
3) The role of discipleship is being an ambassador of Christ operating in the Fruits of the Spirit to repair, mend, resolve, and mediate (v 20).
4) God wants everyone to exemplify His image the way He ordained so that everyone can come to repentance, accept his gift of salvation, inherit the Kingdom of heaven not by works but by faith, and receive necessary sanctification with the partnership of the Holy Spirit to keep us from evil ( perils of sin, suffering, death).
Selah
Reflection questions for Ambassadors of Christ
- Where do you notice the gap between heaven and earth?
- What needs to be reconciled? Ask God to give you understanding, eyes to see what needs repair, and the faith, strength, and wisdom to be Christ’s ambassador to allow reconciliation to take place.
Reconciliation prayer for Ambassadors in Christ
Thank you, Lord, for your Son Jesus and the ministry of reconciliation. To be close to you and share the heart and mind of God is a privilege that we don’t want to ever take for granted. Bear in us holiness, humility, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, mutual affection, and love so that we may grow in the knowledge of Christ and share with a tongue seasoned with wisdom and grace to reconcile your people back to you, to bring heaven on earth in the representation of your image in ours. May it be so. Let your word continuously be hidden in our hearts that we may not sin against you but remain in intimacy and have an ear attentive to your heart and the needs of the church, here I am Lord, send me, I love you, in Jesus name, Amen.
