Reconciliation is a common word that I suspect we have all used at one time or another. Most of the time we use it to describe two individuals who have been in conflict, only to see that conflict dissolve because they have reconciled. In short, they have “made peace” with each other. We have seen it happen in marriages as well as among friends. Once alienated from each other because of conflicting issues, they later decide to put their differences aside and reconcile with each other, thus restoring their relationship.  

What is true between individuals is also true with God. At the moment a person receives the gift of “LIFE,” a new relationship is established with God. Lest we forget, it is sin that keeps us from having a relationship with God, and when Christ died on the cross to forgive our sins, the door was opened for us to be reconciled to God. In other words, when sin is removed, the one who has been separated from God because of sin is immediately reconciled to the One who has no sin, and that’s God Himself. 

Just as alienation brings enmity and strife, reconciliation brings “peace.” Before any believer can experience the moment-by-moment “peace of God,” he must first have “peace with God.” At the moment of repentance and confession, we are justified (the legal term that we looked at last week), and that justification came by faith and not by works or religious ritual. This is why Paul could say,  

“Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:1). 

Having “peace with God” is the immediate product of “justification,” and it’s “justification” that allows us to be “reconciled” to God. Interestingly, the Apostle Paul tells us that “reconciliation” lies at the heart of the Gospel, that is, the “Good News” that Jesus Christ has provided for us. When a person receives new “LIFE” in Christ, that person becomes an Ambassador for Christ, and as an Ambassador, there is a message to be conveyed. Interestingly, that message is the message of “reconciliation.” Notice first what Paul has to say about our message to the world, and then notice how many times he uses today’s important word in this single portion of Scripture,  

“Therefore, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things have passed away, and all things have become new. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has given us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (2 Cor. 5:17-20).

And so, it should be our heart’s desire to see our friends, relatives, and acquaintances be reconciled to God. Look for open doors to share that timeless message that Jesus Christ came to save us from the penalty and power of sin and to reconcile us to God. If you’ve already been “reconciled,” then share with others what this word means to you. If you haven’t yet been reconciled, then surely, it’s time.