RECONCILIATION NOT REPARATION
With all the talk about rights and reparations, we see just how sinful and evil the world has become. Rights, reparations and equality are anti-biblical views that fly in the face of God’s ultimate sacrifice for all us. By all of us, I mean, every human being, of every ethnicity, color and type of person. Today, I want to address all of this in light of God’s ultimate plan to “reconcile us to Him”, even while we were or are enemies of Him. Lastly, if we hold to and emulate God’s example for “reconciliation, I am certain it would bring unification, peace and a stabilized our unsettled world. In God’s eyes, everyone has certain rights, but no group of human beings has anymore rights above or beyond another peoples group or human being. To claim such special right is arrogant and an attempt to circumvent all God did on the Cross because God reconciled all of us equally to Him. He had the right to justly destroy us-but He didn’t. He did the opposite in sending His one and only Son to die in physical form so that we we would enter freely into a proper relationship with him in His presence. But that reconciliation didn’t come free, only freely. Let’s look at Romans chapter five and see what God says through the Apostle Paul about reconciliation. In the end, I want you to think about how you might properly reconcile with God if you have not done so already. If you are reconciled with God already, I want to challenge you to rethink how you see reconciliation with other human beings. Your first inclination will be to do so in a “politically correct way” which is incorrect and unbiblical. I want you to think about unconditional reconciliation in light of God’s sacrificial love nailed up and through a wooden Cross for you and I. If both and all parties understand and accept this reconciliation, they won’t wrongly seek reparations or equality, but instead find true reconciliation. God was clear when He said, “But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father wil not forgive your sins” (Matthew 6:15). The command is clear and the stakes are high, so let’s dive right in.
- Paul says, “For if while we were enemies God reconciled us to Him.” Think about that: We were God’s enemies and still, He chose to sacrifice for us in that He freely reconciled us to Him. This reminds me of my parents who lived this out in human terms because they loved me very, very much. God gives us parents as the second most authoritative person(s) we have as created creatures, born in God’s image to human parents. How many times was I reconciled to my parents, siblings and friends? The mark of a true friend is that we forgive, and that we reconcile when proper and healthy. God reconciled us while we were still His enemies. We as humans cannot match that. It’s impossible to do that perfectly as only an all powerful, all perfect and good God can do.
- Reconciliation did not come FREE but did come “FREELY” by God. Romans 5:9 says, “Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God”. Paul uses the words “much more” shall we be saved by him from the wrath. What does Paul mean by “much more”? To answer that question, we need to notice the repetition of this emphasis in Verses 10, 15, 17 and 20. Paul is teaching the vicarious sacrificial significance of Christ’s death. My parents sacrificed a lot for their four children. When my father died when I was young, my mother did an incredible job raising four small children. Many have said that She did a better job as a single mom than many families did with two parents. My mom always credited and still credits “the hand of God” on her success and that of her children for the success. If there is one word that describes my mother’s love, her success and life in whole, it’s “sacrifice”. She gave freely of herself to have what they needed, to see her children succeed in life. And she succeeded with God’s strength and will. That being said, the one thing she and my dad could not give us, despite all their sacrifice was eternal salvation. They could give us an understanding of God and appreciation for the biblical Scriptures, but not eternal salvation. The significance of Christ’s death is incalculable. In other words, we can only sit in awe and appreciate the free gift God offers us, because we cannot fully comprehend the sacrifice and all that came along with the Father God sending Jesus His Son for our eternal salvation when we were still His enemies. That is true reconciliation!
- Next, I want to look at “Reconciliation” more deeply. Reconciliation with God is mandatory to be found clean before the Him. We sacrifice on a human level for our spouse, children, friends and perhaps on rare occasion, a stranger or an acquaintance. God’s reconciliation has and is offered to billions of human beings throughout the planet since Creation-if they will only accept it. The cost God the Father paid? He freely sent His one and only Son, Jesus Christ to pay the bond payment, the necessary cost of our rebellious sins so that we can be reconciled to Him. That’s no small thing, and no other god or religion can say they offer the same.
- The bottom line is that, we can now be reconciled properly with God through His grace if we accept His free gift of reconciliation, which results in our being saved by and through his life in Jesus Christ. What is meant by “shall we be saved by His life” is that Christ’s present resurrection is ministering in heaven means that all humans alive today and yet to be born can be reconciled to the Father, because the Son continuously ministers reconciliation for the human race as made clear in Hebrews 7:25 which says, “Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw hear to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession to them”.
IN CONCLUSION: If God loved us when we were helpless, ungodly “enemies”, how much more will He love us now that we are His children? “By His blood…through the death of His son” we have been “justified”. That means that we have been made “righteous”, and that if we trust in the blood of Christ on the Cross, that we are “reconciled” which him, meaning that our state of alienation from God has been changed, and changed for the better. How has it been changed for the better? Believers are no longer enemies of God; they are at peace with God (Romans 5:1). And this is the true meaning of Easter-Resurrection day.
The truth is that “Easter” or “Resurrection Day” is to be live out our faith consistently in Jesus Christ every day. God’s example for “reconciliation, if lived out daily, will bring unification, peace and a more stabilized world. In God’s eyes, everyone has certain rights, but no people group group, despite color, gender or ethnicity, has anymore rights above or beyond another other human being or people group. To claim such special right is arrogant and an abomination to God’s Word. Even worst, it’s a feeble attempt to circumvent all God did on the Cross. WHY? Because God reconciled all of us equally to Him when He had the right to justly destroy us. But He didn’t. Instead, He did the opposite by sending His one and only Son to die in physical form, so that we might be reconciled to Him. We must remember daily that his reconciliation didn’t come free, only freely. As we close out, I want to challenge you to think about how you might reconcile with God if you have not done so already. I also want to challenge all of you to think through and live out how you might reconcile with other human beings who are different from yourself. To do that properly, we must fight the urge to think in “politically correct terms”, and replace such carnal, human thinking with a correct biblical context. This is true RECONCILIATION and God plan and will for our lives our world, and the human race. God was clear when He said, “But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father wil not forgive your sins” (Matthew 6:15). The command is clear and the stakes are high, so don’t wait to turn your thoughts into action.
“For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life” (Romans 5:10).
