Reconciliation


by Daniel Boyce
Developing a Christian/Biblical World-view
“Understanding Reconciliation”
Text: II Corinthians 5:18-21
Introduction
-Why is understanding reconciliation so important to understand when discussing a CBWV?
-Because most of the world has no idea that we need to be reconciled to God, or has a wrong idea of reconciliation.
-In our last message from this series we saw humanities dilemma, sin!
-We are hopelessly lost sinners unable to come to God on our own.
-This sin separates us from Him, and we need to be reconciled.
-The Biblical definition of reconciliation is; a change of personal relations between God and man. -By this change a state of enmity and estrangement is replaced by one of peace and fellowship.
-Our passage that was just read states fundamental truths that must be known, understood, and taught. These truths are:Every person is fallen and sinful and needs to be reconciled to God.
- God Himself accomplishes this reconciliation, because sinners could never do so for themselves.
- He does this through Christ.
- He did this by imputation (imputing our sin to Christ, and Christ’s righteousness to us).
- He continues to make this appeal through the Christian message.
-Therefore to be a true Christian is to be reconciled to God.
-This is accomplished only through Christ, and this is the heart of the Gospel message.
-Today many have their own ideas about salvation, it seems that almost anything goes.
-We must understand that we are ambassadors to this world.
-We must also understand a few things about being an ambassador:
- A ambassador does not make up their own message.
- A ambassador is commissioned to carry someone else’s message and deliver it faithfully.
- A ambassador is not authorized to alter the message in any way.
- A ambassador serves in a foreign land.
- A ambassador spends their life as a stranger and an alien, speaking a different language, interacting with a different culture, lifestyle and tradition.
- Sinners are reconciled by the will of God: verse 18
- Reconciliation was conceived and initiated by God:
- Everything connected to the new nature and new life in Christ (verse 17), is entirely from God.
- Sinners cannot change themselves, much less change God’s attitude towards them.
- God is always the Initiator of reconciliation.
- God made reconciliation possible entirely through His Son.
- The entire NT makes it clear that it was God who called, God who sent His Son, and God who saved.
- All the glory must go to Him as the source of reconciliation.
Sinners are reconciled by a decree of justification: verse 19
- Reconciliation involves a legal decree of forgiveness for sins:
- God does not admit sinners into His family while leaving them guilty and stained by sin.
- The only way sinners could ever be reconciled to God was if the sin that separated them from God were no longer an issue.
- Justification is a legal decree, not a process:
- It happens the very instant the sinner put their faith and trust in the atoning death of Christ, their Substitute
- That person is immediately forgiven of all their sin and is counted fully righteous before God.
- Sinners are reconciled through the obedience of faith: verse 20
- Faith is the instrument of justification:
- Faith does not merit justification
- Faith is not the ground of justification
- Faith is not the reason for our justification
- Faith is the instrument by which the sinner lays hold of justification:
- Righteousness is imputed to them by faith
- Faith is, therefore, what the Gospel demands from hearers.
- Faith is not a work it is a gift:
- Ephesians 2:8-9
- The ultimate object of true faith is not a doctrinal statement, church, or denomination. It is a Person, and that Person is Christ.
- The call to faith is a call to embrace Christ as He is proclaimed in the Gospel.
- Sinners are reconciled because of the work of substitution: verse 21
- The significance of the work of substitution:
- The beneficiaries:
- Believers
- The Benefactor:
- God:
- Remember God is the One who designed and brought to pass our reconciliation. He was the One who demanded a Substitute; He was the One who ordained and executed the whole entire plan. Humans had nothing to do with it.
- John 3:16
- Romans 5:8
- The Substitute:
- The sinless Son of God, and Son of Man (the Messiah)
- Imputation:
- God treated Him as if He were guilty of all the sins of all who would ever believe.
- On the cross, God treated Christ as if He sinned all the sins.
- The benefit:
- Righteousness for the believer
- The righteousness God requires is the righteousness He provides for the Gospel believer.
Application
-This Biblical truth ought to shape our world view as Christians.
-Even though we who are saved have been redeemed out of this world of sinful humanity, we are nonetheless still living here as “strangers and pilgrims.”
-We serve as ambassadors of God!
-Commissioned by Him to proclaim as message of reconciliation to sinful creatures.
-This is our central duty.
-It should shape our entire perspective of the world.
-A world that says there is no such thing as absolute truth.
-A world that says there are many paths to God.
-A world that has it wrong when it comes to reconciliation.
-This text must drive our evangelism; this text must be central to our Christian/Biblical World-View.
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