Question: What is Reconciliation?

Corinthians 5:11-21

Theme: The ministry of Reconciliation

Introduction (Verse 17).

This verse contains one of the greatest statement s in the entire New Testament. Please read this in the context of 5:11-21

In the teaching of no other religion do we find that a person can become a new creation? But when a person is in Christ, he or she does indeed become a new creation. Our old self dies, and our new self is born. This is the core teaching of the New Testament. Jesus in his ministry brought this into the light when he declared that "I tell you the truth, no-one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born again". This concept of 'born again' is quite a difficult concept to understand. Many faithful believers who are Christians feel that those who normally use this expression 'born again' are proud, arrogant - fanatics and must be avoided because their teaching is misleading.

I personally have sympathies with them on the ground that, I guess; something might have happened for the first time that idea was used. That something might have been a sense of hurt, strained or broken relationships, fear of change, defect of communication, etc.

Jesus understood this so well that he was able to say unless these problems were treated, no one will cross the border into the kingdom of God. Nicodemus didn't understand his problem when Jesus saw his need of spiritual birth. Mary failed to understand why Mather, her sister, sat at the feet of Jesus when they invited the Lord for a meal. Jesus himself knew what Nicodemus needed and he said to Nicodemus, 'I tell you the truth, no-one can enter - cross the border into the kingdom of God unless he is born again of water and spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the spirit gives birth to the spirit. What makes this idea of new birth interesting and challenging is this. It hits us - humanity - where it matters most. That is to say - we are confronted with what we desperately need to know. Our relationships with our existence, our relationship with others around us - near or far, and more especially our relationship with God. Whether we believe in God or not.

For Paul, the most important words in this are verse 17, 'in Christ'. To be in Christ means to have faith in him, to obey him, to love him, to know him personally, and to make him the Lord of one's life. Just as a branch is 'in the tree', so we must be 'in Christ'. If we are in Christ, Christ will be in us; and through his Holy Spirit living within us, we shall become 'new creations'. (Romans 8:11). How do we become new creations? That is a very good question. The Bible offers very simple straight forward answer to that. In order for our 'new creation', our new spiritual life, to arise, our 'old sinful self' must die (Romans 6:6; Galatians 5:25). We must put off our old self (Ephesians 5:24). Before we can receive a new heart, our old sinful heart must be removed (Ezekiel 11:19). Before new leaves can come, the old leaves must fall. But to be a 'new creation', we must be in Christ. And if we are a new creation in Christ, it means that all of our old desires and habits must be done away with; the old has gone, the new has come! If our lives are filled with old sins and habits, how can we say that we are new creations?

Looking at ourselves, can we indeed say that we are a new creation? Is our life , our behaviour, like that of a new creation? If the answer is no, then the reason can only be that we are not in Christ. Let us examine our selves and discover our roots. I discovered my new roots in 1973 when I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and saviour

In Verse 18, Paul reminds his readers that all things have their roots - origin in God; all work begins with Him. God's divine intention is to fellowship with his creation. But many of the problems we encounter in human relationships concern strained or broken relationships between the creator and the creatures. So we find ourselves teaching people how to listen, how to communicate, and how to interact with God and with them without making the tensions worse.

You will agree with me that conflict in human relationships exists ultimately because we are sinful people, who have turned our backs on God's ways and tried to deal with conflicts on our own. Surely we know that the root of the problem emerged when Adam and eve had the first marital tension almost immediately after their fall into sin (Genesis 3:12). Because God has given us minds that think, we can make some progress in resolving tension on our own, but true and lasting reconciliation is found only when we, and our fellow believers, first are reconciled to Christ.

Why does man need to be reconciled to God? Man needs to be reconciled to God because of man's sin. Because of man's sin, God's wrath has come upon mankind (Romans 1:18).

But how, then, can a person be reconciled to God? The answer is: through Christ. God's wrath fell upon Christ instead of upon us. Christ Himself took our punishment for sin. (Isaiah 53:5-6). Through Christ's sacrifice of His body on the Cross - that is, through his death, he brought about reconciliation with God. He made peace between us and God. Christ is the one and only mediator between man and God (1 Timothy 2:5). Only through Christ can we come to heavenly Father (John 14:6). Let us ask ourselves as we reflect on this: In our town here in Stratford, in this borough of Newham, in the United Kingdom, and in the entire world, what is man's greatest need? Is it clean water? Is it a good diet? Is it good health? Good schools? Improved agriculture? Roads and cars? No, it is none of these things. The single greatest need of every man and woman and child is to be reconciled to God! Besides this, what else is important? And what is amazing is that God has committed to us - weak and ordinary 'jars of clay' - the tremendous task of proclaiming this message of reconciliation, of proclaiming to men and women that through faith in Christ they too can be reconciled to God.

What happens then?

First, it is promised that we will have peace with God. (Romans 5:1;Colossians 1:20-22). It is true that there are some people out there who do not care about God, but many do want to know that God cares, accepts them, forgives them and even allows them to approach him with confidence. (Hebrews 4:16). In times of stress, conflict, uncertainty and anxiety it can be very reassuring to know that despite the turmoil surrounding us, we can be at peace with our Creator.

Secondly, it is promised that through Christ we can have peace with others (Galatians 3:26-28; Ephesians 2:14-18). Certainly tensions between people, including Christian people, continue to exist. None of us is perfect. Misunderstandings, disagreements and self-centred attitudes are likely to be with us for life. But God does enable us to break down the walls that divide us. He can reduce interpersonal tensions and guide as we seek to help others get along better with one another.

Third, it is promised that we can be at peace within ourselves. Like me, perhaps you have often turned to (Philippians 4:4-7) when you feel anxious. Rejoice when there are difficulties, we read - instead of focusing on the negative, we should try to focus on the positive. Be gentle in what you do, and remind yourself that the Lord is near. We can pray, expressing thanksgiving and bringing our requests, 'The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.' In the midst of our hectic rat-race lifestyles and adrenaline-generating circumstances, it can be calming to draw apart mentally if we can't physically and to experience the peace that comes from God and quiets us within.

Fourth, we can have the experience of helping others to find reconciliation - with God, with others, and within themselves. Christians who are born again, and all other believers, have been reconciled to God and have been given a ministry of reconciliation which involves taking the message of reconciliation to others (2 Corinthians 5:18-).

God has committed to us this message; he has given us the responsibility of proclaiming this message to the world.

God hasn't given responsibility only to Paul and the other apostles; He has given it to every Christians. What have we done with the message? Have we shared it with others, or have we kept it for ourselves? Are we remaining silent while our family, friends and neighbours are being condemned to eternal punishment?

As you read and reflect, let us do something about it. Let us not remain silent! Like Paul, we too are Christ's ambassadors. We are God's spokesmen and women, His representatives on earth. God did not reconcile us to himself only for our own sake, but also so that others might be reconciled through our testimony. To be an ambassador of a King is a great honour and responsibility. However, to be the ambassador of the King of Kings, Jesus Christ, is incomparably greater (Timothy 6:15).

Indeed, every Christians whether rich or poor, educated or uneducated, high or low - everyone is an ambassador of Christ. As Christ's ambassadors, our job is to implore men and women: be reconciled to God. In other words: Accept by faith the reconciliation that worked out for mankind through His death on the Cross. (Romans 5:10-11). Amen.

God bless you

Modicum