Christ Brings Us To God
Adam enjoyed perfect fellowship and communion with God before he disobeyed Him in the Garden. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God that fellowship was broken, and Adam tried to hide himself from God (Genesis 3:8-11).
That broken relationship with God needed to be restored or man would be eternally separated from God’s holy presence. We might also observe it needs to be observed every day again and again!
The apostle Paul tells us God “reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation” (2 Cor. 5:18-19).
God “makes one” that which was formerly a broken relationship. The word “reconcile” properly denotes to change, like exchanging money, and in relationship to persons, it is to change from enmity (being enemies) to friendship, and thus to reconcile.
This is what God accomplished by exercising His grace toward us sinners on the ground of the death of Christ for our sins. We are the ones who need the change from enmity to friendship with God. We needed to be reconciled to God from the beginning and need to continually be reconciled to God even today.
Because of the atoning sacrifice of Christ (making us one with God again), men in their sinful condition and alienation from God are invited to be reconciled (harmonized) with/ to Him.
The change in attitude must be ours, not God’s. Sinful, rebellious, disobedient men are the ones who need to change. God in love and grace reaches down to women and men and provides a means whereby He can reconcile us to Himself. He did this at the time of Christ and still does.
The change that is needed on our part is repentance and faith. A spiritual birth brings about this change in our hearts toward God.
The apostle Paul tells us that we were the ones who were reconciled to God in Christ. “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life” (Rom. 5:10). We were the enemies and hostile to God. Until this change takes place in our hearts we are under condemnation, exposed to the wrath of God.
God loves us. God loves YOU. The problem is for many readers, they don’t love God, or don’t want to submit to living his righteous lifestyle. It’s far happier and better than ours but we don’t believe or trust that so we go on living our way, which has led us to death’s door. Even at death’s door many are still telling themselves, “He who has died with the most lovers and the most toys is the winner.” We make such a grave error!
Our sinful lifestyle is degrading the entire planetary society to such a degree we are on the verge of nuclear self-destruction. I maintain that we are heading into the worst war you never wanted to see – and it all is caused by our sins and unwillingness to turn to God for help, guidance, healing, salvation and a renewed life for all society.
How can God reconcile us to Himself? The death of His Son is the reason for removal of God’s wrath and thus we are at last fit to appear before God.
The emphasis of these passages is on the attitude of God in His merciful grace acting to change our attitude toward Him. We love Him because He first loved us.
We receive “reconciliation” because Christ offered atonement for our sins. Therefore, God can act according to His unchanging righteousness and loving-kindness toward sinners. He did not forget that we are sinners, nor does He “make peace” with sinful men. Sinful men must change, but can receive help to do so through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We need to be reconciled to God because of our enmity.
Sin always separates and destroys relationships. Just as God went searching for Adam after he sinned (Gen. 3:9), He comes searching for us and reconciles us to Himself.
The only person who can mediate between the guilty sinner and God and bring reconciliation is Jesus Christ (1 Tim. 2:5). The barrier that separates us from God was removed by the death of Christ. Our reconciliation to God is made possible because of the sinless sacrifice of Jesus as our substitute. God reconciles us to Himself through the redemption in Christ. It was an act of God because “God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself.”
God in Christ, walking amongst us even said, “If you have seen me you have seen The Father.”
It is an act of grace. We do not deserve it, but God in His love took the initiative and removed the barriers (2 Cor. 5:21). The reconciliation for the believer is complete. He has removed all enmity and nothing stands as a barrier to peace with God.
Have you been reconciled to Him? Ask for his forgiveness. Ask for help to give up your sinful lifestyle, pray and seek for His rescue.
Published 2/26/18 inspired notes from: http://www.abideinchrist.com
see also: Have You Accepted Salvation?
and “Salvation Prayer”
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