Reconciliation

(2Corinthians 5: 18) “…who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation…”

We all need to have our say on most topics; I suppose that is the way we are. A very good friend of mine has recently been diagnosed with cancer and he has notice, although people have good intentions while knowing very little on the subject, his summation is that everyone is a doctor, or at least thinks it. I cogitate it is because we care when we see someone withering away. We all have a tendency to want to save those who need saving. We want to do our little bit, which in itself has its place when guided with precision. Take a marksman as an example, he may well buy the best telescopic sights for his rifle, but he does not simply bolt it into place prior to a competition. He carefully works with it and once he is satisfied, only then can he confidentially go about his business.

Did you know that as Christian we have all been given the responsibility from God to share the gospel with this dying generation; “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2Corinthians 5:18-21)

Why is it then that most of us, would rather look for reasons to hold our peace on these eternal issues but on the advice about life, where we actually know very little, we will have a lot to say? I include myself amongst the number of having an opinion when it really doesn’t hold water and then when the opportunity arises to declare my Lord’s faithfulness I hold my peace. This is not the pattern we have been called to follow. “We are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us.”

It is obvious for some why we hold our peace, for once we publically declare our allegiance to our great God, in and through His Son our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ we expose all our flaws to those watching, Hypocrite is often the accusation and yes we are often found wanting, need I say more! Then it is the sin in our lives that the Lord Jesus has already conquered that entangles us in our ability to be the example we have been called to be. But before we run away with ourselves and give too much place to the devil and his hold on the world, let us rather focus on our Saviour’s achievements and what it took for Him to overcome its power so that we could go free.

Buckle up…

“The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) – How can that be one may ask? We see so much sin in the world today. He is the one who conquered sin, how? He live a life in a world full of sinners who had one simple objective, knowingly to some and unknowingly to other, to get him to nosedive just once, to sin just once and he would have failed. He lived on earth for 33 years and experience everything we experienced and yet He overcame, He never ever sinned, for if He had we, every Christian would be without hope and separated from God for all eternity. Hell would have been our final destination. But no, it is heaven and all its glory that is where every believing Christian will end up. You may say then, why do so many Christians sin? The Lord Jesus’ sacrifice allows men and women to be washed by his blood when true confession is made seeking out the forgiveness of their sin.

“This ground of hope we have - Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God. [1.] He takes away sin. He, being Mediator between God and man, takes away that which is, above any thing, offensive to the holiness of God, and destructive to the happiness of man. He came, First, To take away the guilt of sin by the merit of his death, to vacate the judgment, and reverse the attainder, which mankind lay under, by an act of indemnity, of which all penitent obedient believers may claim the benefit. Secondly, To take away the power of sin by the Spirit of his grace, so that it shall not have dominion, Rom_6:14. Christ, as the Lamb of God, washes us from our sins in his own blood; that is, he both justifies and sanctifies us: he takes away sin. He is ho airōn - he is taking away the sin of the world, which denotes it not a single but a continued act; it is his constant work and office to take away sin, which is such a work of time that it will never be completed till time shall be no more. He is always taking away sin, by the continual intercession of his blood in heaven, and the continual influence of his grace on earth. [2.] He takes away the sin of the world; purchases pardon for all those that repent, and believe the gospel, of what country, nation, or language, soever they be. The legal sacrifices had reference only to the sins of Israel, to make atonement for them; but the Lamb of God was offered to be a propitiation for the sin of the whole world; see 1Jo_2:2. This is encouraging to our faith; if Christ takes away the sin of the world, then why not my sin? Christ levelled his force at the main body of sin's army, struck at the root, and aimed at the overthrow, of that wickedness which the whole world lay in. God was in him reconciling the world to himself. [3.] He does this by taking it upon himself. He is the Lamb of God, that bears the sin of the world; so the margin reads it. He bore sin for us, and so bears it from us; he bore the sin of many, as the scape-goat had the sins of Israel put upon his head, Lev_16:21. God could have taken away the sin by taking away the sinner, as he took away the sin of the old world; but he has found out a way of abolishing the sin, and yet sparing the sinner, by making his Son sin for us.” (Matthew Henry)

What a God we serve, if He has done so much for us and if we reject His offer, what chance do you really think we will have when the Day of Judgment finally arrives, and be sure it shall arrive. We all have a responsibility to gently share our hope with those who are perishing. If it is our own sin that is keeping us silent, then let us seek out God’s provision to combat whatever we need to walk as victorious Christians. We have an enemy that seeks to stop us from sharing with others, he cannot bite only roar, but God has given us amour for the battle and just like a trained marksman depends on his sights, so too let us learn to use Gods amour skilfully; we must practise with it if we are to be effectual witnesses.

Signing off

Tyrone