Reconcile means ‘to restore friendly relations between’ one person or entity and another. The concept of reconciliation is at the heart of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Jesus came to reconcile man’s relationship to God. In doing so, God reconciled Himself to all things through Jesus. What an accomplishment!
For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died . . . (2 Cor 5:14 NKJV) Jesus Christ took the punishment for all sinners and died on the cross for all sinners in order to pay the debt that we could never pay. Jesus’ sacrifice was meaningful because, as a human being, Jesus lived a holy, sin-free life.
By restoring our right relationship to God, Jesus also opened the door for us to live in right relationships with each other, with Creation, and with ourselves. What an accomplishment!
Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Cor 5:18-21 NKJV, emphasis added)
The ‘word of reconciliation’ referred to in 2 Corinthians 5:19 is the gospel of Jesus Christ which not only reconciles us to God, but also reconciles us to each other. That is only possible as each one of us learns the Word of God and continually obeys it. As we obey the teachings of the Bible and of Jesus Christ, we grow in grace and wisdom daily.
We can see from 2 Corinthians 5:19 that God has given to all believers the ministry of reconciliation. But what, exactly, does that mean?
As 2 Corinthians 5:20 says, we’re ambassadors (representatives) of Jesus. As such, our calling is to implore, plead . . . or to BEG unsaved people to be reconciled to God. We’re asking them to restore friendly relations between themselves and God. And we have the honor and privilege of explaining to them how easy it is to do that!
By simply accepting the love of God that is the basis of salvation, and praying a simple prayer, an unsaved person will become reconciled to God. In accepting Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior, such a person restores their right relationship with God the Father.
In accepting Christ as Savior, all believers have had the seed of eternity placed within their hearts. What a beautiful and honorable assignment that we have been given! Glory to God in the highest!
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