In recent weeks we have considered God’s great salvation in terms of justification, sanctification and glorification. Another of the terms the Bible uses to help us understand the greatness of salvation is reconciliation.
On the everyday level, reconciliation refers to a change in the personal relationship between individuals. Such a change means that a situation of enmity and estrangement gets replaced by one of peace and restored fellowship. We all know too well how human relationships can become strained.
When some action or attitude comes between two persons, we often say they are estranged. For example marriage partners sometimes become estranged. They may separate or even divorce. First Corinthians 7:11 speaks of reconciliation between partners in marriage: “To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband (but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), the husband should not divorce his wife.”
Back into fellowship
Estrangement sometimes happens between longstanding friends or even between family members. When reconciliation happens, we understand that whatever had been the separating issue has been resolved. Grace and forgiveness meet repentance and confession. When it happens, people who had become enemies are made to be friends, or family members on the outs with one another get back into mutual fellowship. Reconciliation is always a joyous occasion.
Reconciliation, both on the human level and the religious level, is a change in the relationship of a person with God. In a person’s relationship with God, their sins and unbelief are the separating causes. The Bible reminds all of us, “Your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God” (Isa. 59:2). The bridge across this separation has the shape of a cross. With His divine-human nature, Christ bridged the separation for those who trust Him. It is as if with one hand (His divine nature) He grasped God’s hand and with His other hand (His human nature) He took our hand. In His sin-bearing death He effectually joined our hand with God’s hand, putting Himself squarely in the gap between God and us. “For He Himself is our peace, who has made us both one,” reconciling us to God “in one body through the cross” (Eph. 2:14–16).
Saving work of Christ
Several passages take up this idea to help us see this important dimension to the saving work of Christ. For example 2 Corinthians 5:19 declares, “In Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them.” Romans 5:10 adds, “While we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son.”
Reconciliation passages tell us several important truths. One truth is that the work of reconciliation is entirely God’s work. We do not reconcile God to us. Rather God reconciles us to Himself. God was working in Christ to reconcile the world to Himself. Since the cause of estrangement between God and His world is sin, the removal of this barrier is the essential requirement for reconciliation. Consequently reconciliation with God depends on the sin-bearing death of His Son whom He sent. The hostility that sin created and that separates sinners from a holy God could never be removed by human efforts. What we cannot do, Jesus did. He bore our sins in His body on the cross, with the result being the good news of reconciliation with God.
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