THE WAY OF RECONCILLIATION

KNOWLEDGE OF SIN IS THE FIRST STEP:

Isaiah 6:6-7 declares, “Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the alter. And he touched my mouth with it and said: Behold this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, And your sin purged.” Foreshadowed in the experience of Isaiah is the way of reconciliation to God for all men. He came to forgiveness through the same steps that all must come. Knowledge of sin is the first step toward forgiveness. This step was occasioned in the prophet’s experience by his sight of the holiness of God. Only when one sees God as holy can he conceive of himself as truly sinful. Recognition of sin leads to confession of sins. When a man comes into contact with a vision of God, such as Isaiah beheld, he is burdened down by his iniquity in the light of God’s majesty. This causes him to cry out, like Isaiah, “Woe is me!” Such confession and contrition are followed by forgiveness of sins. As forgiveness is appropriated by faith, one is reconciled to God by the atoning sacrifice of Christ. Now justified, the believer is at peace and able to live in peace with Him.

THE GREAT ATONEMENT

See (2Cor 5:18- 20) “Now all things are of God who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 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. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God was pleading through us; we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Human sinfulness broke the original relationship between man and God.” Sin is completely alien to the Creator, being abhorrent to His purity and perfection. Sinners cannot commune with God until their sins have been removed and if this does not occur they die in their sins. The Hebrew sacrificial system provided a means for reconciling the sinner to a holy God, but it did not cover every form of sin, and was thus imperfect. Christ’s sacrificial death on Calvary atoned for human iniquity and enabled all sinners everywhere to be reconciled to God. Personal acceptance of this atonement in repentance and faith results in cleansing from sin and reconciliation to God. The gospel message is that this saving deed resulted from divine grace working through Christ. The ministry of reconciliation proclaims that the cleansing blood enables us to appear before God as though we had never sinned. The commonly known scripture affirms this, (John 3:16) says; “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” God’s love for human made Him sacrificed His Only Begotten Son that we should believe in Him and not perish anymore form our sinful nature.

CHRIST OUR ATONEMENT

In the Book of (Numbers 29:1-40) God commanded Moses to follow the regulations of the three holy feasts. The chapter regulates offering to the Lord during the three sacred festivals of the seventh month: the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles. The feast of trumpets marked the beginning of Israel’s civil year. It was a day in which no work was to be done, and it was a day of preparation for the two following assemblies.  Most holy of all days was the Day of Atonement. On this day the high priest entered the Holy of Holies to make atonement for the Holy Place, for himself, and for the entire congregation. It was a solemn day on which sin was confessed and the souls of the people were humbled. While the Feast of Tabernacles, in contrast with the Day of Atonement, was a time for rejoicing. In the New Testament era we can worship because Christ has made full atonement for our sins. His atonement is a cause of sorrow because the depth of our sin is disclosed in His death. But beyond the cross lies our supreme joy: Jesus is victor over sin and death and hell. See (Heb 9:26) “But now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.”

RECONCILIATION AS THE IDEA OF RESTORATION

Reconciliation has its heart the idea of restoration. It means the ending of hostility and the establishment of peace between two parties that are at odds with each other. Since sin resulted in all of nature being cursed, only God could initiate the reconciliation of all things to Himself. More specifically, since we are enemies of God and prone to hostility because of sin, it was necessary for a gracious God to take the steps to reconcile us to Himself through Christ and His cross. He wants us to proclaim that life-changing message of reconciliation through Christ wherever we go. Furthermore, because God reached out to us to reconcile us to the whole world to Himself, He instructs us to follow His lead and to move out to end prejudice and hostility in the church and to take the lead in bringing to an end any conflicts in our relationships.

Scriptures of how to end personal conflicts and live in harmony with one another: Matt. 5:23-24 “Therefore if you bring your gift to the alter, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the alter, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”  If I may ask, “how many of us do considers this?”  In (Gal. 6:1-2) indicates, “BRETHREN, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”  In (Eph. 4:29-32) says, “Let not corrupt word proceed  out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave us.”  (Phil. 2:1-5) says, “THEREFORE, if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteems others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”  Let this mind be in us which was also in Christ Jesus. 

 

TO GAIN A BROTHER (Matt. 18: 15-17)

Unfortunately, “discipline” has sometimes been reduced to a merely negative concept. To be sure, discipline includes the notion of punishment and correction, but church discipline in this context has the restoration of the offender in view; for “if he hears you, you have gained your brother” (v.15) Corrective measures include private words of counsel and admonition. More severe action may be taken by the church assemblies, but ever with the joy of bringing Glory to God by the restoration of the offending party.

My parting shot from the Book of Prov. 28:13, which tells us, “He who covers his sins will not prosper, and whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy”......My beloved, let us therefore confess our sins to God, for He hears us, will have mercy and reconcile us to Himself.

“Grace to you and Favor from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all, Amen.”