“For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. “
-Romans 5:10-11
I have been doing a lot of thinking about what that word, reconciliation, really means. What does it mean? I think often times; we desire reconciliation, peace, armistice between us and the ones that we love. We hate awkwardness and desire conformability with us and those around us. All too often, this type of reconciliation falls short because of our sinfulness, our selfishness, and our pride. To be humbled enough to forgive someone, is in-human. How can we forgive someone who has hurt us, and won’t be able to save us from our own scars? I think we desire that peace because to be at odds with someone is hardly the way we wish to live. We wish to live with our ducks in a row, to live like we have it all figured out. But, I’ve grown to learn we don’t. Often times we burn our bridges before we can apologize.
Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.”
-Matthew 5:23-24
I have begun to grow even more thankful now that I know the true reconciliation that is in our Lord, Christ Jesus. Had He not atoned, forgave, and reconciled us; we’d be living one life full of unrest, cynicism, and disunity. But we don’t have to! Jesus has already paid that debt. That debt that lingers in our hearts of not being okay with each other.
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who 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. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
- 2 Corinthians 5:17-21
We have to remember that we have to be first reconciled to God. He is using us to make one giant, extraordinary, grand, lovely, majestic, marvelous, wonderful, splendid effort of offering “the message of reconciliation” to people all around us. Offering Jesus Christ’s love to someone is heavy, and the fact that His Spirit dwells in us allows us to make that happen. If it weren’t for Him living inside, we’d be full of arrogant apologies, silly accusations, and stupid excuses.
Reminds me of the Year of Jubilee (a Jewish tradition where all debts would be cancelled for that year):
“Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.”
-Deuteronomy 15:10-11
So go out, be reconciled with your Maker. Be reconciled with His love. Don’t worry when people come against you, burning bridges you want to maintain. He is your Grand Architect; He has already made that Bridge through Jesus.
