The Biblical concept of reconciliation is a word we might skip by or a concept we’ll give lip service to, but do we really understand it?

Paul talks about reconciliation in 2 Corinthians 5:16-21, Ephesians 2:11-18, Colossians 1:15-23, and Romans 5:6-11. To better understand the Biblical concept we can learn a lot by simply looking at the language and words Paul uses.

How does he describe us apart from God?

Sinners, enemies, separated, alienated, strangers, having no hope, without God, hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, having no knowledge of Christ, and dead in our sins.

Do you actually grasp that those truths; that apart from an act of God – a miracle – that you are or were dead in your sins? Dead men don’t raise themselves from the dead. Dead men don’t know that they are dead. Dead men certainly don’t have choices.

Apart from an act of God you are or were enemies with hostility. You aren’t or weren’t a passive participant, you sought out ways to disobey God, to usurp His authority. You aren’t the one who brings peace to the situation. As Luther rightly said, the only thing we bring to our salvation is sin and resistance.

How does Paul say that problem was or is solved?

Jesus. More specifically, His blood shed on the cross. He became sin for us, taking the punishment due us for our hostility and our deadness in sin; and in exchange, He gave us His righteousness. In every passage, reconciliation is tied to our sin and the cross.

What results from God’s act of reconciliation?

In Paul’s language: hope, peace, a new identity in Christ, we’re brought near, we have access to the Father, we have unity with the family of believers, our sins are not counted against us, we are presented holy and blameless and above reproach before Him, we can live for Him, and we’re made ambassadors.

There are a lot of fruits that come from reconciliation – such as thankfulness, generosity, and humility – but I want to key in on two major shifts that happen in reconciliation.

1. We are given a new identity.
2. We are given a new calling.

This is the core of the Gospel, substitution and exchange. Old for new, sin for righteousness, law for grace, hostility for peace, alienation to adoption, shame for joy, death for life, hell for heaven.

In the next post we’ll look at some common ways reconciliation is misunderstood.

NB