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The Reconciliation of the Gospel
By Pastor James Black | January 15, 2010
The second element of the gospel that I want to consider is the element of reconciliation. Have you ever had a disagreement with someone? How do you move past this moment? In Isaiah 59:1-4 God says that our sin has separated us from Him. The first question is do you believe in sin! Some people don’t! If God is true – and He is- then this becomes the first disagreement. You know what – there is a time in every persons life that they disagree with God about sin. The longer the standoff remains the wider the gap becomes. So now what? Who makes the first move?
God did! In II Corinthians 5:19 the Bible says “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself,…” . While we were still hiding in our sin God was already seeking reconciliation. How did He do this? By giving His Son in an act of forgiveness. We are reminded in Colossians 1:21-22 that it was Christ’s death that brings reconciliation. God saw the separation between us and then gave His Son as an act of reconciliation.
The question now is how will you respond. As is the case in every disagreement one makes a move and then it is the other parties decision of what to do. God gave the invitation in Isaiah 1:18 to come and reason together. When we are willing to listen to the truth from the Word of God it is then that we can be reconciled to Him. After that we are given the ministry of reconciling others to Him – and yes to ourselves.
Jesus said to be reconciled to those around us in Matthew 5:22-24. To live in the Gospel of Reconciliation means our earthly relations are important to our heavenly relation. Remember the old saying – Practice what you preach!
Pastor James
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