It is helpful for us to have a basic understanding of reconciliation to see the need, meaning, instrument, means, scope, sphere, fact, and experience of reconciliation so that we, as ambassadors of Christ, the new covenant ministers, may carry out the ministry of reconciliation, for two steps are required to be fully reconciled to God.
Lord Jesus, thank You for reconciling us to God through Your death on the cross. Hallelujah, we believers in Christ have peace toward God through Jesus Christ, for He paid the highest price to make peace between us and God! Thank You, Lord, for making peace and for being our peace. We want to go on with You and be further reconciled to God, even to be reconciled into Christ. Oh Lord, may we in our daily living be further reconciled to God from anything of the flesh, the natural man, and the self, into God! Amen!
This week in our morning revival we come to the topic of, The Ministry of Reconciliation; we are still on the general topic, The Ministry of the Word and God’s Dispensing for God’s Economy.
When we speak of the ministry of the word, we need to realise that there’s a unique ministry in God’s economy, which is the New Testament economy of God.
In 2 Corinthians we see the apostle Paul defining this ministry like nowhere else. He calls us the ministry of the new covenant, in contrast with the old covenant, and he said that this is the ministry of the Spirit who gives life, as opposed to the ministry of death, based on the letters of the Old Testament.
This ministry is also the ministry of righteousness, having fruit of life, whereas the ministry of the old covenant is the ministry of condemnation based on the law, for the law judges and condemns.
Thank the Lord that God has reconciled the world to Himself through Christ and has given to us and to the apostles, the ministry of reconciliation, even to help one another to be further reconciled to God.
We need to see what this ministry of reconciliation is and also what the word of reconciliation is so that we may cooperate with God to entreat others to be reconciled to God.
In Romans 5:10 we see that if we, being enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more now, having been reconciled, we shall be saved in His life.
While we were enemies, Christ came and died for us on the cross; He died a death of reconciliation, a death that brings enemies together, even a death of atonement to make us one. Now we are much more saved in His life! Praise the Lord!
See the Need, the Meaning, the Instrument, the Means, the Scope, the Sphere, the Fact, and the Experience of Reconciliation according to the Bible
It is helpful for us to have a basic understanding of reconciliation.
First of all, there’s the need for reconciliation, for we were in enmity with God as enemies of God (Rom. 5:10; Col. 1:21).
Simply because something went wrong, something is broken and is no longer harmonious, we are at enmity with God, and there’s enmity in this universe.
There is hostility and chaos, and there’s a great need for reconciliation. God came in and made everything without chaos, but Satan rebelled and took the lead to bring us into enmity toward God.
The meaning of reconciliation is to make peace (v. 20; 2 Cor. 5:18). What is reconciliation? It is to make peace.
The Lord calls us to be peacemakers. We need to be saved from being a troublemaker and be made peacemakers, even to be those who genuinely make peace and bring in peace.
The instrument of reconciliation is Christ (Col. 1:20; 2 Cor. 5:18). It is through Christ and in Christ that reconciliation is possible.
In the person of Christ who died on the cross not only for our redemption and for the forgiveness of sins but also to reconcile us to God.
While on the cross, Christ made peace by cancelling and destroying all the barriers between the Jews and the Gentiles to create in Himself one new man. In the new man we have peace and are fully reconciled.
The means of reconciliation is the cross (Eph. 2:16). The cross not only terminates but also germinates; the cross not only ends but also causes us to have a new beginning.
The old creation that was poisoned by the fall, God used it as a new material, and through His redemption on the cross, He created a new creation.
The new creation is the new man; without the cross, we don’t have the means of reconciliation. Today around us there is much division and hatred, much hostility and conflict.
The only way for all men to be reconciled is to have the cross; the cross terminates all enmities, all hostilities, and brings us into true reconciliation. We are first reconciled to God and then with one another.
The scope of reconciliation: all things in the heavens and on earth (Col. 1:20). The scope is universal, including all things in heaven and on earth. The sphere of reconciliation is in one Body.
Today we experience this reconciliation in a certain sphere, which is the Body of Christ. We have peace in the Body. In the Body life, we enjoy Christ as our peace.
However, it so wrong and shameful when we fight in the church life, when we contend, and when we strive. The church life is not perfect, but it should be a place of peace.
It all depends on whether we have this ministry of reconciliation and remain in the process of being further reconciled to God.
The fact of reconciliation – our position before God based upon judicial redemption and justification by faith (Rom. 5:10).
Reconciliation has much to do with righteousness; if the situation is not righteous, there is no peace. If our condition before God is wrong, if we’re not redeemed and justified, there’s no way to enjoy reconciliation with God.
But praise the Lord, Christ died for us on the cross, redemption is accomplished, we have been justified, and we can experience a further reconciliation.
The experience of reconciliation – in one Spirit having access unto the Father (Eph. 2:18).
It is in one Spirit that we have access unto the Father. Our experience is that we enjoy reconciliation in one spirit.
We are reconciled to God to have fellowship with Him. We now have a peaceful relationship with God, for all His righteous requirements have been satisfied.
Our Christian life today is a life of experiencing reconciliation.
Lord Jesus, unveil us to see what reconciliation is and how we can be reconciled to God. May we see that we were enemies of God, even at enmity with God, and we need to be reconciled. May we realise that the meaning of reconciliation is to make peace. Thank You, Lord, You came to make peace. You are the instrument of reconciliation, and in You, we have peace. Thank You for dying for us on the cross; we open to You so that Your cross may be applied to us and we may be reconciled to God. Hallelujah, Christ reconciled all things in heaven and on earth to God through His cross! Praise the Lord, we have been reconciled to God in one Body, the Body of Christ! Amen, Lord, we stand one with You in the Body, knowing that we are based upon judicial redemption and justification by faith! Praise the Lord, we today can experience reconciliation, for in one Spirit we all have access unto the Father! Lord, reconcile us more to Yourself today! May we be further reconciled to God until we are fully one with God!
New Covenant Ministers Carry out the Ministry of Reconciliation in Two Steps for us to be Fully Reconciled to God
As ambassadors of Christ, the new covenant ministers carry out the ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18-20; 6:1).
On the one hand, the apostles did this, but there is a call for us all to enter into this ministry, for we all are ministers of the new covenant, and we all should be ambassadors of Christ.
To preach the gospel is to carry out the ministry of reconciliation.
The Apostle Paul preached the gospel in Corinth with much suffering and distress and affliction, and the church there was raised up. But then the church got into a chaotic state, having so many problems.
The believers in Corinth were reconciled to God initially and factually, but they had to be reconciled to God further.
There were divisions, contentions, strife, and even gross sins among them; they needed the ministry of reconciliation for them to be further reconciled to God.
An ambassador of Christ is one who represents God, the highest authority in the universe. The apostles were authorised by Christ to represent Him to do the work of reconciliation.
Paul was not just a volunteer to go and resolve a conflict, something like a marriage counsellor. No, Paul was designated and sent to be an ambassador representing God.
God wanted there to be peace in the church in Corinth, so He sent Paul as an ambassador.
We are sent by God on His behalf as ambassadors, having an enlarged heart, to help others be reconciled to God and to one another.
The ministry of reconciliation is not only to bring sinners back to God but also to bring believers absolutely into God and to make them absolutely one with Him.
The first step is to bring us to God, and then to bring us into God, even to make us absolutely one with God.
This shows that there are two steps of reconciliation; two steps are required for us to be fully reconciled to God. The first step is to reconcile sinners to God from sin (2 Cor. 5:19).
We were dead in sins and offenses, and we need to be reconciled to God from sin. For this purpose, Christ died for our sins so that we might be forgiven (1 Cor. 15:3).
Christ bore our sins on the cross so that they may be judged by God (1 Pet. 2:24). He judged all our sins in His body on the cross, and now we have peace with God.
He offered Himself once for all to bear the sins of many. This is the first step: to be reconciled to God.
The second step is to reconcile believers living in the natural life to God from the flesh (2 Cor. 5:20). We need to be further reconciled from sin to God to being reconciled from the flesh to God.
We still live in our natural life and in the flesh; we were delivered and washed from our sins, for Christ died on the cross for our sins, but we still are at odds with God in our daily living.
We still disobey God; we have a rebellious attitude; we live in the flesh; we are not submissive to the Lord; and we disobey God.
We are not yet fully reconciled, because we still have the natural life, the old man, and we live in the flesh.
For this purpose, Christ died for us, the persons, so that we might live to Him in the resurrection life (vv. 14-15). He died not just for our sins but for us, the persons, so that we might live to Him in the resurrection life.
Since He died for us, we should no longer live to ourselves but to Him who died and resurrected. Christ was made sin on our behalf so that sin might be judged and done away with (v. 21; Rom. 8:3).
Both the sin in our nature and the sins we commit have been judged by Christ, and now we simply need to be further reconciled to God from living in the flesh to being in God.
After being reconciled to God initially from sin, we need to continue to be reconciled to God from living in the flesh, the natural man, and the self.
This is like the two veils in the tabernacle: first, we need to enter through the first veil from the outer court into the Holy Place, and from there we need to go further into the Holy of Holies to be further reconciled to God.
Thank the Lord that we are in Christ; however, we may not be in Christ in a practical way in our daily living.
When we’re speaking with our friends, when we may say a joke, or when we do this and that, do we have the assurance that we are in Christ? So many times we’re still outside of Christ.
We are either in Christ or outside of Him. We need to be further reconciled to God through Christ, even to be reconciled back into Christ.
Lord Jesus, thank You for making us ambassadors of Christ to carry out the ministry of reconciliation! Hallelujah, we believers in Christ represent God, the highest authority in the universe! Amen, Lord, may we be first reconciled to God and even be further reconciled into Christ so that we may also help others be reconciled to God! May we be those who not only bring sinners back to God but also bring believers absolutely into God to make them absolutely one with Him! Amen, Lord, we give ourselves to You today. Thank You for reconciling us initially with God from sin. Thank You for dying for our sins so that we may be forgiven. Hallelujah, Christ bore our sins on the cross that they might be judged by God! Amen, Lord, may we be further reconciled to God from living in the natural life and in the flesh. Reconcile us further to God through the cross. We want to no longer live in the natural life but live to Christ in resurrection! Thank You, Lord Jesus, for being made sin on our behalf so that sin might be judged and done away with! May we be further reconciled to God today!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration for this article/sharing comes from the Word of God, the enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by the brothers on this topic, and portions from, Life-study of 2 Corinthians, msg. 37, by Witness Lee, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, The Ministry of the Word and God’s Dispensing for God’s Economy (2026 March ITERO), week 2, “The Ministry of Reconciliation” – day 1.
- Hymns on this topic:
– To God I’m reconciled, / His pardoning voice I hear; / He owns me for His child, / I can no longer fear. / With confidence I now draw nigh, / And Father, Abba, Father, cry. (Hymns #300 stanza 5)
– Thru Thy blood shed on the cross, / We are reconciled to God, / That the way to contact Him / May in peace by us be trod. / By partaking of Thy blood, / We have Thine eternal life; / In Thy blood and life received, / We have rest, free from all strife. (Hymns #224 stanza 5)
– Now we’re rejoicing, standing in grace, / Oh hallelujah! Sin is erased! / God, in us flowing, in our hearts growing, / We are saved in His life! / We are saved in His life! / Propitiation made by the blood, / Jesus’ redemption bought us for God! / No condemnation, justification! / We have peace toward God! / We have peace toward God! (Hymns #1131 stanza 3 and chorus)
About aGodMan
