Wednesday 11 June 2008

The Reconciling God

I have been looking at 2nd Corinthians 5: 16-21 over the last few days ready for a sermon on Sunday. There are some fantastic portions to this little passage:
1) That it is Christ love that compels (or constrains us), this is the cross, experienced in our own conversion, making us aware of who we were and what it cost to make us new creations.
2) Salvation is all of God. It was God who through the death of His Son reconciles us to the world. I think this passage puts Steve Chalke out of business. The cross isn't cosmic child abuse, or Jesus dying to appease his reluctant Father. The cross is God actively loving the world and reconciling it to himself through the death of his beloved Son in whom He delights in. I always think of Stuart Townend's hymn 'How Deep the Father's love for us' it captures the other aspect of the cross, that the Father turned his face away from the Son, such agony as the perfect eternal fellowship between the Godhead was broken.
3) An Entrusted Message. The message of reconciliation is how Paul terms the gospel in this passage and what a wonderful description of the gospel. It is clear that it is not our gospel but God's. Yet God uses us as ambassadors of Christ, making His appeal through us. What is that appeal "be reconciled to God."
In this passage it is clear that Paul remembers what he was before his conversion, that he was once the chief of sinners, relying on his own righteous deeds and looking with contempt at others especially the crucified Christ. This drove Paul and it should drive us, we were once lost, dead and blind but if we are in Christ we are a new creation. The Old has gone we are now found, alive and seeing. May we remember God's mercy to us and be gracious to those who are lost and in need of Him. So that we can share in this vital ministry of reconciliation.
Shalom
Stephen

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