Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:20-21 (NASB)
We live in a fragmented world. Religions war. Races divide. Relationships crumble. Rivalries prevail. BUT GOD STILL REIGNS.
Rebellion exists on earth, resulting in considerable consequences. Hatred, disease, divorce, disobedience, death, grief, separation, sorrow, suffering, sin, pain—the list seems to grow longer with each passing day. BUT GOD STILL REIGNS.
Yes, God still reigns and His Word confirms it. He promises to be present in our lives. He says He will never leave or forsake us. He is Jesus, the Triumphant King who passed from life to death on a cross, from resurrection to ascension into heaven, and He did it all for you and me. So why does our reality feel like hell? Why are we not living victoriously, as if God still reigns? What can we do to live joyfully in this maddening world?
Be reconciled to God through Christ Jesus.
- Yes, be reconciled to God.
- Return and reunite with the God of our fathers.
- Live in restoration with God through Jesus Christ.
How can I be reconciled to God?
- Acknowledge the Almighty God, maker of heaven and earth.
- Open the Bible, the Word of God, and discover the truth, the good news of Jesus Christ.
- Turn away from disobedience and focus on the One who obeyed to His death.
- Receive the joy of salvation He bought with His own blood shed on the cross.
What do I need to KNOW in this reconciliation process?
- The One and Only True God died in my place.
- Jesus obtained freedom for me on earth and eternally for me in heaven.
- An enemy named Satan seeks to destroy me as he fractures the world.
- Jesus reigns victorious over Satan because He conquered sin and death.
- Belief in Jesus provides access to God’s grace, peace, hope, and joy through His Holy Spirit.
- Prayer and praise is my means of expression to God.
- He speaks to me through His Word, in prayer, and through other believers.
If we focus on the things of this world, we will only see resistance, revolts, rebellion, and unrest. A veil of captivity will then weigh us down and enslave us. But if we look to God for redemption, reconciliation, restoration, and relationship, the veil will be torn. We will then experience freedom and rest.
No matter what happens in this world, you can find resolution to your problems. No matter what happens in life, you can experience the peace that passes all understanding. No matter what happens each day, you can be strengthened by the joy of the Lord. No matter what tomorrow brings, you can rest in the knowledge of God’s redeeming love. Reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ makes it all possible.
Will you choose to live in rebellion or reconciliation?
Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? Romans 6:16 (NIV)
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Philippians 2:8 (NIV)
So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:16-21