Outline
Ⅰ
It is helpful for us to have a basic understanding of reconciliation:
A
The need of reconciliation—enmity, enemies—Rom. 5:10; Col. 1:21.
B
The meaning of reconciliation—to make peace—v. 20; 2 Cor. 5:18.
C
The instrument of reconciliation—Christ—Col. 1:20; 2 Cor. 5:18.
D
The means of reconciliation—the cross—Col. 1:20; Eph. 2:16.
E
The scope of reconciliation—all things in the heavens and on the earth—Col. 1:20.
F
The sphere of reconciliation—in one Body—Eph. 2:16.
G
The fact of reconciliation—our position before God based upon judicial redemption and justification by faith—Rom. 5:10.
H
The experience of reconciliation—in one Spirit having access unto the Father—Eph. 2:18.
Ⅱ
As ambassadors of Christ, the new covenant ministers carry out the ministry of reconciliation—2 Cor. 5:18-20; 6:1:
A
An ambassador of Christ is one who represents God, the highest authority in the universe.
B
The apostles were authorized by Christ to represent Him to do the work of reconciliation—5:18, 20.
C
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.
D
Two steps are required for men to be fully reconciled to God:
１
The first step is to reconcile sinners to God from sin—v. 19:
ａ
For this purpose Christ died for our sins that we might be forgiven—1 Cor. 15:3.
ｂ
Christ bore our sins on the cross that they might be judged by God—1 Pet. 2:24.
２
The second step is to reconcile believers living in the natural life to God from the flesh—2 Cor. 5:20:
ａ
For this purpose Christ died for us, the persons, that we might live to Him in the resurrection life—vv. 14-15.
ｂ
Christ was made sin on our behalf that sin might be judged and done away with—v. 21; Rom. 8:3.
Morning Nourishment
2 Cor. 5:18-20 But all things are out from God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Christ and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation; namely, that God in Christ was reconciling the world to Himself…and has put in us the word of reconciliation. On behalf of Christ then we are ambassadors, as God entreats you through us; we beseech you on behalf of Christ, Be reconciled to God.In 2 Corinthians 5:18-20 Paul [speaks] of the ministry of reconciliation… According to verse 20, the ambassadors of Christ are one with God; they are like God, and they entreat as God. Their word is God’s word, and what they do is God’s doing. Furthermore, the words on behalf of Christ mean “representing Christ.”…The apostles were authorized by Christ to represent Him to do the work of reconciliation.
Paul’s composition in 5:20 is unusual. After saying, “We are ambassadors,” he says, “As God entreats you through us.” Paul seems to be saying, “We are ambassadors of Christ, and we are doing a reconciling work. This is like God entreating you through us. We are one with Christ and one with God. Christ is one with us, and God also is one with us. Therefore, God, Christ, and we, the apostles, are all one.” The ministry of the new covenant is a ministry in which God, Christ, and the ministers are one…God, Christ, and the apostles were one in carrying out the ministry of reconciliation. (Life-study of 2 Corinthians, pp. 317-318)
Today’s Reading
Paul’s word in 2 Corinthians 5:20 about being reconciled to God is not directed to sinners; it is directed to the believers in Corinth. These believers had already been reconciled to God partially. However, they had not been fully reconciled to Him…In 1 Corinthians 1 Paul refers to them as saints, as those who had been called by God into the fellowship of His Son. Therefore, they surely had been reconciled to God to some degree.The books of 1 and 2 Corinthians show that the believers at Corinth, after being reconciled to God partially, still lived in the flesh, in the outer man. Between them and God there was the separating veil of the flesh, of the natural man. This veil corresponds to the veil inside the tabernacle, the veil that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies, not to the veil at the entrance to the Holy Place. The Corinthian believers may have been in the Holy Place, but they were not in the Holy of Holies. This means they were still separated from the place where God is. Therefore, they had not been reconciled to God in full.
In 2 Corinthians 5:19 it is the world that is to be reconciled to God. In verse 20 it is the believers, those who have already been reconciled to God, who are to be reconciled to Him further…The first step is to reconcile sinners to God from sin. For this purpose Christ died for our sins (1 Cor. 15:3) that they might be forgiven by God. This is the objective aspect of Christ’s death. In this aspect He bore our sins on the cross that they might be judged by God upon Him for us. The second step is to reconcile believers living in the natural life to God from the flesh. For this purpose Christ died for us—the persons—that we might live to Him in the resurrection life (2 Cor. 5:14-15). This is the subjective aspect of Christ’s death. In this aspect He was made sin for us to be judged and done away with by God that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. By the two aspects of His death He has fully reconciled God’s chosen people to God.
As genuine believers, we can testify that we are in Him. But are we in Christ in a practical way in our daily living? For example, are you in Christ when you are joking? When you make a joke, do you have the assurance that you are in Him? You must admit that you are outside of Christ at such a time. There is no neutral ground: we are either in Christ or outside of Him. Because we are not always in Christ in a practical way, we need further reconciliation. We need to be reconciled back into Christ. (Life-study of 2 Corinthians, pp. 318-319, 339)
Further Reading: Life-study of 2 Corinthians, msg. 37