Being Reconciled to God

Following Christ is infinitely more than ticking boxes.  Our flesh has an awful tendency to act in our own self-interest and take action for our desired outcomes.  Having secured entrance to heaven through the Gospel by faith in Jesus, having repented of our sins, we might imagine we have done the hard yards when the reality is God has done all.  Baptism in water is a one-time event, but fellowship with God and brothers and sisters in Christ must be maintained continuously by faith demonstrated by obedience.  Often our faith lies in a theoretical realm when it ought to be practiced presently:  to believe Jesus rose from the dead is different than believing He is alive, with us as our LORD and God.

Many times we believers (and I speak from much experience in this error) is to write-off passages of exhortation for groups or people other than myself.  I have assumed unbelief was a problem unbelievers have, not realising unbelief is a more common fault against the light of the Gospel truth in genuine believers.  The chosen people of God perished in the wilderness, unwilling to enter into the promised land by faith in God and thus unable.  It was the apostle Thomas who plainly said he would not believe Jesus was risen or seen by other eye-witnesses until he saw and touched him himself.  To him and us Jesus has revealed Himself and said in John 20, "Do not be unbelieving but believing."  Jesus did not say "Believe" as if it was chore on a to-do list and then was done, but could only be obeyed presently and continuously by believing and taking action accordingly.

In our Bible study at Calvary Chapel Sydney last night I was struck by Paul's exhortation to believers to be reconciled to God.  This is something that happens at conversion when we are born again, yet the fact Paul wrote to people in the church implies this is something we must be intentional about during our earthly pilgrimage.  Since God has given us the ministry of reconciliation and the word of reconciliation, Paul followed on in 2 Corinthians 5:20-21:  "Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. ²¹ For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."  To be reconciled is to restore friendly relations and to make one consistent with another, like how inventory is reconciled with a list of items in stock.  There ought to be agreement between the stock counts on paper and what is physically present in a shop or warehouse.  Jesus called His disciples servants, friends and even brethren, and the exhortation to believers is we would align ourselves with Him by faith in righteousness.

We demonstrate our love for God by loving one another in the church, and in like manner we demonstrate our being reconciled to God by being reconciled one to another.  When Jesus said we are to forgive others beyond reckoning the disciples replied with rare insight in Luke 17:5, "Increase our faith."  They understood (at least in part) the connection between releasing others from offence in recognition of God already having loosed us from an enormous debt we could never pay.  Believing our risen LORD and Saviour Jesus has washed us of all sin, imputed His righteousness to us and reconciled us with Himself moves us to be reconciled to one another.  Real friendship involves love, service and sacrifice.  We are Christ's friends if we do all He has commanded us, and being reconciled to God is an exhortation for all believers to continue taking to heart.