Rom 5 7/11/77; Eph 100, 510ff, 781, 1273-74 10/2/90

DOCTRINE OF RECONCILIATION

A. Definition and Description.

1. Description.

a. Reconciliation is stated as a doctrine in 2 Cor 5:18, “Now all these things are from God who has reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation.” Eph 2:16; Col 1:20-21. EIRENE is the Greek word which technically refers to the doctrine of reconciliation.

(1) “Peace” and “reconciliation” are synonymous terms in such passages as Eph 2:14-15, 17, 4:3, and 6:15.

(2) Part of the salvation work of Jesus Christ on the Cross is reconciliation, Eph 2:16, 4:3; Col 1:20.

b. All believers are reconciled to God the moment they believe in Christ, but the work of reconciliation actually took place on the Cross.

c. The peace offering of the Levitical sacrifices portrayed the doctrine of reconciliation, Lev 3, 6:37-38, 8:15.

d. Peace or reconciliation between God and man must be ratified in every individual case through personal faith in Jesus Christ. The means of ratification is personal faith in Jesus Christ. Acts 16:31, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved; and if anyone in your household believes in Christ, they too will be saved.”

e. Peace or reconciliation between God and man has a unity application which is called peace. Peace between God and man leads to individual peace between man and man and the elimination of personality conflicts.

2. Definition.

a. The doctrine of reconciliation is defined as that category of soteriology (the biblical doctrine of salvation) which explains the removal of the barrier between God and mankind through the salvation work of our Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross.

b. In this definition, mankind is reconciled to God, not visa versa. God is never said to be reconciled to mankind. In propitiation, God is satisfied with the work of Christ on the Cross. In reconciliation, man is reconciled to God by the work of Christ.

c. Not only is there a barrier between God and man at physical birth, but there are barriers between man and man caused by man being born spiritually dead (see point O). Real spiritual death is separation from God in a state of total depravity and helplessness. From our old sin nature we develop flaws, weaknesses, and either inferiority complex arrogance or superiority complex arrogance.

d. Many of these barriers are legitimate and cannot be helped. But because we all have an old sin nature, we become defensive and feel threatened by other cultures, races, social strata, political or ideological concepts. So when a person has no human or spiritual self- esteem, these barriers become the basis for trying to justify one’s existence and environment as over against another person’s existence and environment. The result is that we clash.

e. The reconciliation of man to God through the salvation ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ provides the basis for removing the barriers between God and man and, at the same time, between man and man. There is a definite relationship between spiritual self-esteem and the removal of these barriers experientially in our lives.

f. Reconciliation is defined in 2 Cor 5:19. “Namely, that God [Father] by means of Christ [agent of reconciliation] was reconciling the world to Himself by not imputing their sins to them, having deposited in us the doctrine of reconciliation.” Instead, our personal sins were imputed to Jesus Christ on the Cross and were judged by God the Father. The imputation of sins to Christ becomes a major factor in the removal of all barriers between us and God. Imputation is a major factor in the removal of all barriers between us and God.

g. Reconciliation is a very important subject in the New Testament, and it has its very own vocabulary.

(1) The Greek verb KATALLASSO means to change someone from a state of hostility into a state of tranquility and peace, from enmity to reconciliation. God is the subject in the active voice; man is the subject in the passive voice.

(2) The Greek noun KATALLEGE means reconciliation.

(3) The Greek compound verb APOKATALLASSO, an intensified form of the verb, is found in Eph 2:16 and Col 1:22. It means to transfer from a certain status (real spiritual death) to another quite different status (eternal salvation). The compound verb emphasizes the fact that only God is the source of reconciliation. Man can do absolutely nothing in reconciliation.

(4) The Greek noun EIRENE is translated “peace.” It is a synonym for reconciliation, emphasizing the saving work of Jesus Christ on the Cross as removing the enmity between man and God, i.e., the removal of the barrier between man and God. In Rom 5:10, it says “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be delivered by His life.”

B. All Church Age believers, as royal ambassadors, have the ministry of reconciliation under two categorical functions.

1. The spiritual gift of evangelism, Eph 2:17.

2. The function of witnessing. Every believer is mandated to witness in 2 Cor 5:18-20. We have a responsibility toward those who are not reconciled to God, Eph 6:15.

3. The ministry of reconciliation is tantamount to the function of witnessing for Christ. 2 Cor 5:19-21, “Namely, that God [Father] by means of Christ [agent of reconciliation] was reconciling the world to Himself by not imputing their sins to them, having deposited in us the doctrine of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us. We invite you on behalf of Christ to become reconciled to God. He [God the Father] caused Him [God the Son] who knew no sin to be made sin as a substitute for us in order that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

a. God deposited the doctrine of reconciliation in us as believers because we have utilized the divine solution to the problem of the barrier between God and man.

b. This deposit is the daily perception of doctrine relative to the doctrine of reconciliation, so that you can go to others and invite them to be reconciled to God. We depend on God the Holy Spirit rather than salesmanship gimmicks.

C. The salvation work of Christ on the Cross is the basis for reconciliation.

1. Eph 2:15-16, “And He [Jesus Christ] abolished in His flesh the enmity, the law of commandments given in decrees, in order that He [Jesus Christ] might cause to create the two [Jew and Gentile] into one new man in Himself since He made peace, that He might reconcile them both [Jews and Gentiles] to God in one body by means of the Cross, having put to death the enmity in Himself.” “In His flesh” indicates that God the Father could only impute man’s sin to the humanity of Christ.

2. Rom 5:8-11, “But God demonstrates His love [impersonal love] toward us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died on behalf of us [substitutionary spiritual death]. Much more then, having been justified by His blood [reconciliation], we shall be delivered from wrath through Him. For if, while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son [and we were], much more, having been reconciled, we shall be delivered by His life. And not only this, but also we glory in God through our Lord Jesus Christ through Whom we have received reconciliation.”

a. Reconciliation is totally the work of the integrity of God and the function of Christ bearing our sins on the Cross.

b. Reconciliation emphasizes the integrity of God as well as the eternal security of the believer. Since we have been reconciled to God and possess His perfect righteousness, there is nothing we can do, think or say to cancel God’s work of reconciliation.

c. What Jesus Christ accomplished for all mankind on the Cross is reconciliation.

D. Peace as a Synonym for Reconciliation.

1. Peace is not only a synonym for reconciliation, but is the only way to completely understand what God did for us, and that there was nothing we could do for salvation.

2. Peace is a synonym for reconciliation, since being reconciled to God through faith in Christ establishes peace between God and the believer.

3. Peace means that we have His righteousness and His life.

4. Col 1:19-22, “For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him [fullness in the deity of Christ is divine essence, in the humanity of Christ is His impeccability in the prototype divine dynasphere], and through Him [humanity of Jesus Christ] to reconcile all things to Himself [God the Father], having made peace through the blood of the Cross, through Him [God the Son] whether things on earth [man] or things in heaven [angels]. And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in your mind through evil works, yet He has now reconciled you in the body of His flesh through death [substitutionary spiritual death], in order to present you before Him [God the Father] holy and blameless and beyond reproach [ultimate sanctification].”

a. The manner in which Jesus Christ “reconciles all things to Himself” begins in an overt way. We believe in Jesus Christ as we see Him, but our faith in Him comes from our mind, from what we think. When we were behind the barrier, under real spiritual death, all our thinking was alienated from God and hostile.

b. Yet God the Holy Spirit was able to make the Gospel clear to our thinking, that the only way of salvation is faith in Jesus Christ. Believing in Christ was the first constructive thinking in all of our lives!

c. You expressed alienation and hostile thinking to God through evil works, good deeds, human power, human ability, human talent.

d. You will be presented “holy, blameless, and beyond reproach” in resurrection body in heaven. Only God’s plan is capable of accomplishing this astounding feat.

E. The Barrier between God and Man.

1. The barrier problems of the unbeliever are removed by Christ’s work.

Real spiritual death	Jesus Christ’s substitutionary spiritual death
Personal sins	Unlimited Atonement
Curse of the Law: impossible for man to fulfill the morality of the Law.	Redemption: Jesus Christ paid for our freedom by being made a curse for us.
Holiness of God (+R, Justice)	Propitiation, God the Father satisfied with the work of Christ

a. Each one of these items shows what God has done for the entire human race. So now there is no barrier, only an invisible line. Man steps across that line and procures eternal salvation by simply believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, because on the Cross all the work for salvation was accomplished entirely by Him.

b. These barrier points are the issue in presenting the Gospel. For example, sin is no longer an issue. All sin was already judged.

c. Real spiritual death.

(1) Under the doctrine of selection, human life is imputed to the human soul. God has a purpose for each member of the human race. This is proven by the fact He gave you human life.

(2) Simultaneously, Adam’s original sin was imputed to the genetically formed old sin nature, producing real spiritual death. Gen 2:17; Rom 5:12, 6:23; Eph 2:1.

(3) Spiritual death means total helplessness to have a relationship with God.

(4) The old sin nature, spiritual death, and the imputation of Adam’s original sin form a barrier between God and man, which prevents man from ever having any relationship with God.

(5) Real spiritual death is solved by the substitutionary spiritual death of Jesus Christ on the Cross. This means Jesus Christ received the penalty for all our sins when they were imputed to Him and judged, 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Pet 3:18; 2 Cor 5:21.

d. Personal sins.

(1) The manifestations of this barrier come in the form of personal sins. When tempted by the old sin nature, our volition chooses to sin. Rom 1:18-32, 3:9-23; Gal 5:19-21; 1 Tim 1:14-16. Gal 6:7 tells us that we manufacture our own misery through our own self-determination. (2) When Christ received the imputation of our sins, He removed the barrier between God and man. This is reconciliation for all mankind. As God, Jesus Christ can have nothing to do with sin. Sins were imputed to Christ’s humanity and judged. This is why the sins of the world were carried “in His body.”

(3) All personal sins were judged and removed from the barrier under the doctrine of unlimited atonement as taught in 2 Cor 5:14, 15, 19; 1 Tim 2:6, 4:10; Tit 2:11; Heb 2:9; 1 Jn 2:2. e. The curse of the Law is found in Eph 2:15; 1 Tim 1:8-11; Rom 3:9-23, 4:15, 5:20, 7:14; Gal 3:10-11.

(1) In effect, the curse of the Law puts us in the slave market of sin. Our freedom from the slave market must be purchased.

(2) The doctrine of redemption teaches that we are redeemed from the slave market of sin by the saving work of Christ on the Cross, Ps 34:22; Gal 3:13; Eph 1:7; 1 Pet 1:18-19; Tit 2:14.

f. The holiness or integrity of God is composed of His justice and perfect righteousness.

(1) Rom 3:23, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” The glory of God refers to His perfect righteousness (+R).

(2) We have -R; God has +R. -R can never have fellowship with +R.

(3) The doctrine of propitiation removes the barrier of the holiness of God. God the Father is satisfied with the work of God the Son. When Christ’s work was finished, God the Father gave His approval under the doctrine of propitiation. God the Father is never satisfied with any work man can do; He is only satisfied with the work of Christ on the Cross.

g. Therefore, there are four doctrines which describe reconciliation for the entire human race: unlimited atonement, expiation, propitiation, and redemption. The entire human race is the recipient of these doctrines, which completely wipe out the barrier between God and mankind. There is peace between man and God because of these four doctrines.

h. Therefore, since no barrier exists, any person can step over the line and enter into a relationship with God or be reconciled to God through personal faith in Jesus Christ.

i. So since peace exists, the peace treaty must be ratified. Therefore, “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” Eph 2:8-9, “For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is a gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast.”

j. So all we do is simply believe in Jesus Christ. The work for salvation has already been accomplished.

k. 2 Cor 5:19, “Namely, that God [Father] by means of Christ [agent of reconciliation] was reconciling the world [unlimited atonement] to Himself by not imputing their sins to them.” Our sins were never imputed to us for judgment; they were all imputed to Jesus Christ. He is our substitute; He took our place.

l. Col 1:20, “And through Him [Son], to reconcile all things to Himself [Father], having made peace through the blood of the Cross through Him [Son], whether things on earth or things in heaven.” The blood of the Cross refers to the saving work of Christ on the Cross. It includes all four doctrines.

2. The barrier problems of the believer. When any member of the human race believes in Christ, certain additional things occur which forever remove the barrier between God and the new believer.

Barrier Problems for Believers Barrier Problems Removed by Work of Christ on Cross for Believers * Physical birth: born * Regeneration: born again with physically alive but eternal life imputed to the human spiritually dead. spirit. * Relative righteousness, * God imputes His perfect self-righteousness. righteousness to us with 3 results: justification, logistical grace, God’s personal love. * Position in Adam. * Positional sanctification in Christ.

a. In physical birth, we are born with the genetic transfer of the old sin nature, Rom 5:12. This part of the barrier cannot be removed apart from faith in Christ.

(1) Regeneration is the work of God the Holy Spirit at the moment we believe in Christ. The Holy Spirit creates a human spirit, and God the Father imputes eternal life to that human spirit. This is “the renewal of the Holy Spirit” taught in Tit 3:5. Also see 1 Pet 1:23 and Jn 3:1-18.

(2) When we are born into this world, soul life is imputed by God the Father. When we believe in Jesus Christ, we are said to be born again because eternal life is imputed to our Spirit-created human spirit, Jn 3.

(3) As believers we now have two categories of life: soul life and eternal life.

(4) Regeneration along with expiation removes every barrier with regard to physical birth, i.e., that we cannot live forever.

b. The second problem is that we have relative righteousness. “All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags in His sight,” Isa 64:6.

(1) Our human self-righteousness as a barrier is removed by two grace functions from God.

(a) The imputation of divine righteousness, Rom 3:22, resulting in justification and permitting God to love the believer personally.

(b) The imputation of logistical grace to that perfect righteousness.

(2) This second item is removed by simply believing in Christ, at which time we receive the imputation of divine righteousness, Rom 3:22; 1 Cor 3:30; 2 Cor 5:21; Phil 3:9. Rom 5:1, “Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

(3) The imputation of divine righteousness instantly results in justification, Rom 4:1-5, 25, 5:1, 9, 8:30; Gal 2:16; Rom 3:11; Tit 3:7.

c. Our position in Adam is also resolved when we believe in Christ. 1 Cor 15:22, “in Adam all die, but in Christ shall all be made alive.”

(1) At salvation, God the Holy Spirit enters every believer into union with Christ; this is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This makes us royal family and the heirs of God. This removes our position in Adam.

(2) So our position in Adam is replaced by position in Christ through the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

d. Three doctrines tell us what is accomplished for believers only in reconciliation: regeneration, imputation of divine righteousness plus justification, and baptism of the Holy Spirit.

e. Therefore, God has established the basis of unity among believers in reconciliation.

(1) God the Holy Spirit has established the basis of unity among believers by regeneration, giving all believers the same eternal life.

(2) God the Father imputing His righteousness establishes the basis for unity among believers, giving all believers the same +R.

(3) God the Holy Spirit entering each believer into union with the person of Christ has established the basis for unity among believers.

f. So at the very moment of salvation, there exists peace with God. Therefore, being entered into the royal family of God, these doctrines that establish our reconciliation with God provide the basis for peace among members of the royal family.

F. There are two categories of doctrine in the mechanics of reconciliation.

1. What Christ accomplished on the Cross for all mankind.

a. The removal of spiritual death as a part of the barrier between God and man by unlimited atonement.

b. The removal of our personal sins as a part of the barrier between God and man by the substitutionary spiritual death of Christ.

c. The removal of the curse of the Law as slaves to sins by redemption.

d. The removal of the holiness of God by propitiation.

2. What Jesus Christ provides through the Cross for those who believe in Him.

a. Regeneration removes the problem of physical life.

b. The imputation of God’s perfect righteousness solves the problem of relative or self-righteousness.

c. Positional sanctification in Christ solves the problem of position in Adam.

G. Reconciliation is the means of establishing unity in the Royal Family.

1. Reconciliation is also defined as the means of establishing unity in the royal family of God. Eph 4:3, “Be diligent to guard the unity of the Spirit by means of the bond of peace.”

2. Since all members of the royal family of God have been reconciled to God at the moment of salvation, it follows logically that all members of the body of Christ should be reconciled to each other. If we have been reconciled to God by the work of Christ on the Cross, we should utilize experientially what has been provided in grace to be reconciled to each other. We should be reconciled to each other through the filling of the Spirit after salvation (problem-solving device number two) and post- salvation epistemological rehabilitation. Persistence in the perception of Bible doctrine should eliminate personality conflicts because it provides understanding and use of the other problem-solving devices.

3. Reconciliation toward each other means there is no place for personality conflict in the Christian way of life. You are not to form opinions about antagonisms that occur between two other Christians.

4. Whenever personality conflicts exist between two Christians, one or both are completely out of line, needing rebound.

5. When you advance to the point of using the last seven problem- solving devices, these problem-solving devices should eliminate personality conflict. God does not mandate personality conflict in the Christian life.

6. Like the problems in marriage, the problems in personality conflict are caused by arrogance, which includes jealousy, bitterness, vindictiveness, implacability, fear, hatred, anger, self-pity, guilt, gossip, slander, and maligning.

7. Therefore, when you find yourself in personality conflict with another believer, look to your own life. There is some sin keeping you out of the divine dynasphere. There is some system of sinning that is keeping you from the filling of the Spirit and from the execution of the protocol plan of God.

a. Always look to yourself; do not blame the other person.

b. Because no matter how obnoxious a person is, you should be able to handle it under the filling of the Spirit with grace orientation, doctrinal orientation, personal love for God the Father, impersonal love for all mankind, +H, a personal sense of destiny, and occupation with Christ.

c. You can’t get involved in personality conflicts and reach spiritual adulthood. You will never be an invisible hero with personality conflicts.

d. Once you believe in Christ, personality conflict is inexcusable in the protocol plan of God.

e. No one can learn doctrine and have a personality conflict with their pastor.

f. Personality conflict is usually irrational. Whenever you have a personality conflict with someone else, this is a warning that there is something wrong with your spiritual momentum.

g. Personality conflict is nothing more than people testing as a part of momentum testing.

8. The greatest personality conflict in history was the attitude of people toward Jesus Christ while He lived on earth, and especially while on the Cross; this includes both the Romans and the Jews.

H. Parties in Reconciliation.

1. The first party in reconciliation is God the Father.

a. God the Father imputed the sins of the entire human race to the humanity of Jesus Christ on the Cross and judged every one of them. This is unlimited atonement which removes the barrier of personal sins.

b. God the Father was satisfied with the saving work of Christ on the Cross. This is propitiation which removes the barrier of the holiness of God.

c. God the Father imputed His own righteousness to every believer at salvation, proclaimed us justified, so that now we can live with God forever. This removes the barrier of man’s self-righteousness and relative righteousness.

d. God the Father imputed eternal life to the believer’s human spirit created by the Holy Spirit at salvation, called regeneration. This removed the barrier of man’s physical life with spiritual death.

e. God the Father is the reconciler as per the active voice of KATALLASSO. Mankind is reconciled to God; God is never reconciled to man. It is blasphemous to assume that God steps across any line to come to man; it is man who must Cross the line to come to God by faith in Jesus Christ.

2. The second party in reconciliation is God the Son, the agent of reconciliation. The agent of reconciliation is our Lord Jesus Christ, Eph 2:13-17. “But now in Christ Jesus you who were formerly far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our reconciliation, who made both Gentiles and Jews one [new spiritual species], and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity . . that in Himself he might make the two into one new man, establishing reconciliation.”

a. It was the work of our Lord Jesus Christ that removed the barrier between man and God, making reconciliation possible.

b. During His last three hours on the Cross, our Lord’s humanity received the imputation of every personal sin in the history of the human race, all of which were judged in Him. This is both substitutionary spiritual death and unlimited atonement.

c. Through His efficacious and substitutionary spiritual death on the Cross, Jesus Christ satisfied (propitiated) God the Father.

d. Since personal faith in Jesus Christ removes the barriers between man and God, our Lord is the agent of reconciliation. Jesus Christ is the efficacious object for faith in eternal salvation.

3. The third party in reconciliation is God the Holy Spirit.

a. The unbeliever is dichotomous, having only a body and soul; he cannot understand the Gospel or any spiritual phenomena. Therefore, the Holy Spirit must make understandable to him the Gospel when it is presented. So the Spirit acts as a human spirit, making this spiritual phenomena understandable. This is the doctrine of common grace.

b. When the person believes in Christ based upon this information, the Holy Spirit makes his faith effectual for salvation. This is the doctrine of efficacious grace.

c. In the doctrine of the convicting ministry of the Spirit, mankind, under real spiritual death, listens to the Gospel while the Holy Spirit makes it perspicuous in common grace.

d. Since peace or reconciliation is always ratified by personal faith in Jesus Christ, it is the ministry of the Holy Spirit in efficacious grace to make the faith of the spiritual death person effectual for salvation. In real spiritual death and total helplessness, mankind believes in Christ, while the Holy Spirit in efficacious grace makes that faith effectual for salvation.

e. In regeneration at salvation, God the Holy Spirit creates a human spirit for the imputation of eternal life; this removes the barrier of physical birth.

f. Through the baptism of the Holy Spirit at salvation, He creates a new spiritual species, the basis for Church Age believers being able to utilize 100% of available divine power. At the same time, this baptism of the Spirit provides the basis for the election of the royal family of God. This provision of positional sanctification removes the barrier of position in Adam. “In Adam all die; in Christ shall all be made alive.”

4. The fourth party in reconciliation in mankind who is the beneficiary of reconciliation.

a. Mankind is reconciled to God through the saving work of Jesus Christ on the Cross. Mankind is the recipient but never the reconciler; God is the reconciler.

b. What Jesus Christ accomplished for mankind on the Cross is reconciliation. Also, what Jesus Christ provided on the Cross for all believers is reconciliation.

I. Scriptural Documentation for Reconciliation.

1. Real spiritual death is taught in Gen 2:17; Rom 5:12, 6:23; Eph 2:1. This barrier is removed by substitutionary spiritual death: 1 Pet 2:24, 3:18; 2 Cor 5:21.

2. Personal sins are taught in Rom 1:18-32, 3:9-23; Gal 5:19-21; 1 Tim 1:14-16. This barrier is removed by unlimited atonement: 2 Cor 5:14, 15,19; 1 Tim 2:6, 4:10; Tit 2:11; Heb 2:9; 1 Jn 2:2.

3. The curse of the Law is taught in Eph 3:15; 1 Tim 1:8-11; Rom 3:9-23, 7:14, 4:15, 5:20; Gal 3:10-11. Redemption is the solution to the curse of the Law: Ps 34:22; Gal 3:13; Eph 1:7; 1 Pet 1:18-19.

4. The holiness, perfection, virtue of God, Rom 3:23, is solved by propitiation, Rom 3:22-26; 1 Jn 2:2, 4:10.

5. The problem of physical birth is solved by regeneration, Jn 3:16, 36; Tit 3:5, 1 Pet 1:23.

6. The problem of man’s self-righteousness, Isa 64:6, is removed by the imputation of divine righteousness, Rom 3.

7. The problem of position in Adam, 1 Cor 15:22a, is solved by the baptism of the Holy Spirit, 1 Cor 15:22b.

J. Peace or reconciliation is portrayed through the Levitical offerings.

1. All Old Testament teaching is related to the ritual plan of God for the dispensation of Israel.

2. The peace offering teaches reconciliation, Lev 3; 6:37-38; 8:15.

3. In Lev 2:13, eating salt represented peace between two enemies. God eating salt is a picture of propitiation. Man eating salt is a picture of reconciliation.

4. Reconciliation was prophesied in Isa 57:17-21. “`Because of the iniquity of his unjust gain [function of evil in Judah], I was angry [anthropopathism to express the divine attitude toward evil in client nation]; I struck him [anthropomorphism to express divine judgment toward evil]; I hid My face [anthropopathism to express divine rejection of evil]; therefore, I was angry, but he went on turning away [continual apostasy] in the way of the right lobe [mental attitude of black-out of soul, life in cosmic system]. I have seen his ways [barrier], but I will heal him [reconciliation]. I will lead him and restore comfort to him and to his mourners [perpetuation of pivot in Judah], creating the praise of his lips. Peace [reconciliation] to him who is afar off [gospel to Gentiles through Israel as missionaries] and peace to him who is near [evangelism in Israel],’ says the Lord. `Therefore I will heal him [remove the barrier as a result of positive response].’”

K. Apostolic Emphasis on Reconciliation.

1. Acts 10:34-36. “Then Peter opened his mouth and said, `I most certainly understand that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the person who reverences Him and accomplishes the purpose of imputed righteousness is acceptable to Him. The doctrine which He sent to the sons of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ: He is Lord of all.’”

2. Preaching peace has nothing do with the removal of war. It teaches the removal of the enmity between man and God through the agency of Jesus Christ. Furthermore, this peace is ratified by personal faith in Christ.

L. Panorama of Reconciliation, 2 Cor 5:18-21.

1. Verse 18, “Now all these things [baptism of the Spirit, new spiritual species, great power experiment of the Church Age] are from God [Father] who has reconciled us to Himself through Christ [agent of reconciliation], and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation.”

a. The ministry of reconciliation is designed in exactly the same way that reconciliation itself was designed. It was designed to be solely the work of God, not to be the work of man at all. Man’s ability is never the issue.

b. Since we have been given the ministry of reconciliation, this means that every believer must accurately understand exactly how he was saved and the Gospel. We are to understand that the only issue is Jesus Christ, and then we can declare this. Our responsibility is to make the issue clear, which you can do once you understand what Christ did for you.

c. So once you understand the doctrine of reconciliation, your witness will be effective because God the Holy Spirit will do the work, using the doctrinal facts you communicate to others. Every believer is to be a carrier and communicator of Bible doctrine.

2. Verse 19 briefly mentions the doctrine of reconciliation because it is the basis of grace orientation. Jesus Christ did the work, we are reconciled to God the Father, the Holy Spirit reveals it, and we are merely the recipients. “Namely that God [the Father as reconciler] by means of Christ [agent of reconciliation] was reconciling the world to Himself [unlimited atonement] by not imputing their sins to them, and He entrusted to us the doctrine of reconciliation.”

a. Note that God “was reconciling the world,” not just the elect. This is unlimited atonement. Christ did not die spiritually just for the elect.

b. Reconciliation is a major doctrine in orienting to grace and to understand the importance of your scale of values. Your priorities must put relationship with God before relationship with people.

3. Verse 20, “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ as though God was making an appeal through us; we invite you on behalf of Christ: become reconciled to God.”

a. Being an ambassador is one of our two royal commissions in this unique Church Age.

b. Notice that you cannot simply live your life in such a manner as to represent Christ. No; you must communicate the Gospel in a language understandable by the recipient. You must speak to others.

c. Man becomes reconciled to God, not vice versa. God the Son removes the barriers between God and man through His salvation work on the Cross, therefore establishing peace. The peace is ratified through personal faith in Jesus Christ. Man is reconciled to God through faith in Jesus Christ; no work, action, or human system will work.

4. There are two categories of reconciliation mentioned in verse 21. “He [God the Father] caused Him [God the Son] who had no sin [impeccability of Christ] to become sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God by means of Him.” The first category of reconciliation is that Christ became sin for us. The second category is what Jesus Christ provides through the Cross: the imputation of divine righteousness so we can live in the presence of God forever.

M. The Principle of Expiation.

1. Col 2:14, “And having canceled out the debt consisting of the decrees against us [sin, good, evil] which was hostile to us, even He [God the Father] has taken it out of the way by nailing it to the Cross.”

2. Ps 22:1-6, “I am a worm...” This was the worm crushed for his blood which was used to make the famous red dye of the ancient world.

N. Reconciliation has removed all racial prejudice or discrimination, Eph 2:13-18.

1. Every time you have racial prejudice, you blaspheme God’s work of reconciliation.

2. The great power experiment of the Church Age and the new spiritual species breaks down the barriers of prejudice. There is no racial prejudice in the royal family.

3. When you have racial prejudice, you blaspheme the work of Christ. Eph 2:13-15, “But now in Christ Jesus you who were formerly far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our reconciliation, who made both Gentiles and Jews one [new spiritual species], and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, ...that in Himself he might make the two into one new man, establishing reconciliation.”

O. The Principles of Reconciliation.

1. Reconciliation is the removal of the barrier between God and all mankind through the salvation ministry of Christ on the Cross. This sets up the pattern for our lives: all of our lives we are helpless and dependent on the grace of God and all that our Lord Jesus Christ has provided for us.

a. Under grace, God has provided everything we need in our lifetime. Under humility, we need to recognize our helplessness and God’s fantastic provision.

b. This means that there is nothing we can do to gain the approbation of God. All divine approval is based on grace: what God has done for us. We are all too impressed by what we or others are doing for God. Getting your eyes on other people is not a part of the plan of God. c. We should be impressed with God, which has three problem solving devices: personal love for God the Father, occupation with Christ, and fellowship with the Holy Spirit. You should be impressed with the grace policy of God after salvation.

2. The direction of our Lord’s salvation ministry on the Cross is threefold

a. Toward man—the doctrine of reconciliation.

b. Toward God—the doctrine of propitiation.

c. Toward sin—the doctrine of unlimited atonement.

3. In propitiation, God the Father is satisfied with the salvation work of Christ on the Cross. If God the Father is satisfied with what our Lord did, then God the Father can be satisfied with us when we are executing His plan, purpose, and will.

4. In reconciliation, mankind is reconciled to God, and never vice versa. God is never reconciled to us. This is why you cannot be saved by inviting Christ into your heart.

5. In unlimited atonement, all personal sins of history where imputed to Christ on the Cross and judged by God the Father.

6. There are two categories of reconciliation.

a. What Jesus Christ accomplished on the Cross for all mankind in reconciliation.

b. What Jesus Christ provided through the Cross for all believers at salvation.

7. In addition to the barrier between God and man, there exists a number of barriers between man and man.

a. Racial barriers. There has been racial prejudice since the Flood. There will always be racial prejudice where unbelievers exist and old sin natures are out of control.

b. Religious barriers. There are many world religions. Impersonal love handles the problem of religious barriers without succumbing to or being influenced by religion.

(1) Christianity is not a religion. Religion has its source in Satan. It is man by man’s works trying to gain the approbation of God. In Christianity, God seeks man through the saving work of Jesus Christ on the Cross.

(2) Any system of salvation by works or spirituality by works is the infiltration of religion into Christianity.

c. Cultural barriers. We have all grown up under different cultures.

d. Social barriers. Sometimes these are only in the minds of people; sometimes they actually exist in historical reality.

e. Political barriers. We disagree violently on politics.

f. Personality barriers.

g. Ideological barriers. Believers are socialists, capitalists, empiricists, rationalists, and every other kind of ideology.

h. Language barriers.

i. Sexual barriers.

8. The doctrinal principle of reconciliation is the fact that Jesus Christ, being judged for our sins on the Cross, removed the barrier between God and man, and provides for man’s reconciliation to God through faith in Christ. The doctrinal application of reconciliation is the fact that, for believers, barriers between man and man have been removed in the mechanics of the protocol plan of God.

a. Therefore, by application, reconciliation is the means of preserving unity among the brethren. In positional sanctification, the baptism of the Holy Spirit removes all barriers between believer and believer. In experiential sanctification, the spiritual skills become the means of the unity among believers in post salvation modus operandi.

b. Hence, reconciliation to God by faith in Jesus Christ is the basis for removing two barriers.

(1) The barrier between man and God, a reality at salvation, is removed the moment we believe in Christ.

(2) The barrier between believer and believer, a potential, is removed by consistent postsalvation epistemological rehabilitation.

c. The major application of this doctrine to experiential Christianity is the function of personal evangelism.

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