Daily Thanksgiving: So Great a Salvation | Day 11 - Reconciliation (2024)

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. . . . More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. - Romans 5:1, 11

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. - Ephesians 2:13

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. - 2 Corinthians 5:17-18

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ - Lots of places in the New Testament (NT)1

We see the greatest expression of God’s love extended in that moment
When those who were once enemies instead became God’s friends
- Beautiful Eulogy, “Beautiful Eulogy”

Did you know that North Korea and South Korea are still at war? From my experience as a Korean-American, I grew up with an awareness of how the Korean War devastated the Korean people by dividing them into two separate nations with each embodying conflicting political ideologies. What is heartbreaking is how in 1953 there was a ceasefire or armistice that North Korea and South Korea agreed on, but they are technically still at war. Can you imagine being in a Korean family in which several members were separated from you and now they are considered your enemies because they are in the other side of the 38th parallel which is divided by the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) full of mines, barbed wire fences, and observation towers with snipers and machine gun nests? Though there aren’t any major battles occurring anymore, you can’t cross the border to see if your family members are even alive because the nations are still at war. In a sense, the Korean War is still ongoing today.

But what if there was a peace treaty between North and South Korea? Unlike ceasefires, peace treaties are binding contracts that end wars thus ceasing all hostilities between the parties. For example, in 1947, the Paris Peace Treaties officially ended World War II even though Japan surrendered on September 2nd, 1945. If you watch the news today, you won’t see any stories about US Marines battling with Japanese Imperials in the Pacific Isles, but you will probably find commercials full of Japanese car brands at your local dealership or that next anime movie that is coming out soon to theaters. Because of the peace treaties, the United States and Japan not only have stopped fighting but also have created the context to build friendly relations that lead to commerce, defense alliance, and cultural exchange. Unlike ceasefires, the war is over and peace has come between parties.

But peace treaties and ceasefires do have one thing in common—both can be broken. North Korea has threatened South Korea in many ways, even firing rockets at areas near the South Korean border, but it would be a different ordeal if North Korea sent its forces through the DMZ for Seoul. Similarly, although many nations like the Japan and USA are at peace with each other and even have thriving diplomatic friendships, no peace treaty is permanent and all it takes is one hostile move to spark a new war. But if you are a Christian united with Christ, your relationship with God is not defined by a temporary ceasefire nor a peace treaty made by sin-stained humans but by his unbreakable shalom. In Christ, you are reconciled to God, and nothing can separate you from his love (Rom. 8:37-39).

In his work of salvation, “Reconciliation is Christ’s saving work viewed as that which overcomes our enmity with God, thereby making peace between us.”2 In other words, as Leon Morris describes it, “It means ‘restore to friendship’, ‘make up after a quarrel’. It is not a word to describe good relations in general. It means good relations which follow when an enmity has been overcome.”3 Notice there are a three parts to this aspect of our salvation.

First, reconciliation assumes that there was a good relationship between God and mankind. We have covered that our salvation, particularly our election, is not due to any conditions that we have met but to God’s free grace and purpose. But reconciliation not only has in view God’s enemies being restored to friendship with God but also back to the very beginning when Adam and Eve, our first parents, had peace with God. But, second, what broke this sweet bliss between God and man was sin. We see this when right after Adam and Eve’s rebellion how they recognized that they were naked and when God called out to them they hid themselves from him. In addition, we see in right after the couple blameshifting in Genesis 3 showing that not only has sin ruined our relationship with God but also our relationships with each other. To add insult to injury, because of our sin, we are not friends with God but his enemies because “Sinners are putting heir effort into the opposite direction to that of God. We should be clear on this. The sin we do ineveitabley arouses the hostility of God.”4 This is horrible for all humanity stained with sin because our enemy is not so maniacal dictator who keep flirting with the nuke button. Because we are ruled by sin, we are enemies with God, the truly perfect creator and sovereign ruler over all that he has made whose holy righteousness demands our eternal damnation.

But praise to this same God because, third, God accomplishes reconciling sinners to himself by sending Jesus to save them from their sin. Think back to all we have covered regarding the doctrine of salvation. On the cross, Christ died in our place to pay the penalty for our sin which is death so that we who believe in him receive the free gift of eternal life and are credited his perfect righteousness (Rom. 6:23; see the next post on “Propitiation”). Thus, when God see Christians, he doesn’t see enemies but those who are in Christ, his adopted sons and daughters who have been born again by the Spirit. As Paul states, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. . . . More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation” (Rom. 5:1, 11). Furthermore, remember that our salvation—our union with Christ and all benefits therein—“All this is from God, who through Christ reonciled us to himself” (2 Cor. 5:18). In fact, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteouness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21).

Read that again. Remember, the reason why we were enemies with God and received his hatred is because of our sin, but God send his Son to accomplish our salvation so that we stand before him righteous, thus no longer his enemies but his beloved children. In his death, Christ was rejected and forsaken so that we no longer would be but instead by faith in him are beloved and accepted by God. Hallelujah!

You may have noticed when reading the NT that most of the books that are letters have in their introduction some form of this greeting: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.” These “Grace and Peace” salutations shouldn’t be quickly overlooked because the NT biblical authors are reminding us those in Christ receive from God his unending grace and everlasting peace which is ours in Christ. Thus, all Christians/churches get the privilege to live lives demonstrating these two wonderful realities. Here are two ways that come to mind.

First, because God has reconciled you to himself, rest your weary heart in him whose disposition towards you is only grace and peace. In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus summons us to come to him to receive the rest our weary souls need. Because God has reconciled to himself through Jesus’ work of salvation, we no longer have to live in fear of condemnation or lack of approval from God. Instead, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever” (Ps. 23:6). As those indwelt by the Holy Spirit, we have become a temple of the Living God with Christ as our cornerstone, and all those who are in Christ will never be put to shame (1 Cor. 3:16; 1 Cor. 6:19; 2 Cor. 6:16; 1 Pet. 2:4-12).

Second, God has given Christians the ministry of reconciliation to call all, both non-Christians and Christians, to be reconciled to God. In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul states that Christians, those reconciled to God through Christ, have been given by God the ministry of reconciliation “that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (2 Cor. 5:18-20).5 We are privileged to share the good news of God’s work of reconciliation with those who do not believe. But not only that, we as Christians need to remind ourselves of this good news that we have been reconciled to God and there is no longer any hostility from God to us. Therefore, as we seek to grow in love for God and love for others, we must seek to quell within us any hostility towards God’s kind lordship in our lives and our neighbors.

Therefore, let us rest in and live out the reality that we as Christians are swimming in God’s infinite grace and peace.

No more hostilities. More than friends.

Grace and peace, oh, how can this be
Let songs of gratefulness ever rise, never cease
Loved by God and called as a saint
My heart is satisfied in the riches of Christ

Oh, what an amazing mystery
What an amazing mystery
That Your grace has come to me
- Sovereign Grace Music, “Grace and Peace”

Father. Thank you so much for extending peace to me who was once your enemy. Before, I was dead to you under the rule of sin, Satan, and the world and deserving of all your hostility. However, you sent Jesus to die in my place for my sin so that by the new birth in me through the Holy Spirit, I can be adopted as your child. No longer will I have to fear rejection or disapproval. Instead, a neverending waterfall of divine love showers over me. Christ was despised and rejected so I no longer am. Holy Spirit, empower me to be an ambassador for Christ. Use me as your instrument of mercy to bring others into this reconciliation. In Jesus’ name. Amen!