2 Corinthians - The Ministry of Reconciliation

If you want something worth living for, I recommend to you the ministry of reconciliation. You say, "What in the world are you talking about?" Well, turn to 2 Corinthians 5:18-21. Let me read them to you: "And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; to wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation."

"Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."

Now, this word "reconciliation" would have meant a great deal to people in the Roman Empire, because the Roman Empire was built on war. Rome was a military state; it depended on conquest and submission. In fact, the Roman Empire had two different kinds of provinces: they had senatorial provinces and imperial provinces.

And there was a big difference. A senatorial province was one that had surrendered—no opposition, no fighting, no army to oppose—very peaceful. But the imperial provinces were those that refused to give up. They were in rebellion; there was danger there. And they had ambassadors from Rome. Whenever they had to send an ambassador out, that meant it was an imperial province and there was trouble.

Well, God has His ambassadors in this world. 2 Corinthians 5:20: "Now then we," we Christians, "are ambassadors for Christ." That means this world is like an imperial province. It is in rebellion against God. Our world is at war with God.

I don't know why it should be, when God has done so much for the world. God feeds the world, and God keeps the world going, and God loves the world, and God sent His Son to die for a lost world—and yet the world is at war with God. But the message that Paul gives us in 2 Corinthians 5:18-21 is this: God is not at war with the world. God has brought about reconciliation through the death of His Son on the cross.

Let's consider several aspects of this theme. First of all, the meaning of reconciliation. The Greek word means "to change thoroughly." It has to do with a change in personal relationship. Now, all of us at one time or another have had to be reconciled to somebody. Sometimes husbands and wives have a falling out with each other, or parents and children, or workers in the office, friends, neighbors.

I recall when I was a lad growing up in Northern Indiana, there were some boys on our street that I used to play with, and I suppose once a week we had a falling out. We argued about something the way boys will do. But later on, we'd meet at the swimming pool or in the park or someplace and, sheepishly, we would make up again. We'd be reconciled.

Well, this word is much deeper than that. It's much deeper than friends saying, "Well, I'm sorry." You see, for God to bring about reconciliation—a thorough change in relationship—He has to deal with the biggest problem in the universe: sin. There is enmity between God and lost sinners.

Now why? Because God is a God of holiness. Our God is a holy God. Now, that means He has to hate sin. We think of God sometimes as a rather passive person. Oh no, God has a holy hatred of sin.

You say, "Well, how is it possible for God to love the sinner and hate sin?" Well, isn't this true in our own lives? Suppose you take the story of the Prodigal Son. The father loved his son. He loved him deeply. It hurt him when his boy selfishly and independently took his inheritance and went off and wasted it. I'm sure that news filtered back to the father about what the boy was doing off in the far country. And when he heard that his son was wasting money, he hated that, because he loved his son so much. You see, it was his love for his son that caused him to hate the things the son was doing.

And God looks at His creation. He's made man in His own image, and He loves man. He loves the lost sinner. "God so loved the world." "God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." So, what we do that is evil, God hates all the more because He loves the sinner so much.

Now, what did God do? God sent His Son to reconcile lost sinners to God. We aren't told that God has to be reconciled. It doesn't say that we should reconcile ourselves. There are people who think that by doing certain religious deeds, and weeping tears, and praying prayers, they can reconcile themselves. Oh no. No, God reconciled us to Himself. It was God who did the deed.

Jesus Christ became man, and then He became sin. "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin." God treated His Son like a sinner that He might be able to treat us like His Son. Isn't that remarkable?

On the cross, Jesus Christ satisfied the just and holy demands of God's law. He finished the work. There has been completed on the cross a work of reconciliation.

That means that God has not declared war on you. You've declared war on God. It means that God is saying to you, "We beseech you, be ye reconciled to God." You say, "What do I have to do?" Repent of your sin. Turn away from your sin. Trust the Lord Jesus, and He will save you.

That's the meaning of reconciliation. Now Paul deals with a second aspect of reconciliation when he mentions in 2 Corinthians 5:18, "the ministry of reconciliation." God has given to us as Christians the ministry of reconciliation.

Not just the message of reconciliation—He does talk about that, "the word of reconciliation" in 2 Corinthians 5:19. The word of reconciliation is the message that God in Christ has reconciled the world unto Himself. Now, it doesn't mean that the whole world is going to be saved, but it means that salvation is available to every sinner, and that those who will believe on the Lord Jesus can be saved.

What then is the ministry of reconciliation? It is the kind of life that reconciles. My Christian friend, are you building walls, or are you building bridges? In your neighborhood, in your Sunday School class, in your church, in your family—are you a troublemaker or a peacemaker?

You see, it's easy to go from door to door and say, "I want to tell you that God can save you," but it's quite something else in that same neighborhood to be the kind of a neighbor that says "reconciliation." The ministry of reconciliation means you're an ambassador. It doesn't say we should be ambassadors; it says we are ambassadors, either good ones or bad ones.

An ambassador is chosen. It's a privilege to be an ambassador. An ambassador is commissioned. We are commissioned: "as the Father hath sent me, even so send I you." The ambassador represents the leader who has chosen him. We represent Jesus Christ. Paul said, "We preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord."

The ambassador is protected and provided for, and we are protected and provided for. The ambassador keeps in touch with headquarters to find out what he's supposed to do, and you and I have to do that by reading the Word of God and praying.

And our job as ambassadors is not to be politicians, not to be diplomats. Our job as ambassadors is to announce conditions of peace—that God has declared peace and not war. God has not yet declared war on this world; one day He will. One day God will declare war on this world, and then people are going to find out. But now He's declaring peace.

Now, if you give an answer of peace, God won't make you a slave; He'll make you a son. He'll make you His child. But if you fuss with Him, and you argue, and you rebel, you'll only make yourself a slave and one day you'll die without Christ and you'll be lost forever.

So, the ministry of reconciliation means that I should live such a life that wherever I am, I'm a peacemaker, not a troublemaker. I am building bridges and not walls. There's a third aspect; that's the miracle of reconciliation—"a new creature." You notice that? 2 Corinthians 5:17: "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature." 2 Corinthians 5:21: "that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." That's the miracle! That's the miracle of it.

Jesus Christ died that we might have a new relationship with God, and this new relationship with God comes about by a new nature down within. We're new creations. We have the wonderful privilege of sharing the very nature of God. He was made sin for us that we might receive His righteousness.

That's the miracle. On the cross, the objective work of reconciliation was accomplished. But in our hearts, there is a subjective work of reconciliation. Our hearts are changed; we are given a new nature and we are brought into fellowship with God, and we enjoy that fellowship with God and we become ambassadors for the Lord Jesus Christ.

It's a wonderful thing to have this ministry of reconciliation. It's a wonderful thing to experience the miracle of reconciliation. Is your heart restless today? Are you at war with yourself and at war with people because you are at war with God? You know what you need? You need to be reconciled to God.

And if you'll get right with God, you'll be right with yourself and you'll be right with other people. And then you'll enjoy this beautiful ministry of reconciliation. You'll be a peacemaker, not a troublemaker. You'll be a bridge tying continents together. You'll be a beautiful ambassador for Jesus Christ, sharing His love and beseeching people to be reconciled to God. Oh, I call upon you to trust Him as your own Savior and Lord.

In 2 Corinthians 6, the heart of the Apostle Paul just reaches out to these people in three very stirring appeals. In 2 Corinthians 6:1-2, there is an appeal for reconciliation. And then 2 Corinthians 6:3-10, there is an appeal for commendation. He says in 2 Corinthians 6:4, "But in all things commending ourselves as the ministers of Christ"—commendation. And then beginning at 2 Corinthians 6:11-7:1, there is an appeal for separation. Here are three basic appeals that Paul makes to these dear people who had created so many problems for him.

Let's begin with 2 Corinthians 6:1-2, where he appeals for reconciliation. This is Paul the ambassador. This ties into 2 Corinthians 5:20: "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you, we beseech you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God."

The Apostle Paul knew that there were people at the Corinthian church who were out of fellowship with God and out of fellowship with him. They had accused him; they had falsely accused him. They had criticized him; they had turned away from him.

Now just consider this from Paul's point of view. Paul has been the loving one; Paul has been the patient one. He founded that church. Where would those people be if Paul had not come to Corinth?

We then, as workers together with him, with God, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. For he saith, and here Paul quotes from Isaiah 49:8. God is speaking now: "I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation."

The appeal he's making here is that they might be reconciled to God and reconciled to the Apostle Paul. The two go together. It's possible for us to be reconciled to God and then not take that next step of being reconciled to those we have offended and those we have hurt. He's discussing here God's grace. He says, "Have you received the grace of God in vain?"

Now, how do you receive the grace of God in vain? Well, to know the truth and not act upon it—that's receiving the grace of God in vain. Or—and this is even more dangerous—to presume that because we have received God's grace, we can live anyway we please. You see, the grace of God does not give us license to sin. The grace of God does not exclude the government of God. In fact, we are disciplined by grace.

I think Paul is suggesting here that not everybody in this Corinthian congregation was really born again. It's been my experience in pastoral ministry that often—not always, but often—those who create problems in the church are not really saved people.

Sometimes it's folks who grew up in Christian homes but never really experienced salvation, and they knew the language and they got into the church fellowship, but they've never really been born again. They create problems.

So the invitation is: "I will help you when I hear you, and I'll hear you when you call upon me." Well, when should you call? Now. "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." Now, maybe you were saved and you've gotten away from Him; you need to come back to fellowship with Him. Confess your sin. Or maybe you need to be reconciled to some believer.

Paul is appealing here for reconciliation. Let's work together. Let's be reconciled. Let's experience the grace of God, and may that grace not be in vain. Don't delay. Now is the accepted time. Now is the day of salvation.

Now in 2 Corinthians 6:3-10, there is an appeal for commendation. Paul says, "Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed," be not discredited. Giving no offense, putting no stumbling block. Paul said, "You accuse me of doing all sorts of things. I want you to know this: I have been a faithful minister. If you want to examine my credentials, here they are."

Now, what are his credentials? All of his suffering. You know why he brings up his suffering? To brag? Of course not, of course not. The false teachers who had gotten into Corinth—these men who came in to steal converts—they didn't do any suffering. You don't find many of these people who suffer paying a price because they are not identified with the Lord Jesus or with the cross, and therefore there is no suffering.

Paul said, "Compare my credentials with their credentials. In all things commending ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience." That word "patience" means endurance. He said, "I have stuck it out. I have been through thick and thin for you and I've stuck it out. In endurance, in afflictions," jammed into a corner, no place to go. "In necessities," hardships. "In distresses."

Now here are sufferings that Paul went through because of His service for the Lord. 2 Corinthians 11:24: "Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one." Five times beaten by the Jews. Now the Gentiles, 2 Corinthians 11:25: "Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned."

How about that? Ask those false teachers how much they suffered for the Lord Jesus. "In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults"—that means riots. People caused riots over Paul. "In watchings," sleepless nights, up praying. "In fastings," going without food that he might be able to serve the Lord.

Now he changes from "in" to "by" in verses 6 through 8. He tells us how he did all of this: his spiritual tools, his spiritual weapons. "By pureness," he kept his life pure. "By knowledge," he guided his life by the knowledge of the Word of God. "By longsuffering" with people. My, how much patience he needed. "Patience" in 2 Corinthians 6:4 means putting up with circumstances, but "longsuffering" in 2 Corinthians 6:6 means putting up with people.

How did he do it? "By kindness." Paul was so kind and gentle. "By the Holy Ghost," not by his own strength. "By love unfeigned," sincere love. Love never fails; love keeps you going. "By the word of truth"—ah, there we go, the Holy Spirit using the Word of God. "By the power of God. By the armour," or the weapons, "of righteousness on the right hand and on the left."

I suppose this would be the shield and the sword, wouldn't it? He'd have the shield on his left hand and the sword of the Spirit in his right hand—the weapons of righteousness. Now what about the accusations that were brought against Paul? The slander that was brought against him? Well, he says in 2 Corinthians 6:8-9: "By honour," God saw the honor, "and dishonour." Men said he's dishonorable. "By evil report and good report." A paradox, isn't it?

"As deceivers," according to some people, "and yet true. As unknown," people didn't really understand Paul, "and yet well known. As dying, and, behold, we live. As chastened, and not killed. As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing." There's quite a paradox, isn't it? "As poor, yet making many rich. As having nothing, and yet possessing all things."

He says, "Here are my credentials. Now, you ought to give me commendation. Instead of criticizing me and slandering me and listening to all this false accusation, you ought to be commending me. You ought to be grateful that I went through all of this to come to Corinth that you people might be saved."

How soon we forget the sacrifices people make for us. And so, there's an appeal for reconciliation, 2 Corinthians 6:1-2. Then there's an appeal for commendation, 2 Corinthians 6:3-10. And then there's the appeal for separation. In our next study, we'll go into detail on this. Here's the problem: if you're going to be a friend of the world, you're going to be the enemy of God.

And these people had gotten into the world, gotten into the flesh, and their hearts were not right with Paul because their hearts were not right with God. And he appeals to them as their spiritual father. He had written to them in 1 Corinthians 4:15: "For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel."

And so the father's heart of love opens wide and says, "Here I am pouring out my affection to you, and what do I get in return? You aren't even playing fair with me. Open wide your hearts to us."

Now, how do you do that? Separation. It's an appeal for separation, and he wants them to step out to be separate and not to walk with those who are contrary to the Lord. We'll look more into this in our next study.

I wonder how these appeals find you today. Is there a need for reconciliation in your life? Do you need appreciation for those who have served you? Separation? May God help us to respond with open hearts and willing minds.