Tags: reconciliation, letters to the church, offense
In the sermon this past Sunday, Pastor Jason preached on reconciliation. In 2 Corinthians 5, the Apostle Paul lays a beautiful foundation for reconciliation by reminding the church that reconciliation is based on seeing our offenses from an eternal perspective, approaching these offenses by faith with a desire to please Jesus. Without these principles, true reconciliation is impossible.
We realized that God’s reconciliation is much bigger than our offenses. In the greatest act of reconciliation, God exchanged the wrath that we deserved, for the righteousness of Christ. Our reconciliation to God should affect our relationships with one another. Because of the exchange of our sin for the righteousness of Christ, we are to extend the same exchange to those who have offended us. When we extend the grace of God freely towards others, the same way God freely extended his grace towards us, we become ambassadors for Christ and a tangible expression of the Gospel.
Have you received the reconciliation that God is offering you, exchanging your sin for his righteousness? Are there any relationships in your life that need to be reconciled? What offenses are you harboring? Will you take a step towards becoming an ambassador for Christ by giving these offenses to Jesus and seeking to reconcile the relationship?