we have now received the reconciliation."
Romans 5:11
"And not only this, but we also exult God though our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation." Romans 5:11 The rebellion of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden broke the perfect relationship between God and man. Since God cannot have evil in His presence, He drove them out of the garden, thus separating God and man, awaiting the day when the second Adam, Jesus, would come to reconcile man back to God. "Behold, the Lord's hand is not so short that it cannot save; nor His ear so dull that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear" (Isaiah 59:1-2). It was our sinfulness that caused us to be separated from our Creator, but in His lovingkindness He reaches out to us through His Son because He desires to have a relationship with His people. Colossians 1:19-23 says, "For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven. And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body though death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach - if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which now was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister." When Christ bore our sin upon that tree, He took upon Himself what we rightfully deserved - He took upon Himself the wrath of God in which He was forsaken by the Father. Through His substitutionary death, He filled the mighty gulf between God and man so that we might be reconciled to Him. It is in Jesus that we are justified so the Father can look at us as if we really are " holy and blameless and beyond reproach." "Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God" (2 Corinthians 5:18-20). God, through Christ, works to restore that broken relationship that this sinful human race caused. The shed blood of the Savior covers up our wretchedness so that it appears that we are holy as He is holy, thus allowing us to come boldly before the Most High in His very presence. "And not only this, but we also exult God though our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation" (Romans 5:11). We no longer have to be separated from our God! In Christ our relationship with the Lord is restored. The first Adam rebelled and severed our relationship with our glorious Creator; the second Adam submitted and restored our relationship with Him so that we might worship Him forevermore in thankfulness and adoration. Through His blood, we have received justification so we might experience reconciliation. Our justification is who God sees us as and in our sanctification the Holy Spirit is working in us to make us become who God sees us as in Christ so that we will one day be glorified and truly and eternally be united with Him.
2 Comments
James
10/21/2015 05:19:49 am
Praise God! What a wonderful God he is! Let us thank him for all the love that he has for us. He loves us so much, that he has sacrficed his only begotten son, just for us! Now, we can have a personal relationship and the promise of eternity with him! Thank you, Jesus! And thank you Emily, for sharing! God Bless!
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Emily
10/22/2015 02:19:44 pm
Amen!!!
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Emily NicoleI'm a twenty one year old Christian saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone, for the glory of God alone. Praise the great name of our glorious Savior!! Categories
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Go serve your King!" ~Todd Friel |