THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION. 2nd Corinthians 5:11-21 Reverential respect for the Lord does not create a paralyzing fear in believers. It does enable us to understand, at least to a degree, the value of the One to whom we belong. We are made aware of His righteousness and perfection when He judges our motivation for service and our actions in this service. When one knows the fear of the Lord, that person is motivated to please Him. This keeps us from fearing earthly powers like governments, people's opinions, or even the power of nature. Our Lord has "all power in heaven and in earth" under His control.
The fear of the Lord also gives us courage when difficulties arise and opposition pressures us to conform to the ways of the world. This "fear of the Lord" is not something that is against us, but is for us. We are on God's side in this ministry of reconciliation in which we are involved. God is for us, not against us. In fact, "If God be for us, who can be against us." There is liberty from anxiety because of the fear of the Lord. We are free and able to fulfill our ministry because the things that would normally worry us are under the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ. His dealings with mankind are just and righteous, so the ministry of reconciliation is a positive one. The Lord takes care of His own people and in that way, the fear of the Lord is a comfort to us and strengthens us to go forward in the work He has given us in spite of whatever foe may oppose the work in which we are engaged.
Some people are concerned only with what is external. They want to look good, be popular, and be successful. Popularity, money, and outward appearances are very important to them. This is how they measure their success. These are the false preachers and teachers who want to get ahead in the eyes of the world. It doesn't usually take very long to find out what motivates them. When the focus of one's attention is on himself more than on Christ, we need to avoid them and reject what they teach. Maybe the content of the sermon they preach seems to be biblical and reasonable, but the objective of the teaching is on the wrong person.
Paul, Timothy, and those who shared in their ministry gave the Corinthian believers good reason to be assured of the truth of their teaching. It was from their hearts and was given out of concern for their eternal well-being. They never asked for money and did not covet popularity. It was obvious to those believers that what they did was honoring God. Our love and respect for God cannot be hidden, even though it comes from the heart. The external and physical appearance does not necessarily overshadow the hidden motives of the heart. Reverence for God and love for Christ begins within us and soon is able to be seen externally by facial expressions, tone of voice, and other forms of communication that reveal our respect for God, others, and our own self-respect.
Christ’s love extends to every person in the world. He died for all making it possible for us to die to our old lives and live pleasing to Him who died for us and rose again. His love for us motivates us to love Him. The love those early servants of the Lord had for the Lord, and His love that was in them towards other people, motivated them in their labors. They were "constrained," "compelled," and "held on" to the course of their ministry. They couldn't avoid the work they were called to because they were held to it by the bands of divine love. This is the highest possible motivation we can have.
We are united to Christ in His death and resurrection and have been made a new creation in Him. This new life is not lived for self-interest or outward appearances. When we consider all the blessings we have in Christ, what He has done for us, and what we owe Him, we will be glad to accept the pressures of the ministry of reconciliation. The Lord Jesus was an example to these men, and He is to us today. The motivating force that keeps us engaged in the ministry we have received is that He gave His life for me. Now what can I give to Him? There was no unselfishness in the Lord Jesus Christ when He died for me. He did not hold on to His glory when He willingly died for all.
Now those who serve Him in the ministry God gives, do so to please Him out of love for Him. We want to bless others in His name because His love for them has been put into us. The life we live now is "through Him," "for Him," and we will be "with Him." He died for us so that we might share in the new creation. The fear of the Lord is a great motivating factor in the ministry of reconciliation. Love for Christ is another great motivating factor that keeps us committed to the work to which we are called. There is yet another factor: we have been called to, and given this work by our Lord Jesus Christ. He has commissioned us to do this work.
A new creation has a new nature that is complete, distinct, and transformed into a new way of living. We have a new family in Christ, a new set of values to live by, and new motivations to challenge us to press ahead in spiritual things because life is new. When a person is born again, they have been given new life. This is not a make-over or a restoration project of the old life. This commission has been passed on to those who have new life in Christ. This is more than dropping off old sinful habits. This is not self-motivation to try to reform ourselves. This is a new creation in which we now live in Christ, for Christ, and with Christ. The gratitude that comes when we are forgiven of our sins because Jesus died for them, starts us new from within our soul because a spiritual rebirth has taken place.
This new life brings a new aim in life. We want to please our Savior. There are new associations and a new attitude toward God, others, and myself because of this new life. We apply ourselves to new activities, form new attachments, have new energy for living, and have a new calling as ambassadors for Christ. We work under a new covenant agreement and we have a new perspective on living. We associate with a new body of believers in a new fellowship. The ministry of reconciliation involves telling others they can be reconciled to God in spite of who they are or what they have done. The Lord Jesus Christ made this possible because our sins have been imputed to Him and He dealt with them justly and forever. Our new life and acceptance of God’s grace need to be constantly affirmed.
This is not a mere turning over a new leaf like some do on New Year's Day. This is not some passing fad or some religious novelty that has us chasing after some smooth-speaking man who may fail under the pressures of the world, the flesh, and the devil when they join forces against them. This is a whole new way of life that looks at people and sees them as God sees them. We look at the Lord Jesus Christ by faith, and we love to yield to His authority, learn from His wisdom, and submit to His leadership. This new view, this new perspective, changes us to reflect in our lives on what it means to be a true child of God with the interest of the kingdom of God as the basis of our commitment.
We have been reconciled and brought back to God because we have been cleansed of our sins by the blood of Christ and are made righteous in Him. We belong to Him now, no longer strangers to His grace or aliens to His kingship. We have been reconciled to Him ourselves, and because of that, have now been given the privilege of reaching out to others with the ministry of reconciliation. What we have experienced has qualified us to tell others about this. We are now representatives of our sovereign Lord. This is no light thing, no trivial responsibility. We now speak to others in Christ's name, the highest possible authority, and bring the message of reconciliation to our generation.
The Lord Jesus Christ has given us His righteousness and has taken our sins. "He was made sin (a sin-offering) for us, who knew no sin." Our sin was on Him when He died. In turn, we have received from Him His righteousness and perfection that makes us accepted by God. When we accept Christ as our personal Savior from our sins, His righteousness is put into us, imputed to us, and becomes ours. What was worthless and evil, has been exchanged for what is of surpassing value and absolute perfection. What grace is this!! The substitution of Christ for us has made it possible for us to represent the kingdom of God to others. We have been reconciled to God by the death of His only begotten Son. Now we are sent out to rebellious people to tell them to be reconciled to God. He has done nothing to apologize to us, but in His grace has come near to every person who will call on Him out of a pure heart. It is up to those who are lost sinners to take a step toward Jesus and be reconciled to God.