This is part 6 of a 6-part series. View the entire series here.
And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to Himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to Him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And He gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making His appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. – 2 Corinthians 5:18-21 NLT
What Is Reconciliation?
Reconciliation is the restoration or bringing together of two or more things or people. Reconciliation presupposes that what is being brought together was previously connected and had at some point become separate.
Reconciliation is not merely bringing two things into proximity to one another. It’s measured by the harmony of the things being brought together. Only when the relationship between the two objects or parties has been restored would they be classified as having been reconciled. It’s important to distinguish that the term can be used both to indicate the steps taken to bring the things together (“they are reconciling their differences”) and the moment they accomplish this goal (“they reconciled their differences”).
What Does Reconciliation Mean in the Bible?
In the Bible, reconciliation is used to describe the restoration of God’s relationship with humanity. When God created humans in Genesis 1 and 2, our relationship is described as good––centered around learning from and walking with the Lord. He wanted to teach people the difference between good and evil, and then send them out into the rest of creation to bear His image. The same way that God brought the chaos on the face of the earth into order when He made the garden of Eden, we were to bring God’s order to the rest of the world.
But that plan changed when we sinned––when Adam and Eve chose to learn about good and evil their own way. Because of this sin, our eternal and good relationship with God was broken. Adam and Eve were sent off from the garden in order that they not spend eternity in their broken state (Genesis 3:22-23).
But God’s plan was always to repair our relationship with Him. When cursing the snake––the one who deceived Eve and convinced her to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge and good and evil that God had prohibited––God made an indirect promise to save mankind (Genesis 3:15).
The crushing of the snake in Genesis 3 is a symbol for God punishing evil and restoring the goodness of the garden that was lost through sin.
How Can We Be Reconciled to God?
The “offspring” indicated in Genesis 3 is a direct allusion to an individual that would come and bring restoration and reconcile God and humans. The Jews called this person the Messiah, “Anointed One,” the One they believed would come and liberate God’s people Israel from their oppressors.
But God’s intention in sending the Messiah was never to liberate people from worldly oppressors. His desire, as referenced in Genesis 3, was to free humanity from the spiritual oppressor––the Accuser, Satan. He did this in a way that was beyond consideration by the Jews: He sent His one and only Son, Jesus, to rescue humanity from sin and death.
Jesus took on humanity, living a perfect life in order to be able to lay His life down as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. But Jesus didn’t stay in the grave. He rose into new, resurrected life in a glorified body. And it’s by believing that Jesus died for our sins, as the Rescuer foretold in Genesis 3, and rose from the grave that we can be reconciled with God. Because Jesus died for the sins that separated us from God, we can now enter back into His presence with a restored, harmonious relationship.
What Is the Difference Between Reconciliation and Redemption?
While reconciliation and redemption have some crossovers, their differences are worth noting. Both deal with the problem of sin and its interference with our relationship with God. However, redemption, meaning to buy back, refers to Jesus paying the price for sins. Reconciliation is the restored relationship we have with God as a result of redemption.
Reconciliation is only possible because Jesus Christ redeemed us. Jesus’ death was sufficient to redeem anyone who accepts His free gift of salvation, but reconciliation only happens for those who are saved by grace through faith in Jesus.
What Is the Difference Between Reconciliation and Justification?
Like reconciliation, justification is related to our relationship with God. The notable difference is that justification is about God’s declaration of our holiness in His sight. Reconciliation is the restoring of our relationship and ability to have fellowship with Him because we have been made holy. Both are possible as a result of Jesus being the propitiation for our sins.
Justification is related to God’s mercy and how He forgives us of our sins. Reconciliation is related to God’s grace and how He lavishes us with love in a personal, ongoing, and eternal relationship with Him.
God’s Plan for Reconciliation
The Bible tells that God is long-suffering, allowing humanity to carry on before making a new heaven and earth. This patience is not so we might continue in sin, but an opportunity to bring as many people to Himself as possible (2 Peter 3:9). Jesus’ final words before His ascension have been memorialized as The Great Commission, wherein Jesus gives us this charge to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20).
Those who have been reconciled to Christ are called to participate in God’s ministry to reconcile people to Himself (2 Corinthians 5:18-21). Reconciliation restores the most important relationship we have––and it’s a relationship we should want everyone to find, too.
