Cross My Heart: Meditations for Holy Week - Wednesday: Reconciliation with God
Reading: Romans 5:6-11
For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Reconciliation with God begins with God's unwavering desire to bridge the chasm between us caused by our sin. How could it be otherwise? Just look at the words Paul employs to describe our situation - helpless, ungodly, sinners, enemies; what a disaster had overtaken us. Nevertheless, God made us the objects of his mercy out of sheer grace and love.
Romans 5:9-11 reveals the depths of God's love, demonstrating that Christ died for us while we were still sinners. This act of supreme sacrifice underscores a pivotal truth: reconciliation is not a human achievement but a divine gift. God initiates this process, reaching out to humanity with open arms and offering forgiveness through the sacrifice of His Son. This divine initiation is further emphasized in 2 Corinthians 5:18-19, where we read that “God, was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, not counting our sins against us.” What a startling view of God’s grace. These passages affirm that God does not wait for us to make a move - we wouldn't do so in any case, trapped in antipathy to God and his glory.
By bearing the weight of our sins and enduring the penalty that rightfully belonged to us, Christ rendered the ultimate sacrifice, paving the way for our reconciliation with God. This atoning work is not merely a transaction; it is the manifestation of God's profound love and grace towards humanity. Through Jesus' blood, we are justified, spared from God's wrath, and granted the recovery of a relationship with our Creator that sin had severed.
One of the most remarkable graces accompanying our reconciliation with God is our adoption into his family. This transformation elevates us from a state of estrangement and slavery to intimacy and sonship - becoming children of God, co-heirs with Christ. Paul will go on to write that we have been given the Spirit of adoption, enabling us to call upon God as "Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15-17). This intimate relationship with the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ affirms our identity as beloved children, fully integrated into the divine family with an incomparable inheritance shared with Christ himself. This adoption is a testament to the breadth of God's grace, extending beyond the boundaries of forgiveness to encompass a complete restoration of relationship, where we are not only reconciled but embraced as part of the community of the Trinity.
Being adopted into God's family entails more than a restored relationship; it involves sharing in the inheritance of Christ Himself. As joint heirs with Christ, believers are promised a share in His glory, a future of unimaginable blessing and honor in the presence of God. This inheritance is not earned; it is a direct consequence of Christ's atoning work and our reconciliation with God. It speaks to the profound generosity of God's grace, ensuring that those who are reconciled to Him through faith in Christ stand to inherit eternal life, joy, and peace in the Kingdom of God. This promise of shared glory further solidifies the depth of our reconciliation, marking not just a return to favor with God but an elevation to a place of honor within His eternal family.
When I consider the depth and breadth of God’s reconciling initiative, which turns his enemies into family and slaves into sons, the NEB translation of 2 Corinthians 5:18 especially moves me: “From first to last, this has been the work of God.”