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2 Corinthians 5:18, 19 - Ministry of Reconciliation.

2 Corinthians 5:18-19 (GW) God has done all 
this. He has restored our relationship with him 
through Christ, and has given us this ministry of 
restoring relationships. 19 In other words, God was 
using Christ to restore his relationship with 
humanity. He didn't hold people's faults against them, 
and he has given us this message of restored 
relationships to tell others. 

INTRODUCTION

   Understanding the character of God, 
knowing His goodness, Satan chose to follow his own 
selfish, independent will. This choice was final. 
There was no more that God could do to save him. 
But man was deceived; his mind was darkened by 
Satans sophistry. The height and depth of the love 
of God he did not know. For him there was hope 
in a knowledge of Gods love. By beholding 
His character he might be drawn back to God. 
   Through Jesus, Gods mercy was 
manifested to men; but mercy does not set aside 
justice. The law reveals the attributes of Gods 
character, and not a jot or tittle of it could be 
changed to meet man in his fallen condition. God did 
not change His law, but He sacrificed Himself, 
in Christ, for mans redemption. God was 
in Christ, reconciling the world unto 
Himself. 2 Corinthians 5:19. DA762 

God brings us back to himself (reconciles 
us) by blotting out our sins (see also Ephesians 
2:13-18) and making us right with him. When we trust 
in Christ, we are no longer God's enemies, or 
strangers or foreigners to him. Because we have been 
reconciled to God, we have the privilege of encouraging 
others to do the same, and thus we are those who 
have the "task of reconciling people to him." 
[Life Application SB] 

COMMENTARY PEARL

Ministry of Reconciliation
   The world abounds with people whose sin 
has alienated them from God. Christs 
sacrificial work has restored Christians to a love 
relationship with the heavenly Father. As Christians, we 
are appointed as ministers of reconciliation. 
Once Christ dwells within us, we become His 
ambassadors, and we entreat others to be reconciled to 
Him (2Co 5:20). We are Gods messengers of 
peace, urging others to return to God (Mt 5:9).  
   Sin breaks our relationship with God; it 
severs relationships with others as well. Broken 
relationships are the epidemic of our day. Sin alienates 
family members, separates friends, divides 
churches, and destroys marriages. Sin creates 
mistrust, jealousy, hatred, and greed, all of which 
devastate relationships. Only Christ has the remedy 
for the disastrous effect of sin on human 
relationships. As His ambassadors, we are to take the 
message of reconciliation to a broken, divided 
world. We urge reconciliation first with God, and 
then with each other.  
   How tragic when Gods messengers of 
peace harbor enmity toward each other. It is a 
travesty to carry a message of love and yet be filled 
with hatred. If there is someone whom you refuse 
to forgive, your message of reconciliation is 
hypocrisy. The evidence that you are a disciple of 
Jesus is that you love your fellow Christian (John 
13:35). In each of your relationships, make certain 
that your actions share the love and forgiveness 
that reflect what you received from God. Then you 
will not only speak the message of 
reconciliation, but you will live it as well. [Experiencing 
God Day by Day by Henry and Richard Blackaby re 
2Co. 5:18] 

Work for Reconciliation, Not Resolution
   When you want to repair a relationship 
where there is conflict, you have to focus on 
reconciliation, not resolution. 
   And theres a big difference between 
the two.  
   Reconciliation means reestablishing the 
relationship. It doesnt mean youll remarry your ex; 
it just means youre at peace with each 
other. 
   Resolution means you resolve every 
disagreement"and that just isnt going to happen. The truth 
is, there are some things in your marriage, your 
friendships, and your work relationships that youre 
just never going to agree on"because were 
all different. But you can disagree without 
being disagreeable. Thats called maturity. 
Thats called wisdom. Thats called being like 
Christ. 
   We can have unity without uniformity. We 
can walk hand in hand together without seeing 
eye to eye. My wife, Kay, and I have been 
married for more than 40 years, and we dont see 
eye to eye on a lot of things. But we walk hand 
in hand and support each other. We are at 
peace. 
   Heres what Ive learned from 
counseling married couples: If you focus on restoring 
your relationship, oftentimes the issue becomes 
insignificant. How many of your biggest arguments were over 
the smallest things? We fight about so many 
little things, but, in reality, the fights arent 
even about those things"theyre about bigger 
issues. Instead of trying to agree on every little 
issue, you need to get back to focusing on the 
relationship. 
   Theres a lot of conflict in the world. 
Earth is filled with wars, division, arguments, 
prejudice, racism, terrorism, and partisanism. And as a 
result, we have broken relationships. We have broken 
economies, broken governments, and broken marriages. 
And we have broken lives and broken hearts. 
   I challenge you as a believer to commit 
to becoming an agent of reconciliation in a 
world filled with conflict. Look for ways to bring 
people together rather than tear them apart. 
   The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:18-19, 
[God] has restored our relationship with him 
through Christ, and has given us this ministry of 
restoring relationships. In other words, God was using 
Christ to restore his relationship with humanity. 
He didnt hold peoples faults against 
them, and he has given us this message of restored 
relationships to tell others (GW). 
   If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, 
you have a ministry of reconciliation. Its 
your job to go out in society and say, Gods 
done everything to put you back in fellowship 
with him. Hes already paid for all your sins. 
You dont have to be his enemy. Hes not mad 
at you. Hes mad about you. Be reconciled to 
God. Be at peace with God. Then spread that peace 
to everybody else. [Daily Devotional by Rick 
Warren: https://pastorrick.com/devotional/] 

How Do You Forgive?
   In 1956, five American missionaries 
headed to the rainforest of the eastern Amazon in 
Ecuador to make a second visit to the isolated 
Huaorani tribe. The people had a culture of killing, 
and anthropological studies suggest as much as 
54 percent of the tribe died by homicide. 
   Soon after the missionaries got out of 
the plane, they were speared to death by members 
of the tribe. The brutal murders made news 
around the world and were on the covers of Life 
magazine, Time, and Newsweek. Many newspapers reported 
the deaths of these men, who included Nate Saint 
and Jim Elliot. 
   A couple years later, Elisabeth and 
Valerie Elliot (wife and daughter of Jim) and Rachel 
Saint (sister of Nate) moved into the Huaorani 
village to show love and forgiveness and minister to 
the people who had killed their family. 
Eventually, Mincaye, the leader of the tribe, and the 
five men who participated in the missionary 
murders all became Christians. 
   The kind of forgiveness that Elisabeth 
Elliot and Rachel Saint modeled doesnt make 
sense until you have been forgiven by God. Once 
youve experienced Gods forgiveness, how do you 
forgive? You do the four things that these women 
did. 
   Relinquish your right to get even. Romans 
12:19 says, Dont try to get even. Let God 
take revenge (CEV). Leave it up to God. 
Hell take care of it, and hell do a much 
better job than you ever could. 
   Respond to evil with good. How can you 
tell when youve completely forgiven someone? 
You can actually pray for God to bless the 
person who hurt you. The Bible says, Do good to 
those who hate you, bless those who curse you, 
pray for those who mistreat you (Luke 6:27-28 
NIV). 
   Repeat these steps as long as necessary. 
The book of Matthew records a conversation about 
forgiveness between Jesus and Peter: Peter came up to 
the Lord and asked, How many times should I 
forgive someone who does something wrong to me? Is 
seven times enough? Jesus answered: Not just 
seven times, but seventy-seven times! (CEV). 
Sometimes forgiveness is continual. 
   Rescue others with the Good News of 
Gods forgiveness. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 
5:18-20, God has done it all! He sent Christ to 
make peace between himself and us, and he has 
given us the work of making peace between himself 
and others. What we mean is that God was in 
Christ, offering peace and forgiveness to the people 
of this world. And he has given us the work of 
sharing his message about peace. We were sent to 
speak for Christ, and God is begging you to listen 
to our message. We speak for Christ and 
sincerely ask you to make peace with God. 
   Forgiveness is difficult. But it becomes 
easier when you stop trying to forgive on your own 
and, instead, forgive others because God has 
already forgiven you. [Daily Devotional by Rick 
Warren: https://pastorrick.com/devotional/] 

CLOSING THOUGHT

Harmony with God
   As a teacher of God's Word, it is not my 
job to preach amazing sermons that will impress 
people, but rather to share God's Word in such a way 
that they might desire to be brought into harmony 
with Him. God has brought us into harmony with 
Himself, and His desire is to work through us to do 
the same thing for the multitudes that are 
separated from Him and living in darkness. 
   What a great privilege it is to bring 
people to God! Life lived out of harmony with God 
is a miserable life. It is one filled with sin, 
darkness, fear, anger, confusion, and never-ending 
disappointment. it is one lived without the awareness of 
God. I remember living a life like that, and I 
will be forever grateful for the new life that 
Jesus has provided and brought me into. Let us be 
thankful today that we are aware of God and that we 
can come to Him without fear of rejection. 
   Let us ask ourselves this question: Are 
people being brought to God by my words and deeds? 
I pray that they are! We have an amazing 
opportunity to partner with God in the reconciliation of 
the lost people in this world. We are 
ambassadors for God, and as such, we represent Him in 
the earth today. God is making His appeal to the 
world through us (see 2 Corinthians 5:20). Working 
with and for God is the greatest privilege that 
anyone could ever have. Let the people around you 
see Christ shining through you today! 
   Father, I am excited to partner with You 
in the reconciliation of the human race. Grant 
me the grace to live my life in such a way that 
people would see You through me! Let my life today 
bear good fruit for Your kingdom. [My Time with 
God by Joyce Meyer] 

LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY 

2 Corinthians 5:17 - Becoming Friends With 
God (Reconciliation). 

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2008/20080901-1303.html 

2 Corinthians 5:17 - New Life in Christ.

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20200531-0902.html 

2 Corinthians 5:20 - Ambassadors for Christ.

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2019/20190830-1026.html 

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

https://abible.com/links/