|
|
|
|
Reconciliation
or
Peace
Accomplished by God the Father
|
|
|
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for reconciling or making a peace
treaty with mankind. Because of Adam’s sin, all mankind was
spiritually dead at birth. We were all charged with Adam’s sin and
there was a wall put up between You and us. We can’t get around
this wall by ourselves. We don’t have the power. However, Jesus
Christ came down from heaven and reconciled us to You. He had the
power. The salvation work of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross
removed the barrier or wall between You and us. All that we have
to do to take advantage of this reconciliation or peace treaty is
to believe the salvation work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Then
we can have peace!!
|
|
2
Corinthians 5:18 Now all these things are from God Who has
reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and has given to 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 [every man has been changed; they went from no hope
to great hope].
|
Father, at birth
You gave human life to the human soul. You have a purpose for each
member of the human race! Also at birth, You gave to our old sin
nature Adam’s original sin which made us spiritually dead.
Spiritual death means that we are totally helpless to have a
relationship with You, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. What
a catastrophe! Adam’s original sin, our old sin natures, and
spiritual death is what forms a barrier between the Members of the
Trinity and us. However, as always, You solved the problem!
 |
|
Romans 6:23 For the wages [payment] of sin is death, but the free
gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
|
|
You solved the problem of real spiritual death by the
substitutionary spiritual death of Jesus Christ on the Cross. This
means that Jesus Christ, in His humanity, received the penalty for
ALL of our sins when He was charged with them and judged by You.
He paid the price! Jesus Christ removed the barrier between God
and man!! He did what no other human being could do; He reconciled
all mankind!
|
|
2
Corinthians 5:14 For the love of Christ controls us, having
concluded this, that One died for all, therefore all died [the old
self]; and He died for all, so that they who live [believe in the
Lord Jesus Christ] might no longer live for themselves, but for
Him Who died and rose again on their behalf.
|
|
The barrier or wall that sin
put up is now down, and it is down forever! Sometimes in our
arrogance we think that there is something that we have to do to
keep the wall down. We think that we have to use our human power.
Our human power couldn’t move a pebble of the sin barrier! It has
all been done through Your divine power! There is nothing that we
do that will cancel reconciliation. There is nothing that we need
to do. You have done all of the work! We can be at peace knowing
that you have taken care of the sin problem!!
 |
|
Ephesians 14 For He Himself is our peace, Who made both groups
into one, and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall [the
wall between God and fallen man],
|
|
Father, at the cross all mankind was redeemed or
bought from the slave market of sin. Jesus Christ expiated, or
canceled the penalty of sin, which was spiritual death, for all
mankind. You were satisfied or propitiated with His payment.
Unlimited atonement, payment, was made for all! The entire human
race has been reconciled!! You have made peace with mankind. Now
it is up to us to accept the peace offering and believe in the
Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior. The question is, “What do we
think of Jesus Christ?”
|
|
 |
|
Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are you saved through faith, and that
not of yourselves; it is a gift of God, not of works lest any man
should boast.
|
|
Father, once we believe in Jesus Christ as our
Savior, we are placed in union with Him through the baptism of the
Holy Spirit. What a place to be! We are justified; You give us
Your righteousness, or goodness, +R. We don’t earn it or deserve
it. It’s a grace gift. We have a new nature, regeneration. So, as
believers, we are in union with the Lord Jesus Christ! We receive
justification, divine righteousness, and regeneration! What
wonderful gifts!
|
|
|
|
Romans
3:22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus
Christ to all who believe.
|
|
Father, at physical birth, we also have barriers
with people. Because of spiritual death, which is spiritual
separation from You, we are completely depraved and helpless. From
our old sin natures, we develop flaws and weaknesses. We also have
either inferiority or superiority complexes which put us in the
state of arrogance. A terrible state to be in! Always bad weather!
However, You also took care of that problem at the cross. Through
the work of Jesus Christ, You removed that barrier.
|
|
|
|
Colossians 1:20 And through Him [Son], to reconcile all things to
himself [Father], having made peace through the blood of the Cross
through Him [Son], whether things on earth or things in heaven.
|
|
Once we believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior, we
need to learn Bible doctrine so that we can grow in divine
knowledge and thinking. Jesus Christ, Who was treated the worst
that anyone could be treated, showed us the way! He always had
impersonal love! Bible doctrine will give us the capacity to know
You and love You. Once that is accomplished, we can treat others
with grace because of what is in our souls, not on how they treat
us. We will have impersonal love for mankind. The barriers with
others will be removed!
|
|
|
|
John
13:34 A new command I give you: Love one another [with impersonal
love]. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this
all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one
another.
|
|
You want us to keep growing in Your grace and
knowledge so that we can reach spiritual self-esteem. Then we’ll
be able to accept ourselves for whom You made us to be. You
forgave us our sins and give us grace. With spiritual self-esteem
we can recognize our flaws, accept them, and give grace to
ourselves. This helps us to accept others flaws and give grace to
them. We are to forgive ourselves and others. The barrier has been
removed between man and God, and man and man. What Jesus Christ
accomplished on the cross is reconciliation. All glory be to God!
Thank You, God!
|
|
 |
|
Romans 5:10 For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to
God through the [or by means of] death of His Son, much more,
having been reconciled, we shall be saved [delivered] by His life.
Matthew 6:14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you,
your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not
forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins..
|
|
You have given us the privilege to tell others
about reconciliation. We have the great news about the solution to
the sin problem. Christ, Your Son, became a man. This was a step
downward for Him. His substitutionary, spiritual death on the
cross was the price He paid for our reconciliation. This is the
news that can set us free! We can tell others about the peace You
have for all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. He took a step
downward so that we could take a step across the barrier of sin.
What a joy it is to tell others of this reconciliation or peace!
Glory to You God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit!
|
|
|
|
2
Corinthians 5:19-21 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 entreating through
us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made
Him Who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become
the righteousness of God in Him.
|
|
Reconciliation or Peace
Accomplished by God the Father
References used:
Robert R.McLaughlin Bible Ministries
www.gbible.org
The Basics, Volume
1, Robert R. McLaughlin
Lessons: 11-7-06,
11-14-06
|
|
