God in Christ Reconciling 2 Corinthians 5:19

Paul the apostle told the Corinthian church members he and his companions, “all things are of God, who has reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation”, and in chapter five and verse nineteen of Second Corinthians, Paul told the church members how Jesus, “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself” where we read:

To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and has committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

The verse begins, “To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them;” Paul began with the words, “to wit” which means “like or even as” “that God” or “so the Godhead bodily and trinity which is comprised of God the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit” “was in Christ” which refers to “the anointed One, the Messiah and the Son of God”, “reconciling” or “changing mutually, compounding a difference or exchanging, ” “the world” which means “the inhabitants of the earth or the human family” “unto himself” or “toward God Himself”, “not imputing” which means “not reckoning, counting, computing, calculating or counting over” “their trespasses” or “the inhabitants of the earth's sins, fault and offenses” “unto them” which refers to “the human family”. Paul shared how God was “exchanging or changing” the “inhabitants of the earth” to a relationship with Him because He no longer “calculated” their “sins” to themselves.

The verse goes on to say, “and has committed unto us the word of reconciliation.” Paul continued with the words, “and has committed” which means “God has set, put down and place” “unto us” or “to Paul and His companions” “the word” which means “the decree, mandate, declaration, aphorism, mighty saying, dictum and maxim” “of reconciliation” or “changing mutually, compounding a difference or exchanging”. Paul and his companions were charged and set in order to share God's “decree” of “exchange”.

When we think through these words of Paul, we understand how God's mission through Jesus Christ was to bring the inhabitants of the earth back into a relationship with Him. This “exchange” of the “old life” for “new” was not only experienced by Paul and his companions, but was also their “commission” by God Himself. When a person receives Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior, their “trespasses and sins” are no longer charged against them. Jesus died for their sins and the sins of the whole world, and when the gift of a “new life” for the “old” is received, the great “exchange” occurs and the person now realizes the need for others to know and receive Jesus as well. This is how God was “in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself”, and this message is worthy to be received by everyone who will believe and trust in Him.

Next time Paul tells the church members, “we are ambassadors for Christ”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then,

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.