“Reconcile”

November 2020 – Grace & Truth Magazine

“Reconcile”

Looking up verses based on the same word can be a good learning experience, even if it is only the translated word rather than the Hebrew or Greek term. I am not a scholar of languages, so usually I just find verses with the same English word using online Bible software or a concordance.

In view of the Feature topic this month, “Disagreements Between Individual Believers,” I looked up the word “reconcile” in the New King James Version. One thing I noticed among the verses were the objects mentioned, to a “master” (1 Sam. 29:4), “brother” (Mt. 5:24), “neighbor” (Acts 7:27), “enemies” to God (Rom. 5:10), spouse (1 Cor. 7:11), the world to God (2 Cor. 5:18), the church to God (v.20), those “afar off” and “those who were near” – referring to Gentiles and Jews to God (Eph. 2:16) - and “all things” including those who were “alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works” to the Father (Col. 1:20-21).

We can be so thankful for the work of reconciliation God has done. Being enemies because of our wicked hearts and ways – even adversaries – we recognize that He could justly have said to us, “Away with you” (see Mt. 4:10). God would have been right to simply cast us away. However, that would not have satisfied the desire of His heart of love. This begs the question, “What about our hearts?”

Some of the passages mention the cost of God’s work in reconciling us to Himself: “by His blood ... through the death of His Son” (Rom. 5:9-10), “through Jesus Christ ... He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us” (2 Cor. 5:18,21), “His flesh” (Eph. 2:15) and “by [the Son] ... through the blood of His cross ... in the body of His flesh through death” (Col. 1:20,22). God’s work is above all. We fall far short in being reconciled in our relationships with others.

As believers, knowing the relationship we have been brought into with God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, we bow with thankful hearts. For those who have not accepted God’s offer of salvation and are not reconciled to Him, won’t you do so now? Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved (Acts 16:31)!

By Paul Alberts