The Ministry of Reconciliation

Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation 2Cor. 5:18

In apostolic times the disciples preached the Ministry of Reconciliation, which consisted of repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21). Christ commanded that this ministry be preached to all Nations, beginning in Jerusalem (Lk. 24:47). The disciples were eye witnesses of these things and obeyed to the letter! They DID NOT reason in their minds that the covenant of grace suddenly meant God wasn't any longer concerned with sin because everything had been taken care of on the cross. They didn't travel the countryside telling people to trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ for their salvation. Nor did they EVER imply to ANYONE that their Future Sins were already forgiven in advance. Yet today THIS is the COMMON message of so-called "Christian" Ministers!

The apostles ministry was simply repentance and faith BOTH PROVEN by DEEDS! (Acts 26:18-20). They NEVER separated the deeds of faith from the act of repentance because they clearly understood the nature of divine reconciliation. That it was NOT based on some kind of substitution or mysterious transfer taking place, BUT a Restoration of Favor determined on CONDITIONS! God had granted man "favor" (grace) so he could now approach the mercy seat of "Reconciliation" on CONDITION of a repentance that included NOT merely a "change" of mind, but most important a STOPPING of sin!

In this, reconciliation between God and man can take place based on a CLEARING OF WRONG DOING (2Cor. 7:10-11); literally meaning, "To sit again with". The wronged party (God) offers (grants) the guilty party (You!) an opportunity to clear the slate and start over. The wrong doing (sin) is satisfied (appeased) by the blood of Christ (The Sinless Victim). The blood is applied to penitent soul to PURGE the conscience and purify the heart (Heb. 9:14).

Anything short of this, salvation or redemption becomes merely a NOTION or something accepted in the mind or intellect, and thus NOTHING really changes inside. This is why so many people who consider themselves to be Christians on their way to heaven, covered by grace and forgiven in advance, remain vile and contrary to Biblical truths. To them the "Atonement" (reconciliation) happened at "one time" (long ago) and thereby satisfied God's wrath against sin by making Jesus sin, punishing Him and then transferring the accomplishment He provided to anyone who TRUSTS that it has taken place.

Therefore, by means of these false beliefs, the necessity of "Reconciliation" by clearing yourself of wrong doing is NO longer thought to be required and thus the person is supposedly forgiven by virtue of what has been PROVIDED by God, and NOT by meeting any CONDITIONS set forth by Him. The concept of "Atonement" (and the word itself) had to be INVENTED in order to support this.  Were it not for this false concept, people would be properly and necessarily subjected to a prolonged "crisis of conviction" for their sins and a "season of godly sorrow" during which their efforts would be to become CLEAR of wrongdoings, as is laid out as a requirement by Scripture (2 Cor. 7:11).

Although these are the EXACT DEEDS spoken of in the Bible as the ministry of reconciliation, man has chosen another path to redemption that renders these requirements null and void. Under the corrupted system, "repentance" (if even mentioned at all) becomes merely a "confession" of sinfulness and faith becomes a passive trust that Jesus paid the price for your sins.  Resultant of these errors, the STOPPING of Sin (true repentance) is not an issue any more, only trust and confession. The clearing and restitution are therefore OUT of the question and condemned as WORKS!  The DEEDS of repentance and faith are in effect thrown to the wind as is the ministry of reconciliation, whereby man is to experience forgiveness and a right standing with God.

The truth is, man must be reconciled to God (not God to man). God CANNOT extend His forgiveness for sin while you continue in it.  If sin can be forgiven "In Process" (as most people believe it is), the WORD "Reconciliation" would have to be removed from the Scriptures-- or better yet, Re-defined to mean:  "Covered at One Time" (which it has)! In this manner, the death of Christ is not a "Sin Offering" granted to give man a chance to be reconciled on condition of repentance, BUT a "Provision" that includes a transfer (imputation) of the sin from you to Christ and automatic forgiveness of sin, Past, Present and Future!

Thus the word "Atonement" was invented to facilitate this error in the early 1500's by William Tyndale, a "Protestant" reformer from England, who naturally despised and opposed the teaching of Catholicism that required Acts (works/deeds) of "Reparation"  (making amends, restitution, clearing) BEFORE forgiveness could be granted.  The early Protestants saw this as an unnecessary part of redemption because the sacrifice of Christ had, in their minds, already provided the means (or works) as part of His death on the cross. Faith (or mere believing or trust) was to them thought the ONLY necessary element required of man to partake of this great gift and thus be saved.

The great error on BOTH SIDES (Catholic and Protestant) was substituting the true DEEDS of repentance with something entirely un-Biblical, which God NEVER intended.  For the Catholics they replaced the DEEDS of repentance with RITUALS and Sacraments such as praying the rosary to clear the sins, and visiting the confession booth, but NOT the actual STOPPING of the sins! The Protestants, in an extreme attempt to oppose Catholic doctrine, entirely eliminated the need for ANY DEEDS whatsoever by inventing the notion that Christ PROVIDED it for them ("faith only")! Thus, the sin NEVER stops, but the person is supposedly forgiven nonetheless.  In this system of false repentance, forgiveness and remission of sins is NOT granted, but instead euphoria and the numbing of the conscience takes place because the person thinks they have been saved -- and the person heads straight down the road to perdition.

This corruption and destruction of the Ministry of Reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18) has deep roots in "Christian" history. It goes as far back as the eleventh century to a theologian named Anselm of Canterbury.  Anselm (not the Bible!) developed the Satisfaction view of the Atonement, which views God as a Holy and Sovereign ruler to which mankind owes a debt because of sin. Therefore as a King He could forgive this great debt but NOT without His doing a great harm to His Kingdom. Thus, according to this view, the debt had to be SATISFIED before pardon could be granted. That's where the false notion of the Penal Substitution of Christ came in. He supposedly received the punishment due the sinner and thereby satisfied the wrath of God once and for all, by becoming sin and being cursed. They then took this belief further into error by adding the LOVE dimension to it, not long after in the twelfth century.  Here it is assumed that God in His great love for mankind (John 3:16) sacrificed His only Son on the cross as a moral influence toward man to motivate him into service out of gratitude for this great act. 

ALL of this is a far cry from the Ministry of Reconciliation taught by the apostles in the early church. To them repentance was a "scrubbing," "clearing" and the "casting out of doors" of all defilement, ignorance and sin -- BEFORE pardon could be granted and the Holy Spirit given. Saint Mark called Christ's sacrifice a "Ransom for many" (Mk. 10:45). Whether he meant this in a metaphoric sense that God purchased the souls of man from the bondage of sin, or literally paid ransom to Satan is not known. The early disciples who followed the original apostles were mixed in their understanding of this passage. But during the first two hundred some-odd years of Christian preaching, the reconciliation was the means by which God could rescue man from the corrupting influence of sin by freeing him from its bondage.

What man has done by corrupting the clear definition of the Reconciliation is seal his own doom. He has placed himself in a position where God CANNOT save him. He is "alienated" from touching the blood of Christ and has in effect trampled it to the ground!  In the corruption of this doctrine, genuine repentance is rendered impossible because people are coming to God pre-supposing that He will pardon their sins in PROCESS!  The preachers make EVERY effort to PROVE this fallacy -- twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year -- and the ENTIRE system has been corrupted to support the lies and errors.

The truth is very simple and can free you from the bondage of and addiction to, sin. But for the most part it has been hidden from this present generation. Christ said only a FEW would find the narrow path to eternal life and many would not be able. The first step you need to take is GET OUT of the corrupted system you are in and into the WORD of God.  The longer you remain under the influence of these lies, the LESS likely it is you will EVER be saved.  If you don't care already, God help you before it's too late.

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For more information see: The Vicarious Death of Christ.