What could be more radical than the Son of God, “who being in the form God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men, And being found in the appearance of man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of a cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8 NKJV)
And why did God do this? 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 (NKJV ) tells us.
“Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.”
What is the definition of ‘reconciliation’? ” Reconciliation is the process by which God and man are brought together again. This is made possible through the blood of Jesus which demonstrates the power and the model for reconciliation.” (New Spirit Filled Life Bible)
Is this what is being offered by our political and educational leaders in our nation? Is this the method by which opposing factions are going to come together as a united people in our nation?
Man’s Way of Radical Reconciliation is not based upon God’s Way of Reconciliation. God’s Way is by the way of the cross in which through death comes life; Man’s way is by way of a change of thinking through which will come a new understanding.
Man’s Radical Reformation is a deadly poison. It is anti-biblical; and, if left unchecked, it will destroy our nation, our culture, and our people. As I alluded too in the previous blog, the fact that I am writing such an analysis is in direct opposition to what is being proposed throughout our nation politically, educationally, and culturally. Such rhetoric will cause me to be labeled by some as a racist, ignorant, and out of touch with the nuances of our progressive culture. So be it. Go back and read the first three paragraphs again. Allow that truth to sink in and be your bedrock of thought as you proceed.
God has completed the work of reconciliation through Christ’s death, burial and resurrection. Christ’s death on the cross, and the shedding of His blood is the ‘once and for all’ sacrifice required to reconcile God and the human race. (See Hebrews 9:23-28; Hebrews 10:11-18)
The Apostle Peter in I Peter 3:18,(NKJV) summarizes Christ’s ‘once and for all’ sacrifice with these words, “For Christ suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the Spirit.”
Radical Reconciliation, done man’s way, cannot and will not accomplish by the works of man, by man’s intellectual thought, or by man’s means of financial reparations, achieve the goal of bringing mankind together. Why not?
Because reconciliation requires a change of the heart. Now, that is ‘radical’! Mankind cannot change the heart. Only God can change the heart of His creation. That is why man’s attempts to bring about reconciliation is total futility. Should mankind abandon all attempts to bring about understanding, peace, or agreement between nations and peoples? No. God is Sovereign over all the nations of this world and He is directing the affairs of the nations and its leaders. But humanity, attempting reconciliation apart of from their Creator will not work.
In our nation, because reconciliation requires a change of heart, many of our political leaders, many of our educational teachers and professors, and many in our business sector want nothing to do with God; in fact, they are radically opposed to God; and they are jettisoning a philosophy that eliminates God from our nation, culture, and people. This has been in the process for many years; and now we are seeing the fruit of that philosophy on display in our everyday lives. Read the headlines.
Let’s revisit the foundation of our relationship with God based upon His Radical Reconciliation in Christ. Christ paid the complete price. Christ satisfied the wrath of God against sin. The cost of reconciliation was the shedding of His blood. Hebrews 9:22b (NKJV) says, “..without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin.” In the Old Testament, this principle was stated in Leviticus 17:11 (NKJV), “For the life of the flesh is in the blood and I have given it to you upon the altar to made atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.” This is what Christ did for humanity. Christ took on flesh. He was the Lamb of God offered to make atonement for our sin taking away the sin of the world. This was not man’s doing. This was God’s thought before the foundation of the world. The Apostle Paul, eloquently, by the power of the Holy Spirit, outlines this truth in his letter to the Ephesian church. See Ephesians 1:3-14. Ephesians 1:7 (NKJV) says, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace…” In Christ, we are reconciled to God. Coupling this thought with Ephesians 2:8 (NKJV),which reads, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Combining these two verses, there is no ‘wiggle room’ to bring about reconciliation man’s way. Any reconciliation requires God’s intervention in the natural or the spiritual.
The proponents of Man’s Way of Radical Reconciliation advocate an agenda attested too with cliches that lull us into believing that by adhering to their ways, listening to their rhetoric, and pursuing their works, man’s hearts will be changed positively toward one another, and the nation in which we live will experience peace, equality, and tranquility.
THIS IS A FALSE HOPE
Only the blood of Christ, applied to the sinful hearts of mankind, can bring about forgiveness and reconciliation with God; and then the possibility exists for a true reconciliation to begin and grow between human beings.
Would that be a Radical Reconciliation? Absolutely, but it must be done God’s Way not man’s way.
This is the foundation that must be established, if we are to proceed with an understanding of the role of the Church in the hour in which we are living.
THERE IS HOPE
Only the blood of Christ and the forgiveness of sin can bring about the change of heart that is necessary to be first reconciled to God and then to be reconciled to one’s fellow man and woman. Would this make it possible for a radical reconciliation among us in this nation? Absolutely, as long as it is done, God’s Way. This is our basis of HOPE.
Jesus is our Hope, a sojourner in Christ, deo
Living Words of Encouragement 