2 Cor 5:16-21 Ministry of Reconciliation

Ministry of Reconciliation

2 Corinthians 5:16-21

People have more than once said “I’m just a regular Christian…followed by some version of the following...I have prayed the sinners prayer, I believe in Jesus, I come to church and tithe. I have a personal relationship with Jesus but I keep it just that…personal.

This text describes a regular Christian in the true sense of the word and confronts American one sided/personal versions of Christianity.

Christians, regular christians, are both new creations and ambassadors for Christ, cannot be one without the other.

Main Idea: As new creations, we embrace the ministry of reconciliation living and speaking as ambassadors for Christ.

Flowing from v. 14 “the love of Christ controls us” v. 15 “he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves” therefore...

All who are in Christ are inseparably new creations and ambassadors for Christ.

16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh.

Either a person is in need of Christ or a person who in Christ(your brother or sister)

Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Jesus is not a mere man…he is the incarnate Son of the Living God. He is Lord and Savior.

Christ and Christ alone is the sufficient and perfect sacrifice who died for our sake and rose again.

Because the power of the Cross and resurrection have been applied to the hearts and lives of every believer, the text says...

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

A radical and complete transformation has taken place. The old is dead and gone. The new which is living and eternal has come.

We cannot remake ourselves. We must be remade by God in Christ. (Seifrid 263)

18 All this is from God, both what Paul has just communicated and what he is about to write...

18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;

You must be reconciled to God before you can be given the ministry of reconciliation.

Those who have been reconciled to God through Christ have been given the ministry of reconciliation.

What does the ministry of reconciliation mean?

“reconciliation” assumes that a state of hostility exists between God and humans, who apart from God’s action are considered “sinners” and “enemies” (Rom 5:1-11). God acted to bring about reconciliation through Christ (Rom 5:1-2, 6, 8, 10-11; 2 Cor 5:19) and specifically worked through Christ to deal with the problem of sin (2 Cor 5:9), in order to bring people back into relationship with himself (cf. 1 Pet 3:18). (Guthrie 310)

This is God’s initiative and God’s work...

19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them,

...it is God who is the aggrieved party and man is the cause of the alienation. sins (verse 19) and sin (verses 21) are the source of the estrangement between man and God. (Barnett 115)

We would have never moved first unless it was on our terms. Heart is desperately wicked and no one seeks God…so Christ came and God brought all the redeemed into his plan...

Reconciliation was God’s idea… Not only is God the initiator of reconciliation; He is the agent through which the reconciliation came… God is the supply of His own demand… He is also the goal of reconciliation; [therefore,] the church has the responsibility of both being and doing. (Charlie Dates, Letters to a Birmingham Jail 176)

and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. entrusting…singular to us(plural) the message of reconciliation… we do not redefine the work and our role.

see both realities in 1 Peter 2...

1 Peter 2:9 ESV

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Church is an embassy…(Jonathan Leeman)

20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, word picture…normally lesser power to greater to plead their case. In this case, the great God to humanity to make the good news of reconciliation known.

As new creations, we embrace the ministry of reconciliation living and speaking as ambassadors for Christ.

20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. here the new creation and ambassador come together…God making his appeal through our changed lives…lives that reflect Christ. Jesus said... let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:16

the context clearly means speaking “making his appeal through us” the message of reconciliation. the message of Christ.

We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. we plead with you, urgency

motorcylce wreck in front of my house, pleading with driver of the car to get out as the flames were overtaking his car and the rider who was sitting up in the yard without a scratch. “I need to do better”

not based on what you do. Based on what you believe.

The message is that God is holy, man is sinful, God sent his Son, the sinless Savior who gave his life in place of ours....

21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

What an amazing statement…

Christ took our sin and made him to be sin…one author said he was the sinless sinner on the Cross.

Great exchange—Christ’s righteousness is ours. “become” new state of being.

We do not simply have righteousness from God, we are the righteousness of God as a result of being in Christ (see 1 Cor 1:30; 6:11). We are given his righteousness only as we are in him, and will be raised like him only if we live in him. (Garland 302)

2 Corinthians 3:4–6 ESV

4 Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

So What?

As a new creation, am I embracing the ministry of reconciliation by living and speaking as an ambassador for Christ?

Gospel ministry is service to others according to the dictates of Scripture in the name of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit for the glory of God.

The ministry of reconciliation is living and speaking the gospel as an ambassador for Christ for the sake and service of others.

Ephesians 6:18–20 ESV

18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

Am I clear on the gospel and with the gospel?

Colossians 4:2–4 ESV

2 Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. 3 At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— 4 that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.

May that be our prayer.

What is the clarity...

2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV

21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

We come to acknowledge what Christ has accomplished was necessary

If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. (Solzhenitsyn via Guthrie 319-310)

We come to remember what Christ has accomplished…Sacrifice and Substitute

We come to celebrate what Christ has accomplished… great exchange> He took our sin, we receive his righteousness.

We come to proclaim what Christ has accomplished…to our own hearts and to one another

Communion is for all who are trusting and professing salvation in Christ alone.

1 Corinthians 11:23–26 ESV

23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Let us pause, reflect, and receive…take both the bread and cup. I will lead us in prayer in a few moments.

Sing: Great are you Lord.

Offering

Sending of Ambassadors.

There is no greater task in the world than to be an ambassador for our Lord. We are sent. We have a message to deliver, for we are the result of that message. We once were like those still lost in sin—rebellious and disobedient, running away from God, spending our substance in the pigsties of the world. But God sent word through His Son, Jesus Christ, saying “Come home.” And He has given us the privilege of extending that invitation to others. (Owens 48)

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