Taking a look into another block in the foundation of our faith we shall learn about the change of the relationship between God and man through the redemptive work of Christ.
- Reconciliation in the Greek
- Reconciliation (katailage, Gk. S# 2643) - to change. A change from a state of enmity to one of friendship. It is the result of the divine act of salvation, the ceasing of God's wrath.
- Katallasso (Gk. S# 2644) - Used of the divine work of redemption, denoting that act of redemption in so far as God Himself, by taking upon Himself our sin and be coming an atonement, establishes that relationship of peace with mankind which the demand of His justice have hitherto prevented. It implies that God has laid aside or withdrawn wrath.
- There are three aspects of this change which we shall study further.
A reconciliation of persons between whom there has existed a state of enmity. Reconciliation is God exercising grace toward man who is in enmity because of sin, establishing in Christ's redemptive work the basis of this changed relationship of persons (2 Cor 5:19). That this reconciliation is the burden of God is shown by Roman 5:10 where it is suggested that even while we were enemies, God reconciled us to Himself through the death of His Son.
Rom 5:10
10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.(KJV)
This changed relationship, however, is possible only because of the changed status of man, not in God. God is never said to be reconciled to man, but man to God since it is man's sinfulness which creates the enmity (Col 1:21, Rom 8:7). This enmity precipitates God's wrath (Eph 2:3, 5) and judgment (2 Cor 5:10) which is allayed only through the death of Christ (Rom 5:10) who knew no sin, but because sin for man that we might receive his righteousness as the basis of reconciliation.
- A reconciliation of condition so that all basis of the enmity relationship is removed and a complete basis of fellowship is established (2 Cor 5:18-20, Eph 2:16). Appokatalasso (Gk, S#604) denotes a movement out of and suggests that since man is redeemed through the righteousness of Christ he is redeemed out of his condition of unrighteousness and thus reconciled to God in this new relationship. The grace of God assures the reconciled man that the grace basis replaces the sin basis and that he is established before God in a new relationship.
- A reconciliation arising out of the change in man induced by the action of God. Reconciliation arises therefore, out of God, through Christ, to man, so that not only may the barriers to fellowhip existing in sinful man be removed, but the positive basis for fellowship may be established through of Christ imputed to man (Rom 5:11, 11:15; 2 Cor 5:18 and Eph 2:5).
The definitive basis for reconciliation rests both in what God does in annulling the effects of sin in man so that no enmity exists, and in what he does in creating a redeemed nature in man with which he can have fellowship. Reconciliation is always pre-eminently God working in man to change the basis of relationship. Yet, men are both given the ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor 5:18) and invited to be reconciled to God. From his position of being reconciled, as accomplished as fact, man is to turn to God to respond to the new relationship in faith and obedience.
Even though the sufficient ground of reconciliation is established in the completed redemptive work of Christ, reconciliation is the basis upon which the continued fellowship is established.
**Note: Some of the study material presented herein comes from Clarence Bass.
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