Are You Reconciled? 

An Adult Devotional

"If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Christ . . ." 2 Corinthians 5:17-18.

Reconciliation, what a wonderful word! It describes how two parties are brought back into a right relationship; namely, God and sinful people.

Merriam-Webster defines reconcile as:

* to restore friendship or harmony
* to settle or resolve differences
* to bring into agreement
* to balance an account

Because of sin, our relationship with God was broken. But through Christ's death on the cross, the penalty for our sins was paid, and we were reconciled to God, restoring the relationship that sin had broken.

"For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!" Romans 5:10.

God took the initiative because He loves us. He made the first move. "While we were still sinners," that is, while we were still His enemies, "Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). He restored our relationship before we could do anything to deserve it or earn it. More than that, He made us His children, members of His royal family.

"Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God" John 1:12.

The word reconcile is also an accounting term. To reconcile an account means to balance it so that every debt is paid.



"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23)

Had Christ not reconciled us to God, our debt could never have been paid. We would remain spiritually bankrupt. But Jesus, who knew no sin, bore our sins on the cross. He paid our debt and reconciled our account. Through Him alone, our debt has been fully satisfied.

Paul illustrates this truth through Abraham's faith:

"Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed... being fully persuaded that God had power to do what He had promised... 'It was credited to him as righteousness.' The words 'it was credited to him' were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness. . . " Romans 4:18-24.

Having been reconciled to God through Christ, we are called to reflect His grace in our relationships with others. Just as God took the initiative to reconcile us to Himself, He calls us to pursue peace and reconciliation with others whenever possible. We cannot control another person's response, but we can make the first move, extending the same grace God first extended to us.

Prayer: Dear God, thank You for reconciling me to Yourself through Jesus Christ. Thank You for paying my debt through the sacrifice of Your Son. Help me to reflect Your grace by taking the initiative to seek peace and reconciliation with others. Amen.

Copyright 2012 SA Keith
SundaySchoolNetwork.com

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