The ministry of reconciling is not just a calling but also a life of prayer. We are charged with building the Kingdom of God through reconciling a lost and broken world back to Him. Jesus has been promoted in all authority because of what He has accomplished on the Cross. The completed plan of redemption enables the advancement of the Gospel in power, signs and wonders. And the greatest of all is seeing the harvest of souls that have been reached in the demonstration of the outpouring of the latter rain Glory [2 Cor. 5:17-21].
Ambassadors of Christ
We are ambassadors of Christ, and so, we are called to a ministry of reconciliation. Our ministry of reconciliation is to bring man back to God. This is done by imitating the works of Jesus and doing all that He has commanded. We are commissioned to represent Him and His righteousness on this earth, for we are representatives of our Father.
First, all men have to be fully reconciled from sin. He bore our sins on Himself to be judged by God, so that we don’t have to. The second step of reconciliation is to be reconciled from our natural life of the flesh. Because we are in Christ, we are now in our resurrection life.
He was made sin to be judged and so that all sin could be done away with by God that we may be made His righteousness. Romans 8 declares the Spirit of life, which is the law of life, has set us free from the condemnation and the death, or dominion, of the flesh because the righteousness of Christ has mastered and overcome the sin that it carries.
“For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” – Romans 6:14
Putting On the New Man
The process of reconciliation can be portrayed by the first veil called the “screen” in Exodus 26:37. The sinner is brought in by the atoning blood to enter the Holy Place by passing through this screen. The second veil [Ex. 26:31, Heb. 9:3] was the separation between God, who is in the Holy of Holies, and man. But, through the finished work of the Cross, we now have direct access to God through Jesus!
Many are saved from sin, but they still need to control their flesh. We control our flesh by crucifying it daily. Putting on the new man and removing the old man (fleshly desires), is like stripping off old bark from a tree. Or like a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly. Through this process we are changed from Glory to Glory!
The condemnation of the flesh, which wants to dominate us, has been overcome as we live a life in the Spirit. Paul tells us to come into the fulness of the maturity of the Covenant, and to be presented as perfect and fully grown in Christ, the hope of glory [Col. 1:27-28].
Sin originates from satan as he was the first to rebel against God [Is. 14:12-14] and as a subsequence, sin entered man [Rom. 5:12]. Now satan’s goal is to turn God’s creation against Him; to hate, to judge, rebel, and point the finger of accusation. But God already had a plan in place! Before the foundation of the earth was laid, God constructed the perfect plan of redemption to be executed through His son, Jesus. This glorious plan is the reversal of all that is evil.
Once redeemed, hate turns into love, judgement into forgiveness, and rebellion to obedience. Be reconciled back to God!
Now, we, in prayer, have the same assignment to point the finger of forgiveness, love, and salvation to a world in darkness. As believers, we should walk triumphantly through this life knowing with assurance that the condemnation of the flesh has been dealt with once and for all. Therefore, we walk in our spiritual inheritance described in Romans chapter 8 — in complete victory. What a perfect salvation!
Righteousness, the Purest Form of Holiness
He who knew no sin was made sin, so that through Him, we are made His righteousness. We, who had no right standing with God, who were unclean, evil, and ungodly are made holy through the sacrifice of Jesus. It is only through Jesus that we obtain righteousness. No amount of work, effort, or tradition could ever get us right with God.
He was sinless, guileless, pure and holy, and yet He was accounted for with our sin. Meaning that every sin was accounted for to be reconciled like a balancing sheet. God’s righteousness is completing the perfect work of redemption in us, giving us the assured confidence and boldness to go to the Throne Room of Grace to ask and receive our ANSWER!
The resurrection is the “signed, sealed and delivered” document of the agreement that we have been made, like the Author, to come into existence — TO BE MADE HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS IN HIM!
