Ministry of Reconciliation

Living a Life That is Worthy of Christ's Sacrifice

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Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 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. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:17-21)

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Some ten years ago, I sent an email that would quietly but decisively alter the course of a friendship. It was simple, ordinary, unassuming and yet, in hindsight, I see it now for what it truly was: a Spirit-orchestrated expression of the ministry of reconciliation entrusted to every believer.

The friend in question was dear to me, yet our relationship, once marked by brotherly affection had become clouded by quarrels, wounded pride, and unspoken resentments. Shared living had only deepened the fault lines. What once was warmth had cooled into silence, and we had resigned ourselves to the fracture. But then one small prompting from the Holy Spirit, one short email, nothing more than a one-liner congratulating him on a milestone achievement. No sweeping apologies, no elaborate explanations, just a simple act of reaching out, almost too small to notice, yet it carried the full weight of Christ’s love.

That love did what human effort could not. It softened hearts. It bridged the gap. It restored what was broken. Today, that friend is not only reconciled to me, but stands as a brother and a gospel partner. Whenever we recall how it began, we laugh because it was never supposed to be this way… except for the ministry of reconciliation.

This weekend, as I sat with him and his beautiful family, I was reminded again that this ministry is not theoretical, it is not merely doctrinal but personal. It is the call placed in the hands of every saint, to live as ambassadors of the King who reconciled us to Himself and now sends us to do the same.

The Message of Reconciliation

In this passage, Paul reveals a divine assignment given to every believer. It is the mandate from God to proclaim the message of reconciliation and to live within its sacred boundaries. This is the calling of every Christian: to serve as an ambassador of Christ, through whom God speaks and demonstrates His ultimate work of restoring the world to Himself. This ministry is not an optional extra in the Christian life; it stands at the very center of the Great Commission. That is why Paul pleads with such urgency on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.”

Earlier in 2 Corinthians 5, Paul writes:

“For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life.”

Paul takes great care to remind us that we are made for something beyond this life. Our time on earth is a temporary stewardship. Yet in this brief window, God has placed in our hands His own work, the ministry that flows from His heart to bring the estranged back to Himself through the atoning sacrifice of Christ.

This assignment has two parts. The first is to invite others into the same reconciliation we ourselves have received. The second is to live in a way that actively pursues reconciliation with one another. Paul’s tone is urgent because the time we have is short. Our lifetime is the only season for reconciliation as there will be none in heaven. When Christ returns, it will not be to restore us to Himself, that work is already complete. He will come to judge whether we have embraced His reconciliation and extended it to others. To be Christ’s ambassadors is to carry both His message and His manner. It is to call the world back to God and to one another while there is still time.

Reconciliation with God

We understand reconciliation in the context of human relationships. We think of friends mending differences, marriages being restored, families finding peace. Yet our understanding of reconciliation with God often falls short. To grasp it, we must see the hostility, the breach of trust, and the entrenched alienation our sin created. We must realize that these hostilities ended at the cross, in the crucified and risen Christ. To see this is to return, like the prodigal son, into the loving embrace of the Father.

Forgiveness and the forsaking of offenses, whether old or new, lie at the heart of Christ’s atoning death. A future free from old sorrows and past mistakes is not only possible but has already been purchased at the cost of His blood. This is why Paul writes, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation… All things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ.”

Simply put, God is the offended party, and He alone sets the terms of reconciliation. Those terms were nothing less than the sacrifice of Himself. Such benevolence has no equal in history. No other so-called god has ever set terms so costly to Himself and so merciful to the offender. Romans 5:7–8 captures it well: “Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person… But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Only when we understand this can we become true ambassadors for Christ, living out the ministry of reconciliation by calling others to accept the same peace we have received.

Pleading Through His Ambassadors

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.” These words are often misunderstood as arrogance, but Paul was speaking of ambassadorship, the reality that God pleads His case for reconciliation through His people, both in their words and in their example.

An ambassador represents a sovereign power, speaking not on personal authority but under instruction. Our dignity as ambassadors does not come from ourselves but from the One we represent. We are sent into foreign territory, and the whole earth is that territory. We live among strife, selfishness, and division, yet we are called not to conform to this world but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.

Forgiveness is at the foundation of our ambassadorship. Without it, we cannot carry the central message of the kingdom we represent. In a world of broken relationships and deep loneliness, we are called to restore what has been lost. Jesus made it clear in His Sermon on the Mount: before offering our gifts to God, we must first be reconciled to one another.

Too often, we offer worship while withholding reconciliation. Love is absent in hidden corners of our lives, replaced by resentment. Yet by God’s mercy, we can rebuild. We can take up our positions again, pleading the case of reconciliation. We can let His love rekindle our love for one another. Ephesians 4:26 warns us not to let the sun go down on our anger. For many, the sun has long since set, and we have lived in the cold darkness of unresolved conflict. God is calling us to let His light rise over our lives once more.

For me, I no longer remember the exact cause of the rift with my friend, but the joy of reconciliation remains vivid. This is the promise of salvation, that the offense can be forgotten, but the reconciliation will endure. As Prospero says in The Tempest, “Let us not burden our remembrance with a heaviness that is gone.” If there are quarrels we have allowed to linger for years, if pride has kept us from making peace, if we have withheld words of love or forgiveness, then now is the time. We must return to the love of God and the love of one another. This is the ministry entrusted to us, and this is the message we are called to carry to the world.

Prayer For Reconciliation

Father,

You are the God who reconciles and while we were still sinners, You reached for us in Christ, not counting our trespasses against us but embracing us with the love that cost You everything. You are the offended One, yet You set the terms of peace, and those terms were nothing less than the offering of Yourself. How can we not worship You?

Lord, I thank You for the reconciliation I have received through the blood of Jesus. Teach me to live as one who has been forgiven, washed clean, and made new. Let my life reflect the ministry You have entrusted to me, to call others into the same peace I have found in You.

Search my heart, O God. Expose any root of bitterness, any grudge, any quiet estrangement I have allowed to remain. Give me the courage to take the first step toward restoration, whether through a word, a gesture, or an act of kindness prompted by Your Spirit.

Make me an ambassador worthy of my calling. May my words and my actions plead for Your peace in a broken world. Help me to love as You have loved me, to forgive as You have forgiven me, and to restore as You have restored me.

Let Your light rise over every relationship darkened by offense. Let Your love be the foundation on which we rebuild and when my pride resists, remind me of the cross where You laid everything down so that I might be reconciled to You.

In the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, I pray.

Amen.