JMA Missions Mid-Month October 2024
The Great Commission in
2 Corinthians
Continuing our series on the Great Commission throughout the New Testament!
The Ministry of Reconciliation
2 Corinthians 5:18-21, 18"Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19that 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. 20Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. 21For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."
This is Paul's second (or maybe third) letter to the church at Corinth. In it, he is very personal, very open about his concern towards them, not only because of the spiritual responsibility he has in that he introduced the Gospel to them, but he considers them his 'fellow workers' (ch1:24). The letter on the whole reveals a depth and a history of relationship between the missionary and the indigenous people in whom he has invested a large part of his life, and they in him.
So, the first missions lesson we should receive here is that the Great Commission is not a religious exercise, or an attempt to 'fulfill' some end times nonsense view that speeds the second coming of the Lord (let the reader do their own research!!).
Paul set the example for missionaries with the Corinthians. These people were not a statistical target group. Whatever his original reasons were for going to Corinth, these people had become family to Paul, and he also to them. That is heart of missions, the heart of the missionary, and the beauty of the godly relationship that is the basis for, and the product of the ministry of reconciliation.
v18, 'Now all things are of God', in the context of ch5:17, this is all the new things provided in Christ; 'who has reconciled us to Himself'. The word translated 'reconciled' is Gk: katallasso, it carries the same idea we use in banking or finances, or money exchange, to reconcile or balance the books. Paul maintains this idea throughout this passage.
v19, 'that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself', this is the work Jesus did at Calvary, He provided all the 'spiritual financial capital' needed to redeem the books, to wipe out all debt, all penalty, all stain, the sins of the whole world were put upon Him. 'not imputing their trespasses to them', He saw our helpless condition and He made a way! 'and has committed to us the word of reconciliation', this word is at the heart of the Great Commission.
v20, '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.' This is the missionary calling, we are being sent as ambassadors for Christ. Note here how the message is represented- 'as though God were pleading', Gk, parakaleo, to beseech, invite, to exhort. 'we implore you', Gk, deomai, also beseech, to pray, implore. 'be reconciled to God', in other words today is the day of salvation (ch6:2), come to Him and get the books balanced! Missionaries are called to live out their own personal experience of reconciliation and redemption openly and honestly 'with' and 'in front of' the people to whom they are sent. Discipleship is built on a foundation of relationship with God first, and with each other.
v21, this is the best part of the Gospel and of the new covenant. We have better promises, with a better Mediator, and a far better inheritance. This is my paraphrase of this verse: God made Jesus, Who knew no sin to become sin for us, so that we who knew no righteousness can not only know it, we can become it, through the reconciliation Jesus provided; we can trade our old things for His new things; we can trade our guilt and shame for His healing and deliverance; we can trade our old, broken, calloused heart of stone for a new and living heart of flesh.
This is the ministry of reconciliation. This is the Great Commission.
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