RECONCILIATIONSample

In the New Testament, the word reconciliation is starting to be more present and heavily mentioned. In today's short reading (Romans 5:10–11), the word appears three times, emphasizing the act itself that brought us back to God. In chapter 5 of the book of Romans, the Apostle Paul was preaching a new hope and a new peace that we can find in the assurance that we are saved through faith alone and not by the merit of our work. This is the true message of the kingdom of heaven, the very real opportunity to be united with God again. But why do we need to be united again? Why is it we need reconciliation? Glad you asked! Remember what happened in the garden of Eden? God created man and women to dwell with Him—within His presence—in the garden. Get this, we were created in His presence and for His presence. The moment Adam and Even sinned, humanity was cast away from the divine presence of God. We were cut off and fell short of His glory. The unity and connection we had with God were severed and ruptured. And that is where Christ comes in—to bridge the gap between us and God in a very real sense, to make a way for us to get to heaven, and, in a way, back to Eden. This perfectly describes the work of reconciliation and why it is so important that we are aware of our role in this ministry. Reconciliation can only come through Christ. When humanity sinned, we became God’s enemy. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be anyone's enemy, let alone God's. That is why we are so thankful for Jesus’ sacrifice because it was through His death and resurrection that we can now have everlasting life.