Forgiveness, not revenge, is a necessary ingredient to promote reconciliation.  Unfortunately, in our day, even forgiveness is not a well understood concept.  There are many people who claim to have “forgiven” someone who can, and frequently do, recite chapter and verse of the offense which they have “forgiven”.  C.S. Lewis said, “Everyone says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive.”   How would you like to spend an eternity being constantly reminded by The Supreme Being (the one true God) of every offense you’ve ever committed?  That would be … well, more like the other place than heaven.

Now, does that mean we need a couple of really long paragraphs here for explaining what forgiveness really looks like?  Actually I think our friends from the New York City area can sum up the definition for our purposes with their vernacular – “forgetaboutit”.  I like the way C.S. Lewis put it, “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.”

RECONCILIA’TION, n. [L. reconciliatio.]

1. The act of reconciling parties at variance; renewal of friendship after disagreement or enmity.

Reconciliation and friendship with God, really form the basis of all rational and true enjoyment.

2. In Scripture, the means by which sinners are reconciled and brought into a state of favor with God, after natural estrangement or enmity; the atonement; expiation.

Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression and to make an end of sin, and to make reconciliation for iniquity. Dan 9. Heb 2.

3. Agreement of things seemingly opposite, different or inconsistent.

— Webster’s 1828 Dictionary, Electronic Version, E-sword

  The very nature of God, His very being and essence is to be unchanging and unchangeable, as the Apostle James so eloquently states: “With Him there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”   That means we can trust Him, what He says He will do, will, in fact, be done and in the very manner He prescribes.

What should be crystal clear to each of us, unfortunately many today in our Biblically illiterate culture are unaware, nor is it politically correct to note, God might, without the slightest stain upon His own honor have left all mankind to suffer eternal destruction, for certainly we have no more claim upon His divine favor than had the fallen angels.  The fact that He did not immediately send the entire family of fallen man to irremediable woe was due solely to His imperial (sovereign) will.

“having predestined us to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, in which He made us accepted….” (Ephesians 1:5-6)

“who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before the eternal times.”  (2^nd Timothy 1:9)

The greatest wonder of all time is the Lamb of God being slain for the redemption and reconciliation of sinful man.  Man had gone astray; he had become the enemy and needed to make reparations or be reconciled.  God, the creator, would have been fully justified in wiping man from the face of the earth and beginning again – it was well within His capabilities and the angels would have continued to say, without missing a beat, “Holy and just art Thou, O God.”  As Moral Governor of this world and the Judge of all, He has a legal enmity against those who trample His Law beneath their feet.  Talk about Someone to whom reparations are due.  However, He chose to provide the remedy and He determined what that would be before He even began His creative work just as He has told us in His book the Holy Bible.  To reject His remedy is to refuse reconciliation and remain in a state of alienation.

  “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.  But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in His sight without blemish and free from accusation – if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.”  (Colossians 1:19-23)

“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)

This is where some confusion tends to creep in and we need to remember it is not that God is reconciled to man it is that man may be reconciled to God for that is the language of the New Testament which was also alluded to by the Old Testament in our holy scripture.

 All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Jesus The Christ.

  He has delivered us who once were, just like everyone else, children of disobedience (Eph 2:2).  The children of disobedience or pre-converted are incapable of doing a single thing which is pleasing in God’s sight because what they are doing, albeit ignorantly, is claiming “Jesus’ blood atonement is not necessary for my salvation; I can save myself through my own works or some other path of my choosing.”

  Heaven is not Burger King^tm; you get it God’s way, not your way.

 “God is angry with the wicked every day” (Psalm 7:11), “They are everyday doing that which is provoking to Him, and He resents it, and treasures it up ‘against the day of wrath.’ As His mercies are new every morning towards His people, so His anger is new every morning against the wicked, upon the fresh occasions given for it by their renewed transgressions.  God is angry with the wicked even in the merriest and most prosperous of their days, even in the days of their devotion; for, if they be suffered [permitted] to prosper, it is in wrath; if they pray, their very prayers are an abomination.  The wrath of God abides upon them (John 3:36) and continual additions are made to it.” (Matthew Henry, Electronic Version, E-sword)  “If He turn not, He will whet His sword” (Psalm 7:12) “What blows are those which will be dealt by that long uplifted arm! God’s sword has been sharpening upon the revolving stone of our daily wickedness, and if we will not repent, it will speedily cut us to pieces.  Turn or burn is the sinner’s alternative.” – C.H.Spurgeon

The destruction of the person at odds with God is assured; however, practically everyone is aware of the “grace note”.  God takes no pleasure in the destruction of those deemed wicked.  Therefore, even in the midst of the threatening of the wrath of God upon disobedient persons He holds forth the possibility that with repentance the reconciliation between man and God can take place.

  “In Adam all die”  (1^st Corinthians 15:22)

“For since death is through man, the resurrection of the dead also is through a Man.”  (1^st Corinthians 15:21)

“Jesus said to him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but by Me.”  (John 14:6)

“Sin is man’s declaration of independence from God” – Anon

“Our lives are a manifestation of what we think about God.” – ibid

“Before God can deliver us we must undeceive ourselves.” – St Augustine

“True repentance is to cease from sin.” – St Ambrose

“Born once, die twice; born twice, die once.” – Unknown

“There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, ‘Alright, then, have it your way.’” – C. S. Lewis