Chapter 38
"Therefore if
any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold,
all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to
himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not
imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of
reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did
beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For
he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the
righteousness of God in him."-- 2 Corinthians 5:17-21
A Glorious Promise
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:
old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (v.
17). Here is both a statement of fact
regarding all true believers and a glorious promise to all who shall trust the
Lord Jesus Christ. All who are in Christ
by the experience of God’s grace, in Christ by the new birth, in Christ by
faith, are new creatures in him.
This is a declaration
of reconciliation accomplished. In the context the Holy Spirit is not
describing the believer’s experience of regeneration. Certainly, the Holy
Spirit gives every called sinner a new heart, a new will, and a new nature in
regeneration. Christ is formed in his elect by the regenerating, sanctifying
grace and power of God the Holy Spirit. But in 2 Corinthians 5 sinners are
called to Christ and persuaded to come to Christ by the gospel declaration of
that which the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished for sinners at Calvary. 2
Corinthians 5:17 declares that all who come to Christ, all who trust him,
having been redeemed by him, are completely reconciled to God in him. If we
trust Christ, we are new creatures in him. Our old record of sin has been
thoroughly, completely purged away, forever eradicated from the books of law in
the court of heaven, and all things have become new. We have a new record in
heaven. It is a record of perfect righteousness (the righteousness of Christ
imputed to us) and complete satisfaction, by the blood of Christ shed for us.
Our sins cannot be found (Jer. 50:20) because Christ put them away.
In the preaching of the gospel we do not offer reconciliation to
sinners, or set before men terms and conditions of reconciliation. We proclaim
reconciliation accomplished. "And all things are of God, who hath
reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of
reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto
himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us
the word of reconciliation" (vv. 18-19).
Reconciliation began in eternity,
in the purpose of God. His thoughts toward his elect were thoughts of peace from eternity.
In so far as God’s purpose is concerned, this matter was settled in eternity in
the everlasting covenant of grace, and peace made between the three persons of
the divine trinity before the world began (2 Sam. 23:5; Rom. 8:28-31; Eph.
1:3-6).
This reconciliation, which was purposed of God from eternity, was
actually executed in time and accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ at Calvary,
who has reconciled us to God by his precious blood. In verse
nineteen Paul explains what was going on at Calvary when God sacrificed his own
dear Son in the place of chosen sinners. He says, “God was in Christ, reconciling the world (the world of his elect) unto himself, not imputing their trespasses
unto them.” The reconciliation accomplished by the shed blood of the Lamb
of God was a reconciliation made for sin and for sinners, to make atonement for
sin and to bring chosen sinners into an everlasting union of peace with God
(Dan. 9:24; Rom. 5:10; Eph. 2:16; Col. 1:20-22; Heb. 2:17).
This reconciliation, purposed by
God the Father and executed by God the Son, is effectually wrought and
established in the hearts of God’s elect when God the Holy Spirit speaks peace
to their hearts by the gospel. When he gives life and faith to chosen, redeemed sinners,
sprinkling their consciences with the sin-atoning blood of Christ, he
graciously causes those who are by nature children of wrath, even as others,
those who are by nature enmity against God, to be reconciled to him by the
blood of Christ (Col. 1:20-21). If you are in Christ, if you trust the Son of
God, it is because there came a time when God sent a gospel preacher to you to
proclaim to you the word of reconciliation in the power of his Spirit. Thereby
he reconciled you to himself. Had he not done so, you would yet be among those
who are haters of God.
In verses 20-21, the apostle Paul tells us of how God conquered
our hearts, subdued our spirits, brought us to our knees, and reconciled us to
himself. "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did
beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For
he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the
righteousness of God in him." It is by the revelation of Christ in a
sinner’s heart by the gospel that the Holy Spirit graciously and effectually
persuades chosen, redeemed sinners to come to Christ. Once Christ is revealed
in us in the day of his power, we are made willing recipients of his grace (Ps.
65:4; 110:3)
Since the sin and fall of our father
Adam, we are all by nature enemies of God
(Rom. 8:7; Eph. 2:3; Col. 1:21). “The carnal mind is enmity
against God.” This is just as true of
God’s elect in their natural state as it is of the reprobate. We are all by
nature haters of God, and as such, “children of wrath, even as others.”
We are all “alienated and enemies in our mind by wicked works,”
until God saves us by his grace.
First, the Spirit of God tells us that there is in every son and daughter of
Adam a heart of enmity against God. (Rom. 8:7). Every one of us is in his heart,
not only the enemy of God, but enmity itself against God. What does that mean?
It mans that all men and women by nature hate God. Our natural hearts of flesh
despise him. The very Being of God is obnoxious to fallen man. We all naturally
wish that he did not exist. The nature, character, and perfections of God are
odious to our proud flesh. We all naturally either deny or misrepresent the
attributes of his holy Being, and frame an image of him in our minds as one
altogether such as ourselves. The purposes and decrees of God, which men cannot
bear, they insolently denounce. The providences of God we charge with
inequality and unrighteousness, as though we were the judges of the Almighty!
The natural heart is no less insolent and hateful toward
Christ. Everyone loves baby Jesus in the manger. But everyone despises Christ
crucified. Man does not despise the fact that Christ died at Calvary; but all
men do, by nature, despise the gospel message of Christ crucified, the message
of the particular, effectual redemption of God’s elect accomplished by Christ
alone. Everyone loves the risen Jesus at Easter. But everyone despises the enthroned
God-man, the sovereign Monarch of the universe. His dominion, his offices, and
his ordinances, as presented in Scripture, man abhors.
The same thing is true of God the Holy Spirit.
We live in a day of such religious nonsense and foolishness that Pentecostalism
has become accepted as the norm of religion. That fact itself ought to tell us
that it is not of God. Everyone loves the spine tingling, tongue twisting,
trance enhancing spirit of antichrist. But f you speak to religious people for
just a few minutes about the sovereign Holy Spirit, whose grace and power are
always effectual, irresistible, and saving, you will discover that their sweet
disposition of religion is just a covering for the acid hatred they harbor in
their hearts against God. They do not know him. They will not receive him. And
those things taught and revealed by him they consider foolishness.
This hatred of God is manifest openly in the hatred of all
men for God’s saints in this world. John Gill
wrote, “There is an old and implacable enmity between the seed of the woman and
the seed of the serpent; the saints are hated by the world, because chosen and
called out of the world.” God’s elect
are themselves, until they are born of his Spirit, like Saul of Tarsus, hateful
and hating one another.
The Scriptures also tell us that
there is an external enmity against God, which is manifest by the wicked works
and sinful actions openly committed by sinners (Col. 1:21). These outward acts
of hostility against God are contrary to his nature and will, and are
violations of his holy law. They are abominable in his sight and provoke his
wrath. Men’s sins stir up the wrath of the Almighty and cause it to be revealed
from heaven against the children of disobedience. We all deserve God’s wrath.
Sins are breaches of his law. Sin separates man from God; and, unless God
intervenes in grace, will forever separate man from God in hell. Our sins set
us afar off from God, so that the natural man has no communion with, or access
to the holy Lord God.
There is a just and righteous
enmity on the part of God toward fallen man. The Scriptures declare that there
is legal enmity against fallen men. Fallen men are declared in Scripture to be
enemies of, traitors to, and rebels against the holy Lord God. Even God’s elect
were considered such when Christ died to make reconciliation for us. It is
written, "while we were sinners, Christ died for us, and when we were
enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son" (Rom.
5:8-10).
It is this law enmity that was slain by Christ, and removed
by his death. There was never any enmity in the heart of God against his elect.
He loves us with an eternal, everlasting love. But the law we broke, constantly
broke from our youth up, had to be satisfied. Therefore, we could never
approach or be accepted by God until the broken, violated law of God was
satisfied.
Reconciliation is a restoration of
communion, fellowship, and peace between those who have been enemies. It supposes a
former friendship. It implies a present alienation. In our case, it is such an
alienation as could never be resolved by us.
The only way sinners
could ever be reconciled to God is by the precious shed blood of his own dear
Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no other way possible for the holy Lord
God to be both “a just God and a Savior.” Righteousness must be
maintained. Justice must be satisfied. God could not save sinners in any way,
except in a way that would magnify and honor his holy law. That is why Christ
came here to die (Rom. 4:24-26; 2 Cor. 5:20-6:2; Gal 2:21).
The means by which this reconciliation was made is the
blood of Christ poured out unto death at Calvary as the sinners’ sin-atoning
Substitute. H alone is the Reconciler and Peace Maker. Sinners can never make
peace with God, or reconcile themselves to him. No man can make satisfaction
for his sins. It cannot be done by our works of righteousness, which are,
themselves, impure, imperfect, and utterly sinful. Our imaginary works of
righteousness are themselves just filthy rags before the Almighty. Repentance
cannot atone for sin. Even faith in Christ does not contribute anything to the
satisfaction of God’s justice. Faith receives the atonement (Rom. 5:11), but it
does not make atonement or make atonement effectual.
There is nothing a sinner can do that will make
peace and reconciliation for him. That which will make peace and
reconciliation, no mere man can do. What is that? It is nothing less than
fulfilling of the whole law, complete, perfect compliance (inward and outward,
from the cradle to the grave) with all its demands, and the complete
satisfaction of the law’s infinite justice (Rom. 8:3-4). Death is the sanction
of the law and the wages of sin. That means that there can be no reconciliation
made, but by death. The sacrifices of f beasts could never put away sin (Heb.
10:1-4). And though the whole world should suffer the wrath of God in hell
forever, the death of mere mortals (and sinful mortals at that) could never
atone for sin. There is no other way of peace, reconciliation, and atonement
being made, but by the death of Christ, God’s own dear Son. Only he, who is
both God and man in one glorious person, could and did offer a sacrifice of
such infinite merit and efficacy that the holy Lord God could, in strict justice,
say, “ENOUGH!”