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“For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” (Romans 5:10 NKJV)
We all are born as sinners, enemies to God, separated, alienated, or estranged from God due to the first man’s sin, Adam (Romans. 5:12, 19, Psalm. 58:3). We can never deserve or earn God’s love, friendship, acceptance, favor, or blessing through our self-righteousness, performance, or good works.
But out of His great love for us, God moved to reconcile us to Himself through the means of the Mediator, the Man Christ Jesus (1 Tim. 2:5-6). As the Mediator between the holy God and sinful men, the Lord Jesus has abolished the enmity or hostility between God and us in His flesh, making peace through the blood of His cross (Romans. 5:10, Ephesians. 2:13-15).
All things are reconciled or restored to God through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. Christ’s propitiation or expiation for our sins is the only basis for our reconciliation with God (2 Cor. 5:18, Col. 1:19-20).
Christ’s death brings us back into favor and relationship with God (Ephesians. 2:13-14, Col. 1:21-22).
God’s proper disposition towards sinners is revealed in Christ, offering Himself as a propitiation or an atoning sacrifice for the whole world’s sins, thereby fulfilling His ministry or work of reconciliation as the Mediator between the holy God and sinful men.
God is no longer angry with sinners. God is no longer reckoning, imputing, or counting the sins of the world against them (2 Cor. 5:18-19).
Before the Lord Jesus abolished the hostility between God and sinners in the body of His flesh, God was angry with the sinners every day (Psalm. 7:11). The sinners were said to be “children of wrath,” the objects of God’s fierce anger (Ephesians. 2:3). But not anymore!
Christ’s atonement or propitiation for the world’s sins has restored peace between God and sinners. Sinners are now the objects of God’s love and mercy and no longer the objects of God’s wrath!
Does this mean God has changed or lowered His standard of holiness?
Not at all!
Does this mean God now accommodates or tolerates sins?
Certainly not!
God is forever holy; He will never accept, approve of, or co-exist with sin or iniquity!
The Scripture testifies concerning God, “You are of purer eyes than behold evil, and cannot look on wickedness…” (Hab. 1:13 NKJV).
How come God is no longer angry with sinners daily?
Because God has unleashed and exhausted His anger and judgment upon His Son, Jesus Christ, on the cross for all our sins—past, present, and future! God emptied on Jesus Christ at the cross, His fierce anger and judgment that sinners deserved.
Why will God still judge sinners and cast them into hell fire after death?
Because they despised, shunned, ignored, and rejected God’s reconciliation or hand of friendship extended to them!
On the great Day of Judgement, God will not judge or punish sinners because of their sins or trespasses, but because they rejected God’s gift of salvation, which was purchased and made available to them at such a vast considerable, the precious blood of Jesus Christ.
Only sinners who left this world despising, ignoring, and rejecting Christ’s finished work of reconciliation on the cross will face and fully experience God’s fierce wrath and judgment (John 16:8-9, Heb. 2:3-4, 10:26-27).
Although God is no longer angry with sinners or seeking to punish sinners for their sins or imputing sinners’ sins to them because of Christ’s finished work of reconciliation, many sinners are unaware of God’s change of disposition towards them. Why?
Because many servants of God and believers today are not preaching, spreading, or broadcasting the true gospel of the grace of God, the good news, or the wonderful message of reconciliation to sinners.
The only ministry Christ has given the believers who have received and experienced His ministry of reconciliation is “the ministry of reconciliation.”
Paul clearly states that God “has given us the ministry of reconciliation… and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.” (2 Cor. 5:18-19 NKJV).
God has chosen the born-again believers to be ambassadors for Christ through whom He can continue to appeal to sinners to be reconciled to Him (2 Cor. 5:20).
Sadly, the ministry many believers today pursue and fulfill towards sinners is “the ministry of accusation and condemnation.” We, unlike Paul, are not beseeching or imploring sinners on Christ’s behalf to be reconciled to God (2 Cor. 5:20).
Today, many believers are ignorant of God’s change of disposition towards sinners based on Christ’s perfect and finished work of reconciliation.
Due to sheer ignorance of the immense effects or blessings of Christ’s finished work of reconciliation, many children of God today are still unstable or insecure in their relationship with God.
Many believers today still ignorantly think or believe they become cut off, separated, estranged, or alienated from God if or when they sin. Many believers still ignorantly expect God to punish them for every sin they commit after being born again.
What a belittling of Christ’s finished work of reconciliation!
Romans 5:8-10 – NKJV
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
Beloved, if God loved you so much when you were still a sinner and an enemy to Him that He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die for your sins and thus reconciled you to Himself, is it not sheer foolishness to now think that God will be angry with you, hate you, or forsake you if or when you fall into sin?
If your sins did not stop God from reaching out in love to you when you were still God’s enemy and entirely far away from God, how dare you now think that your sins will cut you off, separate, or estrange you from God that you have been brought near to God by the blood of Jesus?
Nothing can ever separate born-again believers from God’s love! Absolutely Nothing!
Apostle Paul testifies to this truth.
Romans 8:38-39 – NKJV
38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,
39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Friend, if you have the revelation of the profound effects of Christ’s finished work of reconciliation, you will be secure in God’s love for you.
Our mandate is to Preserving the Faith of the Apostolic Generation.
Eniyekpemi Fidelis Oyinpreyebi.
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