Tuesday: Christ-focused Ministry of Reconciliation
Daily Lesson for Tuesday 1st of September 2026
Read 2 Corinthians 5:11-15. How does this passage demonstrate that Paul’s ministry is Christ-centered?
Paul knew he was supposed to render an account of his ministry to Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10). He knew “the fear of the Lord” and sought to persuade people about the gospel of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:11, ESV). This fear is reverence and awe toward Christ and, hence, it is combined with Paul’s love for Christ and trust in Christ’s love for him. In the Old Testament, to fear the Lord means to walk in His ways, to love Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and soul (Deuteronomy 10:12).
Image © Review & Herald Publishing at Goodsalt.com
Paul’s ministry is not self-focused but Christ-focused. He did not commend himself. The reason for his boasting is Christ (2 Corinthians 12:9). He said, “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Galatians 6:14, ESV). Thus, the Corinthians’ opportunity to boast about him (2 Corinthians 5:12) means to be proud of his Christ-focused ministry in contrast to the self-focused ministry of his opponents.
Read 2 Corinthians 5:16-21, Colossians 1:19-23, and Ephesians 2:13-16. What did Paul mean by “ministry of reconciliation”?
Christ is the minister of reconciliation par excellence. As such, He “has given us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18, NKJV). The idea of reconciliation occurs over and over throughout 2 Corinthians 5:16-21. This is an essential concept for Paul, and so it must be for us, too.
God has reconciled humanity to Himself by means of the atoning death of His Son. Those who were reconciled to God are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). Now, they are supposed to pass this “message of reconciliation” onward by proclaiming the gospel of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:19, ESV). In this sense, “we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us” (2 Corinthians 5:20, NKJV).
|
Think about what Christ has done for you. Think about the guilt, the sin, the condemnation that would be yours but for what He did for you at the cross. How should this reality impact how you relate to others, especially those who don’t know the Lord? |
The word used in the New Testament for reconciliation has its root in accounting and means “an exchange of equal value” but Paul uses it almost exclusively in the sense of restoring a broken relationship. In some cases, there is a sense of moving from being enemies to friends.
We have no problem with the idea that the main purpose of salvation is to reconcile (restore the relationship) us to God. This idea of reconciliation is so important that we are invited to be reconciled to one another before we engage in worship:
Reconciliation is not just confession, and forgiveness, but includes the idea of accountability, changed behaviour and the rebuilding of trust.
That brings me to the observation, that much of our spiritual interaction with others is based on the premise that we have got it right and they have got it wrong. Is that a basis of reconciliation? This is what Paul has to say:
One of the greatest tragedies of sin is separation between God and mankind. Since then, it is relentlessly causing devastating separation within mankind. Strife, misunderstanding, divisions, quarrels, and fighting are reigning supreme. Marriage divorce is on a free-fall. In essence, the message of salvation is a message of reconciliation. “For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:19, NLT).
All mankind has been given an opportunity be in good books with God. Paul was a first-hand recipient of this reconciliation. He had previously opposed the followers of Christ, yet Christ reconciled him and made him an apostle. Paul was not simply teaching reconciliation as an abstract theological concept, but as the power of God to change rebellious human hears. We who have received God’s grace are in a very better position to be ambassadors of reconciliation in our families, in the church, at workplace, in our communities and globally. If there is something the world needs more and more without measure is the spirit of reconciliation.
Christ is the Kingpin for reconciliation. Without Christ there is no reconciliation with God or with our fellow human beings. Sin problem must be addressed first before any meaningful reconciliation to take place. On the cross Christ addressed the sin problem and now the doors for reconciliation were opened. Once we have been reconciled with God, human reconciliation is made possible. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
It needs to be emphasised that reconciliation is not simply “let us get along”, but it is a matter of a transformed heart and a new spirit. This is what brings a true human reconciliation. Another crucial point which needs to be brought to light is that because God has reconciled us to Himself, He now sends us “candles” of reconciliation into the world, which is molested with hatred, strife, divisions, bitterness, and unforgiveness. Reconciliation is not simply what we preach, but what we practice because Christ is our hearts. This is not just a responsibility, but what Christ has made us to be.
“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” (2 Corinthians 5:17-20, NLT)
Hi omwenga mwambi
You are a bright flame travelling at great speed into this present darkness. Continue to follow the bright star.
Blessings from reneanne Anderson.
Paul demonstrates a Christ-focused ministry of reconciliation by making Christ—not himself—the center of his motives, message, and mission.
1. His motive is the fear of the Lord (v. 11): Paul seeks to persuade people because he knows he is accountable to God.
2. His ministry is not self-promotion (vv. 12–13): He does not seek human approval or praise, but God’s approval.
3. His driving force is Christ’s love (v. 14): “The love of Christ constrains us.” Christ’s sacrificial love becomes the force behind his ministry.
4. His focus is Christ’s death and resurrection (vv. 14–15): Christ died for all so that those who live would no longer live for themselves, but for Him.
5. His goal is reconciliation: Because God reconciled us to Himself through Christ, Paul sees himself as an ambassador entrusted with helping others experience that reconciliation (vv. 18–20).
The key lesson: A Christ-centered ministry is not about defending ourselves, gaining recognition, or winning arguments. It is about allowing Christ’s love to so control us that our lives and ministry point people back to Him.
Hi people. The lesson mentions Paul’s idea of rendering an account to God. Mark Finley speaks of his father’s rendering an account of faithfulness to God and his family.
Dad lost his job for accepting adventism. Worked three part time jobs to support his family. Dad’s quiet confident assurance in God gave the family the confident assurance that God would come through in the time of trial and He did. The family trusted God with the totality of their lives.
Hope booklet.. chapter..how to survive when the economy collapses.
Reneanne Anderson.
When ex-friends reconcile, break down barriers, embrace, and fall on one another’s necks, it is a wonderful expression of the beauty of true reconciliation. True reconciliation carries its own beauty and awe because it reflects the heart of Christ. The apostle Paul says, “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18). He did not speak of reconciliation as something we pursue only in convenient moments or when we feel like it; he called it a “ministry of reconciliation.” In other words, reconciliation was central to Paul’s Christ-focused ministry of the gospel—pointing people back to God and restoring broken relationships through Christ.
Left on my own it is convenient and acceptable to leave ex-friends as ex-friends because it is easier to “just move on.” When I am hurt, it is natural to shut down, withdraw, and refuse to open up again; some wounds just need to be left with God. Yet Paul challenges me: “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (Romans 12:18). This does not mean forcing every relationship to be restored, but it calls me to pursue peace where it depends on me. Christ-focused reconciliation means choosing forgiveness, humility, grace, and peace because Christ first reconciled me to God. It is not an occasional act that I perform when convenient; it is part of the ministry Christ has entrusted to me as his agent.
I am joyful this morning for 2 Corinthians, 5:19. He has committed to me the word of reconciliation, giving us the best example of dying for our sins to set us from from this yoke of bondage. I am made an ambassador and a minister of Christ to render that spirit of reconciliation to my brothers and sisters … forgiving, making wrong things right daily even as I’m a new creature day unto day. Thank you God. Thank you.
I wholeheartedly agree with Paul’s letter to the Corinthian believers recorded in 2Cor.5:16-21, though I do not understand what he means when saying: v.21 –
”For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
Can someone please shed some light on how God made His Son ‘to be sin FOR us’, and how this leads to ‘us becoming ‘the righteousness of God in Him’? How can we become the righteousness of God in Jesus whom He made ‘sin’ for us? It does not make sense to me.
Our God wants us to understand what and why He does what He does, so that we can reason with others when being asked to explain the Word of God to them. How can we break this statement down in the language everyone can understand?
Hi Brigitte, this is a bit long-winded, I pray that it helps.
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). How exactly did God make Jesus to be sin for us?
So, “God made him . . . to be sin for us” means that Jesus, although sinless, was treated as if He were not. Although He remained holy, He was regarded as guilty of all the sin in the world. “So that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Through imputation of our sin to Him, He became our substitute and the recipient of God’s judgment against sin. Having saved those who believe, He is now “righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30).
On the cross, Jesus took our sin upon Himself and purchased our salvation. ‘Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him’ (Romans 5:9), and part of that justification is an imputation of His own righteousness. Jesus is righteous by virtue of His very nature—He is the Son of God. ‘Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference’ (Romans 3:22). That’s imputation: the giving of Christ’s righteousness to sinners.
May The Holy Spirit be with all our us as we study The Word.
Hi Lorraine – Thank you for your kindness to take the time to help me understand this verse better. I had to look up the word ‘impute’, and am still not clear on the ‘how’ or ‘why’ this was necessary as described in the way we read about it in Scripture.
I understand that ‘righteousness’ is imputed to us by faith as we trust and follow Jesus’s Life and teachings of God’s Word.
“Imputation (Legal Status): An external change in standing. It is like a judge declaring a debt fully paid by someone else. You are declared clean.”
“Impartation (Internal Nature): An internal change in character. It is the actual, gradual infusing of spiritual strength, life, or holiness into a person. You are made clean.”
What I do not understand is why ‘God would find it necessary to treat His Son as ‘guilty of all the sin in the world.’
“God made Him … to be sin for us.” Why would our God under the new Covenant need to first make His Son ‘Sin’ for us before we can receive His forgiveness ‘imparted to us by the Holy Spirit’? We are called to live by faith in Jesus Christ using His Life and teachings – the Word of the Father – as our example.
How does “imputation of our sin to Him” by our heavenly Father helps our faith to have our life in Jesus Christ? It seems to me that the language used attempts to merge the old way of ‘justification by the law/works/sacrifice’ with the new way of ‘living by faith in the Word of God’ – obtaining life through faith in God’s Way of Life as demonstrated by His Son Jesus Christ – and so being reconciled to the Father, our Creator.
Hi Brigitte,
What I do not understand is why ‘God would find it necessary to treat His Son as ‘guilty of all the sin in the world.’
Why did Jesus have to die? — The promise required an innocent death.
Although God banished Adam and Eve from the garden, He didn’t leave them without hope of reconciliation. He promised He would send a Savior to defeat the serpent (Genesis 3:15). Until then, men would sacrifice innocent lambs, showing their repentance from sin and faith in the future Sacrifice from God who would bear their penalty. God reaffirmed His promise of the Sacrifice with men such as Abraham and Moses. Herein lies the beauty of God’s perfect plan: God Himself provided the only sacrifice (Jesus) who could atone for the sins of His people. God’s perfect Son fulfilled God’s perfect requirement of God’s perfect law. It is perfectly brilliant in its simplicity. “God made Him (Christ), who knew no sin, to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
The Scripture says, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
“God made Him … to be sin for us.” Why would our God under the new Covenant need to first make His Son ‘Sin’ for us before we can receive His forgiveness ‘imparted to us by the Holy Spirit’?
John 1:29 Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. and,
1 Peter 1:19 “But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:”(New covenant)
Exodus 12:5 “Your lamb shall be without blemish” (the old covenant).
The penalty for our sinfulness is death. Romans 6:23 reads, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Evidence affirms that the sinless Jesus bled and died on a cross. Most importantly, the Bible explains why Jesus’ death and resurrection provide the only entrance to heaven.
In short if Jesus was sinless, which we know He was, and didn’t take on our sins, why would He have to die?
“How does “imputation of our sin to Him” by our heavenly Father helps our faith to have our life in Jesus Christ?”
“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24). Here again we see that Christ took the sins we committed onto Himself to pay the price for us. A few verses later we read, “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit” (1 Peter 3:18). Not only do these verses teach us about the substitute (IMPUTATION) that Christ was for us, but they also teach that He was the atonement, meaning He satisfied the payment due for the sinfulness of man.
One more passage that talks about the substitutionary atonement is Isaiah 53:5. This verse talks about the coming Christ who was to die on the cross for our sins. The prophecy is very detailed, and the crucifixion happened just as it was foretold. “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Notice the substitution. Here again we see that Christ paid the price for us!
This ultimate sacrifice bridged the gap caused by human rebellion, bringing us back to have permanent relationship with God.
Jude 1:24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, (sanctification – Jesus working in our lives) and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, (justification – Jesus paid the price for our sins, and blotted them out).
Lorrain, thank you again for your interest to explain Christian ‘doctrine’ to me. Though you include Scripture references, Paul’s words and their interpretation still leave me uncomfortable.
God wants us to trust and love Him in the way Jesus loved Him – give our whole being to Him, believing that He will protect us from evil.
How can I tell someone that He ‘sacrificed’ His Son because He me?
I believe that Jesus was put on the cross . He died sinless, because He forgave us our sin, and because of this, God can forgive us.
Love overcame death by stopping the cycle of retribution through/by/with forgiveness.
Paul’s words, as far as I interpret them, are either misstated or intentionally misleading. As I understand Jesus’ work on behalf of our Salvation, Christ died because of our sin, not for sin.
His message to us is to love like He loved – selflessly, and to trust
the Father that His care will be sufficient for us. By the Grace of God,Love and forgiveness stop sin.
Again, thank you for your kindness, Lorraine.
Your comment appears to assume that Jesus is not God, and therefore God sacrificed someone else to deal with the sin problem. However, we understand that Jesus Christ is and was always fully God. Therefore God sacrificed Himself in our behalf. The Father-Son relationship is the closest human analogy to the relationship between two persons of the Triune God. We cannot fully understand this relationship because God is above us in both nature, intelligence and character. And we cannot understand the incarnation for the same reason. Throughout eternity we will learn more and more of this beautiful plan of salvation in which God took on humanity and in human form died in our place.
In comments over the years, you have argued against the teaching of the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ, in which Christ bore the sins of humanity to the cross and died instead of sinners who earned death by their sins. (Rom. 6:23) I believe that a rejection of this teaching indicates a lack of understanding the seriousness of sin.
Lorraine did a good job of providing the basis of the doctrine of the substitutionary atonement, in which Christ was treated as we deserve, that we might be treated as He deserves. He was condemned for our sins, in which He had no share, that we might be justified by His righteousness, in which we had no share. He suffered the death which was ours, that we might receive the life which was His.
There is no more fundamental teaching in Scripture than this. It began at the gates of Eden where Adam and Eve were dressed in garments of skin (from slain animals) to cover the physical nakedness reflecting their soul nakedness caused by sin. This same sacrifice was re-enacted every time an offering was presented to God on an altar. The directions in Exodus explicitly explain that the sinner was to confess his sins over the head of an animal brought as a sacrifice, thus, in figure placing his sins on the animal which represented Christ.
I suggest you re-read Lorraine’s comment, but start with Isaiah 53, and read the whole chapter, because it is foundational. Also read Gal. 3:13, in which Paul writes that Christ bears the curse belonging to us. Also read Romans 3:23-26, which explains why the self-sacrificing death of Christ on our behalf maintains God’s justice (the wages of sin must be paid) while He justifies sinners. Also see Heb. 9:28, 1 John 2:2, Eph. 5:2
You wrote, “Paul’s words, as far as I interpret them, are either misstated or intentionally misleading.” If you cannot accept Paul’s words as authoritative, we cannot help you.
True Christ-centered ministry is just that. Focused on Christ and not ourselves. It’s not about us, we are just the messenger. In my Bibleworker days, I had people ask me why do I do it. The best response that I believe the Holy Spirit gave to me was; “I do it because I have discovered Someone who has literally saved my life, given me peace, purpose, and eternal life as a bonus. That’s too good to keep to myself. I want everyone to experience it”
Too often the focus can shift to getting people to join the church. That’s not our job, that’s the Holy Spirit’s work. The mission is about the message, not the messenger. Keep the main thing, the main thing. Jesus is the main thing. Do you think that God can’t use you? Think again! If God could deliver a message through a donkey, then He can certainly speak through you. Throughout history He has used unqualified, imperfect people to do His work. This way He gets the Glory, but shares with us the joy when we do Christ-centered ministry.
March of the Unqualified
I think that our most intense effort should be to live as Christ in our place (Philippians 2:13; 4:13). When we allow Christ to influence our lives, perhaps others could see Him through us (Psalm 121:1-2). We should worry more about how we live than what we talk about (1 John 3:18). May our lives be God’s letter of love to others (2 Corinthians 3:2–3).
Yesterday John Huss was quoted. “We are despicable(contemptible) mortals.” Now in spite of our past, Christ looks at us as potential souls for redemption, being redeemed we become reconciled, right? If that does not pierce the soul by God to enable encouragement and uplifting on a daily basis, I don’t know what will. Wait yes, I do, we can allow ourselves to surrender to His will, which is to allow Him to reconcile us to Him. God is in the business of lifting souls and sustaining them, not putting self-made individuals on a pedestal.
Paul in this week’s lessons was teaching his parishioners to be ministers in whatever form they are led into, and yes also on a one-to-one basis, by his testimonies, by confirming the gospel to them. Not everyone can be a preacher on a podium, baptizing, laying on of hands and visiting, but everyone can be ministers to whomever they come in contact with. Ministers in this context is used in a broad sense.
“What we need is workers, men and women who will do their duty in the fear of God. Many will say, we cannot all be ministers. Yes; you can; there is some work of ministry for each to do for perishing souls. There are many lines of work which as Christians we should become interested in. Christ wants every soul to copy His example of self-denial and self-sacrifice. He desires that all men shall have eternal life in the kingdom of God. But we cannot indulge coarseness or discourtesy or self-indulgence there. Therefore, we must be daily overcomers here—overcomers by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony.” Written by Ellen White, Letters and Manuscripts Volume 24, Manuscript 95, 1909, paragraph 16.
Is not this what the author is teaching us this week about what Paul was teaching the Corinthians, through his testimonies. Yes, we can latch on to Paul’s experience of ministry. It appears to me what Paul emphasized in His second letter, pouring out his heart to the Corinthians, he seems to say, now that you have given your hearts to Christ, I want you to imitate me, to be ministers of the gospel of Christ in whatever capacity or talent available. 1Corinthians 4:16. Why would we want to imitate Paul? It is because he imitated Christ. Galatians 2:20, in this sense he, and now we are ambassadors of Christ, telling others of the joy of being reconciled to God through Christ.