Reconciliation

Yesterday's message by Pastor Mike Wells at First Baptist Church was about reconciliation. Most people, myself included, merely assume that this is a fancy word for forgiveness. However there's more to it than that. First of all, as a definition, reconciliation is, simply put, to move from being enemies to being friends. Additionally reconciliation requires two actions to take place, first an apology and then secondly forgiveness. And it's important to note that reconciliation takes place not only horizontally, or in our relationships with people, but also (and more importantly) it occurs vertically in our relationship with God. We apologize to another person who grants forgiveness at which point we are reconciled, in the same way that through our apologies to God for our sins, He offers forgiveness and we are reconciled. Pastor Mike made a good point where he dispelled the commonly mistaken belief that because our God is a merciful God that He'll grant mercy and forgiveness to all sinners. However, he pointed out this is not the case, He is a merciful God who will grant forgiveness to all sinners who apologize for and repent their sins.

A couple of good passages that show reconciliation in the Bible include The Parable of the Lost Son (Luke 15:11) and Zacchaeus the Tax Collector (Luke 19:1). I personally love The Parable of the Lost Son as basically the son of a wealthy man tells his father "give me my share of the estate," or his inheritance, which he would good upon his father's death. Therefore, the son is pretty much telling his father I wish you would die. The son then goes out on a partying binge and drives himself as low as a human can go, so far as that he was lower low grade servant feeding pigs. He was in so deep that he even "longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating." Therefore, the son ultimately realized his wrong doings and set out to return to his father. Naturally this son was uncertain whether his father would take him back even as a servant let alone as a son, but his father rushed to him accepting him with open arms and forgave him even before his son had the chance to apologize. This is reconciliation.

As for a practical application for reconciliation I think one of the best point that the Bible makes on this topic is that not only is the guilty party supposed to be the first to "make the move" and apologize for their wrong doing, but so to is the innocent party as Matthew 18:15 points out "If your brother sins against you, go and show him his faults, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over." This is very contrary to most of situations that and disputes that I have come across. Typically both sides of an argument are stubborn, but especially the person who is "innocent" in the wrong doing. So the ultimately, quoting the church notes, it is "the one who is committed most to living out God's heart" that will make the first move towards reconciliation.

Thanks for reading, hope this first post was clear, concise, and meaningful!