Studies in Reconciliation
Ezek 18:32 For I have no pleasure in the
death of him that dieth, saith
the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.
In our search for
the will of God, there is one thing that we must first admit. That one thing will color all the rest of
what we learn about the will of God. God
takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked.
His goal is for all the wicked to turn to Him and live. Once we understand His goal, we will better
understand His plan for the ages.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that
he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not
perish, but have everlasting life.
The fact is that
all who come to trust in Christ Jesus shall not perish, but shall have everlasting
life. However, you may believe that few
will come to believe in Christ. On the
surface that seems to be a reasonable assumption. As we look around we see only a few actually
believing, trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ.
John 1:9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
And yet, as we
see but a few coming into the light that it in Christ, we find that the
Scriptures tell us that every person who comes into the world comes into the
Light of Christ Jesus.
As we look
further, we find that all men shall eventually worship the One
true God, and that includes His only begotten Son, Christ Jesus.
Ps 65:2 O thou that hearest
prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.
Ps 66:4 All the
earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy
name. Selah.
And
Ps 86:9 All
nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and
shall glorify thy name.
As we continue
our study, it will become evident that something is wrong with our preconceived
religious notions and traditions.
1 Cor 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made
alive.
As in Adam all
die. All mankind is “in Adam” in the
sense that mankind has come out of Adam and all death is the result of Adam’s
fall.
As in Adam all
die. Even so, in like manner, in Christ all shall be made alive. You may think that the all in Christ is
limited. However, it is no more limited
than the all in Adam. Both represent all
of mankind.
Eph 5:13 But all
things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth
make manifest is light.
All things that
are “reproved” are made manifest by the light of Christ Jesus!
We must
understand that in the light of…
John 16:8 And
when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of
judgment:
Christ came to
reprove, convict, and convince the world of sin with the goal of having all
turn from sin to God the Father. The Father did not send His Son into the world
to condemn sinners.
John 3:17 For God sent not his Son into
the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
What we see now
in the carnal world is a rejection of Christ.
It is my contention that such a rejection will not last. Just as we did not reject Christ when our
names were called to join the body of believers, all others will also not be
able to continue the rejection when their names are called. Death may be an insurmountable problem for
humans, but it not for the omnipotent God.
Heb 2:9 But we see Jesus, who
was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned
with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God
should taste death for every man.
We cannot deny that simple
truth.
I John 2:2 And he is the
propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the
whole world.
The facts are that Christ
Jesus tasted death for each and every man, and that he gave His life as a
substitutionary sacrifice for all men. Those
are undeniable facts!
John the Baptist came into
the world as a precursor to Christ Jesus and his work was to turn all men to
Christ the Son.
John 1:7 The same came for a
witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
The fact is that provision
has been made for all to eventually acknowledge Christ
Jesus as Lord.
Titus 2:11 For the grace of
God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
It is also evident that at this
point in time all have not made that acknowledgement. However,
just as with each of us who are now His, our rejection one day does not
indicate that acceptance will not come the next day.
Ps 30:5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour
is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
Christ Jesus is our Mediator,
Advocate and He is such for all who are called to come to the Father to receive
His salvation.
I John 2:1 My little
children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin,
we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
You may think that Jesus’
role as Advocate is limited to the saved, but consider what we were prior to
the salvation so graciously given to us.
1 Cor 6:9-11
9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the
10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the
11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye
are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
Yes we were all that and
worse before the Holy Spirit came to us with His calling to reconciliation
through Christ to God the Father.
1 Cor 12:3b Wherefore I give
you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus
is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.
The fact is that Christ Jesus gave His life as a
ransom for all.
1 Tim 2:6
Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due
time.
Christ gave Himself as a ransom! Because, it is the express will of
God that all should be saved and to come to the
knowledge of the
Truth.
1 Tim 2:4
Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the
knowledge of
the truth. (KJV)
Jesus Himself declared that He came to save the world.
John 12:47
And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I
judge him
not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the
world.
If you choose not to believe me, believe Christ Jesus!
Again, Christ came to taste death for every person.
Heb 2:9 But
we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the
angels for
the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour;
that he by
the grace of God should taste death for every man.
Did Christ die in vain without accomplishing His
God-given assignment?
Think before you answer that question.