The believers are reconciled to God in the second step through the death of Christ not for the believers’ sins but for the believers themselves. The New Testament reveals that Christ died for our sins and for us. Christ’s death for our sins is an objective matter, whereas Christ’s death for us is a subjective matter. In 2 Corinthians 5 Paul does not say that Christ died for our sins; rather, he says that Christ died for us, for our being. “The love of Christ constrains us, having judged this, that One died on behalf of all; therefore all died; and He died on behalf of all, that those who live may no longer live to themselves, but to Him who died for them and has been raised” (vv. 14-15). In order to die for the believers themselves, Christ was made sin for them (v. 21a). When Christ died for our sins, He bore our sins. But when Christ died for us, He was made sin for us.
The believers are reconciled to God in the second step by God entreating them through the apostles as ambassadors of Christ. In 2 Corinthians 5:20 Paul says, “On behalf of Christ, then, we are ambassadors, as God entreating through us; we beseech you on behalf of Christ, Be reconciled to God.” Here Paul is speaking to the Corinthians, who were still living in their natural life. They were believers, saved ones, and Paul addressed them as saints (1 Cor. 1:2). But although they were saints, they were living in the natural life. Their natural life was a veil separating them from God’s presence, and it was necessary for this veil to be riven. Hence, as God’s ambassador Paul beseeched them to be reconciled to God. Paul, an ambassador sent by God, was working with God to reconcile God’s people, who were still in the natural life, to God in His inner presence, that is, in the Holy of Holies. Here we see that God entreats the believers through the apostles as ambassadors of Christ to be fully reconciled to Himself.
Finally, the believers are reconciled to God in the second step in order to become God’s righteousness in Christ (2 Cor. 5:21b). Eventually, those who have been brought back to God in the Holy of Holies will experience and enjoy Him in the triune dispensing to such an extent that they will become His righteousness in Christ. This means that, in the organic union with Christ, those who have been reconciled to God in the second step become the very righteousness of God.
When we were saved, we went through the process of being forgiven, washed, sanctified, justified, and reconciled. Now in our Christian walk this process needs to be repeated continuously until the redemption of our body. Every day we need to be forgiven, washed, sanctified, justified, and reconciled.
The believers’ continuous experience of God’s redemption is illustrated by the children of Israel’s offering of the sin offering and the trespass offering. Whenever they offered the burnt offering for God’s satisfaction, they also had to offer the sin offering and the trespass offering. These offerings were presented morning and evening and also on feast days. Today, as believers in Christ, we need to offer Christ daily as our sin offering and trespass offering. We need Christ as these offerings because we have been stained by the natural life, the old man, the flesh, the lust of the flesh, and worldliness. Therefore, because of our sins and trespasses and because of our sinful nature, we need Christ as our trespass offering and sin offering. Throughout our Christian life we need God’s forgiveness, washing, sanctification, justification, and reconciliation. While we are enjoying the triune dispensing of the processed Triune God, we need to experience God’s redemption continuously.
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