In the tabernacle there were two veils, or two curtains. The first veil, located at the entrance to the Holy Place, was called the screen; the second curtain, separating the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies, was called the veil. Chapter twenty-six of Exodus speaks first of the inner veil and then of the screen. Verse 31 says, “And you shall make a veil of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen; the work of a skillful workman shall it be made, with cherubim.” This was the veil which made a separation between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies (v. 33). Verses 36 and 37 say, “And you shall make a curtain for the door of the tent of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, the work of an embroiderer. And you shall make for the screen five pillars of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold.” As we have pointed out in the foregoing messages, these two veils signify two aspects of the all-inclusive death of Christ. The screen indicates that Christ died for our sins so that our sins may be forgiven and that we may be justified by God. The inner veil indicates that Christ died for us so that our flesh, our fallen nature, may be rent, or torn, and that we may enter the Holy of Holies to enjoy God to the uttermost.
Recently I have seen that the screen and the veil in the tabernacle are related to Paul’s word concerning reconciliation in 2 Corinthians 5. For many years I was puzzled by this chapter, especially by Paul’s appeal to the Corinthians to be reconciled to God. In this chapter Paul is definitely dealing not with unbelievers, but with believers. Nevertheless, he concludes this chapter with a word about reconciliation. Why in speaking to believers does Paul refer to his ministry as a ministry of reconciliation? Had those in Corinth not already been reconciled to God? Since they were genuine believers, they no doubt had been reconciled. Second Corinthians 5:19 says, “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not accounting their offenses to them, and putting in us the word of reconciliation.” Then in verse 20 Paul goes on to say, “On behalf of Christ, then, we are ambassadors, as God entreating through us; we beseech you on behalf of Christ, Be reconciled to God.” We need to see that here Paul speaks of reconciliation in two ways, or in two aspects. One aspect is related to sinners; the other aspect, to believers.
If we know the significance of the veil and the screen in the tabernacle, we shall be able to understand how Paul deals with the Corinthian believers in 2 Corinthians 5. The Corinthians had passed through the first veil, the screen, at the entrance to the tabernacle. But they had not yet passed through the second veil, the inner veil, the veil separating the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. This means that they had not experienced both aspects of the reconciliation between us and God. Before the Corinthians believed in Christ and were saved, they were enemies to God. But when they believed in Christ, they were reconciled to God. They were forgiven, they were justified, and they could enter into the Holy Place to have a certain enjoyment of the Lord. However, although the Corinthians had experienced this aspect of reconciliation, they had not entered into the Holy of Holies. They had been reconciled to God to some extent, but not to the extent of being able to come into the Holy of Holies to enjoy God in full. For this reason, they needed a further reconciliation, the reconciliation Paul speaks of in 2 Corinthians 5:20.
In 1 Corinthians 15:3 Paul says, “For I delivered to you, among the first things, that which also I received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.” Here Paul emphasizes the basic gospel truth that Christ died for our sins. This is related to the first aspect of reconciliation. The goal of reconciliation is to take away the barrier between us and God. When we experience forgiveness and justification and enter the Holy Place, the barrier is taken away to a certain extent. However, a particular aspect of the barrier remains, and this aspect is our flesh, our fallen nature. Concerning our sins, we have been forgiven and reconciled to God. But concerning our flesh, our fallen nature, we may not yet be reconciled to God. Rather, we still may be separated from Him, unable to enjoy Him in the Holy of Holies.
The Corinthian believers were genuine brothers in Christ, and Paul repeatedly addressed them as such. Nevertheless, in 2 Corinthians 5:20 he beseeches them to be reconciled to God. Then in verse 21 he goes on to say, “Him who did not know sin He made sin on our behalf, that we might become God’s righteousness in Him.” This is deeper than Christ dying for our sins. For Christ to be made sin for us so that we may become the righteousness of God is different from Christ dying so that we may have our sins forgiven and be justified by God.
If we read 2 Corinthians 5 carefully, we shall see that there are in fact two aspects of reconciliation. In verse 19 Paul says that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. Notice that concerning the reconciling of the world to God, Paul does not tell us that Christ was made sin. On the contrary, he simply says that God did not reckon their offenses unto them. This aspect of reconciliation involves sinners, as indicated by Paul’s use of the word “world.” But according to verse 20, even the reconciled ones, the believers, still need to be reconciled. In these verses we see three classes of people: the apostles, sinners, and believers who have not been fully reconciled to God.
Most Christian preachers today speak only of the first aspect of reconciliation, the aspect of God not reckoning sinners’ offenses against them. Few, if any, speak of the second aspect of reconciliation, the aspect related to Christ becoming sin so that we may become the righteousness of God in Him. This aspect, which is much deeper than the first, is signified by the second veil in the tabernacle. Only when we pass through this veil are we thoroughly reconciled to God and able to enjoy Him in full.