Hark the Herald Angels - Part 3

We’re continuing our series on Hark, the Herald Angels Sing. Today we look at the line, “God and sinners reconciled.”

To reconcile means to reestablish a close relationship or to settle or resolve a conflict. What is the conflict between God and us that needs to be settled? What is the close relationship that needs to be restored? The Bible tells us that God created us in his image, but that we, rather than enjoying the fellowship and communion that we had at the beginning, rebelled against him and incurred his wrath against us. The Bible tells us that God is a just judge and that he is angry with the wicked every day. (Psalm 7:11) It further tells us that his wrath abides on everyone who has not believed on the Son of God.

Why these strong terms? People today tend to believe that God is pretty benevolent and benign. He just loves everyone and hopes they try to do better so that the world will be a better place.

You see, God is a just judge. He cannot just overlook crimes against his reign. What would you think of a judge who was so kind that he let murderers or thieves go free because he was hoping they would do better and that they would eventually mend their ways? Wouldn’t we consider such a judge to be impeachable for having allowed crimes to go unpunished? In the same way God cannot just overlook sin. What we call minor infractions, God calls rebellion against his just reign.

Because of this sin and rebellion, a chasm has appeared between God and man. If he is angry with the wicked every day, then something has to be done to reconcile us to each other.

This is what Jesus Christ has done. He willingly came and bore the just wrath of God against sinners. Having satisfied the law in this way, God is able to credit us with Christ’s righteousness and thus be reconciled to him. This doesn’t happen automatically, however. A person must acknowledge his sinfulness and rebellion and accept God’s generous offer of reconciliation through Christ. All of this must be believed.

Look at what God says in 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”