"Reconciliation is a legislative process of the United States Senate intended to allow consideration of a contentious budget bill without the threat of filibuster. Introduced in 1974, reconciliation streamlines the debate and amendment process. Reconciliation also exists in the United States House of Representatives, but because the House regularly passes rules that constrain debate and amendment, the process has had a less significant impact on that body." (Wikipedia Encyclopedia definition)
Webster defines reconciliation as the restoration of friendship or harmony.
The New Testament words describing this action emphasize a change in personal relationships between human beings, especially between human beings and God.
The truth is this: Sin has created an impenetrable barrier to our hope of having a personal relationship with God. Harmony with God has been destroyed by sin so that we are living in hostility with this One whom we sense must be our judge. We find ourselves in desperate need of reconciliation; for this to be accomplished, the barrier of our sin must be addressed. God has taken the initiative and acted in Jesus Christ to bring us back to Himself by addressing the sin issue for us.
"Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them..." (2 Corinthians 5:18-19). Friendship and harmony restored!
They have robbed us of one of our great words. And to accomplish this "reconciliation" of political hostilities, they have added a second key word, "deemed," which means "to take for granted." Restored harmony is to be considered as accomplished simply because it is "taken for granted" that it is so.
Herein lies the true seriousness of the new usages of our word. Too many people are willing to simply "deem" their alienated relationship with the Holy God to have been "reconciled" because they themselves believe it to be so. But the heart of this matter is not what we think of our relationship with God. Rather, the critical concern with eternity in the balance is this: What does GOD believe about His reconciliation with us?
He did not "deem" it so but rather worked at great personal cost to MAKE it so. GOD has reconciled us to Himself through Christ. Friendship and harmony between the sinner and God is the result of the reconciling work of God through His own Son in the work of the Cross. Because by His Cross, sinful and unsavable people like you and me have been changed from His enemies to become His friends! And reconciliation always leaves its mark. "We experience the fullness of the meaning of our reconciliation to God when our lives are holy and we bear the mark of Jesus' love in all that we do." (Expository Dictionary of Bible Words)
They have "stolen" our word! And what they have done to its meaning is shameful. They have stripped it of its beauty and robbed it of its hope. Under constant assault and the battery of 24/7 television banter, reconciliation no longer bears its dignity!
But we get our word back when we personally pause to rejoice in the reconciliation accomplished by the work of Jesus on His Cross!
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