Reconciling ourselves with God

It’s been interesting going through the gospels and looking at the teachings of Jesus, because as I’ve mentioned before, Jesus often repeats what he says, but in different contexts.

In the Sermon on the Mount, he admonished the people to make things right with others as soon as possible. Otherwise, they might get dragged into court and judged, and at that point, it will be too late to make things right. (Matthew 5:25-26)

Jesus basically uses the exact same words here, but this time, he’s using it on a much higher plane. Here, he is not talking about our relationship with others, but with God.

He first criticizes the people because they could tell what the weather would be like by the signs that they saw.

But when the clearest sign of God’s presence was right there in front of them, Jesus Christ himself, they couldn’t recognize him.

Not only that, they were fighting against the very things he was teaching. But in doing so, they were putting themselves at odds with God, and were in very real danger of judgment.

So Jesus told them,

As you are going with your adversary to the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled to him on the way, or he may drag you off to the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.

I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. (Luke 12:58-59)

Here Jesus is warning them, “Make your peace with God now. Because if you don’t judgment is coming.”

How about you? Are you at peace with God? There’s only one way: through a relationship with Jesus Christ.

He died on the cross to take the punishment for our sins, and only if we put our trust in him and his work will we be reconciled with God.

And so as the apostle Paul said,

We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:20-21)