Reconciled

“Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ”  2 Corinthians 5:18

Reconciled – Bankruptcy!  Most of us have emotional reactions to that word.  We think about the damage to our credit, the embarrassment and the endless negotiating that will follow.  Jesus used these feelings to give us a picture of this word.  He told the story of a debtor who was bankrupt.  He just couldn’t pay.  But in Jesus time, there were no Chapter 11 laws.  If you couldn’t pay, you went to prison and everything you had, including your wife and children, were sold to pay the debt.  In Jesus’ story, this debtor goes to the king and pleads for mercy.  And, amazingly, the king sets aside the entire debt.  That is the Greek word for “reconcile” – katallasso.  Here it is in a verb tense that means a finished action in the past.  The debt has been completely taken care of.  There are no strings attached.  It is over and done with.

This word combines an intensifier (kata) with the verb allasso.  It is more than getting rid of a debt.  Allasso is a verb that means to transform something or to change from what is worse to what is better.  It is also used for the idea of exchanging one thing for another.  When we file for bankruptcy, all we do is set aside the collection of the debts we owe.  We still owe them but we prevent the creditors from collecting in full.  But that is not how God works.  God transforms our terrible debtor condition into something much better – the state of being completely forgiven.  How can He do this?  Because He does not just stop the creditors.  He pays the debt for us.  It is fully satisfied.  He exchanges the life of His Son for our lives.  Reconciliation is not just saying, “Oh, well.  I have plenty so I’ll let this one go.”  Reconciliation is the act of actually paying the price for me.

Jesus paid your debt.  He took care of all the creditors.  Does that remove your entire obligation?  Yes and no.  Yes, you no longer owe anything at all.  No one can come collecting.  But, no, this act means that you are no longer your own.  We acknowledge the debt when we say, “You saved me.  I owe you my life.”  That’s what Jesus did.  And I owe him my life.

How do you pay back someone who saved your life?  That is the critical question of being a follower of Jesus.