“A restored relationship is more than a heartwarming, Christian success story. It is a promise. It is an example of how God operates, and thus it gives us a foretaste of the future. Reconciliation in this world is a ‘preview of coming attractions’ for the joy of perfect reconciliation in the next world.
Reconciliation is a promise because God always takes the initiative. ‘In the beginning God’ (Genesis 1:1, NIV) is more than the opening phrase of the book of Genesis. It is the basic principle of how God deals with us. Jesus' haunting words, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing,’ (Luke 23:34, NIV) indicate clearly that the process of reconciliation begins with God, not with us.
The Apostle Paul wrote, ‘You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. … But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us’ (Romans 5:6,8, NIV).
He continued, ‘When we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son’ (Romans 5:10, NIV). God does not wait for us to repent. He knows that until He opens the door from heaven's side, we cannot even recognize our need for repentance, much less repent. Unless God takes the initiative, we are powerless. The Prophet Ezekiel knew that God has to give us new hearts that we are unable to manufacture for ourselves” (William C. Frey).
Reconciliation is a promise because God always takes the initiative. ‘In the beginning God’ (Genesis 1:1, NIV) is more than the opening phrase of the book of Genesis. It is the basic principle of how God deals with us. Jesus' haunting words, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing,’ (Luke 23:34, NIV) indicate clearly that the process of reconciliation begins with God, not with us.
The Apostle Paul wrote, ‘You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. … But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us’ (Romans 5:6,8, NIV).
He continued, ‘When we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son’ (Romans 5:10, NIV). God does not wait for us to repent. He knows that until He opens the door from heaven's side, we cannot even recognize our need for repentance, much less repent. Unless God takes the initiative, we are powerless. The Prophet Ezekiel knew that God has to give us new hearts that we are unable to manufacture for ourselves” (William C. Frey).
