“And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; to wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” 2 Corinthians 5:18-21

What is the Gospel which we proclaim? Is it “God will pardon and forgive us if we believe”? Or, “God has pardoned and forgiven us for Jesus’ sake; believe”?

This very issue has been hotly debated by some in the Lutheran Church, with one side saying that God, through the innocent sufferings and death of His only begotten Son, has reconciled or pardoned and justified the entire world of sinners, and the other side saying that God only forgives and pardons sins when one first comes to faith in Christ Jesus.

This may seem like useless wrangling to some, but it is all important to every human being and determines the message to be proclaimed in the pulpits and on the streets and byways as Christians go into all the world to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

To answer this question, we look to the Word of God Himself. What does God say is to be preached and proclaimed? What is the ministry of reconciliation?

The sacred text begins: “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; to wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them….”

We are reconciled to God through the innocent sufferings and death of God’s only-begotten Son who came into this world a true man and fulfilled all the righteous demands of God’s law for us and then bore our punishment when He suffered and died upon the cross. But not only are we who now believe reconciled, “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them….”

The entire world of sinners was reconciled unto God; that is, God pardoned their transgressions and sins and no longer holds their sins against them because Christ Jesus paid in full and rose again in victory.

“We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:1, 2).

As the Scriptures say, God “hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (v. 21). “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6).

How important it is for you and I to know that our salvation is finished, completed by Jesus Christ! He paid for the sins of all, and God accepted the sacrifice of His Son as full atonement for the sins of the entire world. We proclaim sins paid for and forgiven and God reconciled and reaching out to the entire sinful human race with love and mercy and forgiveness in His heart toward mankind.

We don’t proclaim that God will be reconciled when and if we have faith. We proclaim God as reconciled toward us for Jesus’ sake and call upon all to believe and take comfort in this accomplished fact. “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:16).

“Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

We proclaim the good news that God is reconciled through the death of His Son and we call upon sinners to be reconciled to God by accepting His mercy and forgiveness in faith. God is reconciled toward us through Christ Jesus. We are reconciled to God when we believe and trust in His mercy toward us.

O Lord Jesus Christ, we thank You for paying in full for our sins and the sins of the entire world and appeasing God’s just wrath against us. O Father in heaven, we thank You for Your forgiveness, love and mercy toward us in Christ Jesus. O Holy Spirit, we thank You for graciously bringing us to know and accept God’s pardon and forgiveness. Graciously keep us in faith, believing that for Jesus sake, we poor sinners are forgiven and acceptable in God’s sight. Amen.

[Scripture from the King James Version of the Bible.]

Why do I believe in Jesus? Why do I follow after Him and read His Word? My answer is quite simple. I believe in Jesus because I am a sinner and because Jesus came into the world to save sinners.

I am a sinner – there’s no doubt about that! I haven’t kept all of God’s commandments perfectly as He demands. I haven’t loved God with all my heart, soul, and mind; and I haven’t loved my neighbor as much as I have loved myself. I haven’t always put God first in my life, and I haven’t always used God’s name in an honorable way or eagerly listened to God’s Word. I’ve disobeyed my parents. I’ve hated and spoken evil of others rather than loving and helping them in their needs. I’ve had evil thoughts and desires, and I’ve desired things which were not mine to have. God’s Word is right when it says of me: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”; and, “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 3:23, 6:23a). I know that I am a sinner and, in God’s judgment, deserve to be condemned to eternal punishment in hell for my sins!

So, why do I believe in Jesus? Because He came into the world to save sinners! The Bible says: “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief” (1 Timothy 1:15). All of us are sinners, and God provided a way for sinners like me to be saved when He sent His only begotten Son into the world as a true man to keep His commandments for us and then to die on the cross and bear the punishment for all our sins. Again, the Bible says that “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures … He was buried … He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3, 4); and that “Jesus Christ the righteous … is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world” (1 John 2:1, 2).

I believe in Jesus because God has forgiven all my sins and made me, a sinner, acceptable in His sight through Jesus. The Bible says: “He made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:6, 7). Because of Jesus’ life and death for me, I know that God will not condemn me to eternal suffering in hell for my sins, but will, instead, grant me a place with Him in heaven! Jesus Himself says: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life” (John 5:24).

When I stand before God in His great judgment on the Last Day, I need not be afraid. Though a sinner, Jesus shed His blood for me! His cleansing blood will be my only plea!

I pray that you too will believe in Jesus, for He came into the world to save sinners like you and me!

Randy Moll

[Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.]