THE LANGUAGE OF SALVATION - RECONCILIATION

The Language of Salvation: Reconciliation
Romans 5:6–11
Over the past several weeks we've been studying what I've called The Language of Salvation—those great Bible words that are often used in church but not always understood. These are more than theological terms; they are God's explanation of what He has done for us through Jesus Christ.
We've already examined:

• Condemnation — Our guilty verdict before a holy God.
• Justification — God's declaration that the believer is righteous because of Christ.
• Propitiation — Christ satisfying the wrath of God by taking our place.

All of those wonderful truths naturally lead us to one final question:
Why would God do any of this?
Why would God make a way for condemned sinners to be justified? Why would He pour His wrath upon His own Son? Why would He go to such incredible lengths to save people who had rebelled against Him?
The answer is found in one beautiful word:
Reconciliation.
God did not simply want to forgive us. He wanted to restore a relationship with us.
Sermon Outline
The Language of Salvation: Reconciliation
Text: Romans 5:6–11

I. The Need for Reconciliation
Romans 5 describes mankind with four sobering words:

• Without strength
• Ungodly
• Sinners
• Enemies

Those descriptions paint a clear picture of humanity's condition apart from Christ. Sin had broken the relationship between God and man.
Every person today is in one of two places:

• In fellowship with God through Jesus Christ.
• Or separated from God because of sin.

The tragedy is that many people become comfortable living apart from God. They convince themselves they don't need Him.
But what may be acceptable to man has never been acceptable to God.
God was not content to leave us separated from Him.
He loved us too much.
From the very beginning, God's desire has always been relationship. In the Garden of Eden, God walked with Adam. He fellowshiped with him. Sin interrupted that fellowship, but it never changed God's desire.
Many human relationships experience forgiveness without reconciliation. Family members may simply "move on," yet never truly restore the relationship.
God refused to leave our relationship that way.
He wanted us restored.
Reconciliation is the act of restoring a broken relationship—turning enemies into friends and replacing estrangement with peace through Jesus Christ.

II. The Work of Reconciliation
Romans 5 reminds us that we did not reconcile ourselves to God.
God did the work.
Verse 8 says,
"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
Notice the direction of that love.
It wasn't mankind pursuing God.
It was God pursuing mankind.
Normally, guilty people seek mercy.
But in our case, the innocent One came searching for the guilty.
God could not bear the thought of eternity without us.
So He acted.
He made reconciliation possible through the cross.
Our salvation is never about what we accomplished.
It is always about what God accomplished through Jesus Christ.

III. The Means of Reconciliation
God could have chosen many different ways to deal with humanity.
He could have simply declared everyone forgiven.
He could have demanded mankind earn reconciliation.
He could have placed the entire responsibility upon human effort.
But none of those would satisfy His holiness.
Sin had to be judged.
Justice had to be satisfied.
Romans 5:10 tells us:
"...we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son."
Jesus became the only bridge between holy God and sinful man.
While we were still sinners...
Christ died for us.
While we were still ungodly...
Christ died for us.
While we were still enemies...
Christ died for us.
God dealt with our sin—not in us—but in His Son.
That is the only means of reconciliation.
An Illustration of Salvation
To help our church visualize these great Bible words, we used a simple illustration.
Imagine three people standing together.
One represents sinful humanity.
One represents God.
The third represents Jesus Christ.
Because of sin, mankind stands condemned and separated from God.
God, being perfectly holy, cannot ignore sin.
Then Jesus steps between the two.
He receives the wrath that mankind deserved.
That is propitiation.
Because Christ bore our punishment, God now sees the believer through the righteousness of Christ.
That is justification.
But God doesn't stop there.
He doesn't merely remove our guilt.
He restores the relationship.
Through Christ, the sinner is brought safely into the Father's embrace.
That is reconciliation.
The cross didn't simply make forgiveness possible.
The cross brought us home.

A Final Thought
Every person reading this stands somewhere.
Perhaps you've never trusted Christ.
You remain separated from God—not because He doesn't love you—but because sin still stands between you.
The good news is that Jesus has already done everything necessary to reconcile you to God.
If you've trusted Christ as Savior, then you have been reconciled forever.
However, while our relationship with God is secure, our fellowship with Him can still suffer.
Unconfessed sin, spiritual coldness, grieving the Holy Spirit, and neglecting our walk with God can rob us of the joy and closeness we once enjoyed.
The relationship remains.
The fellowship needs restoring.
Friend, there is nothing in this world like walking closely with God.
He didn't merely save you from hell.
He saved you for Himself.
What an incredible God we serve.
He loved us enough to bring us home.