Text: 2 Corinthians 5:17-21
Topic: How reconciliation with God has been made possible

• Illustration: To introduce the themes of his sermon, MacArthur shares a story about interacting with a Muslim man who had placed his hope for salvation in a works-based system.

• Our passage contains perhaps the most significant single statement about the significance of the gospel anywhere in the epistles of Paul.
• Notice that the word reconcile—or a form of the word reconcile—is used five times in this passage. That unlocks for us the theme of the passage.
• The Bible makes it clear that all people are sinners, by nature, by conduct, from birth, and because of this sin, they are alienated from a holy God.
• This alienation from God prevents every sinner from having fellowship with God, who is too perfectly holy to have anything to do with sinners except to reject them and to punish them forever.
• But God has made it possible, based upon this wonderful word reconciliation, for sinners to be reconciled to him.
• The message we proclaim is that the hostility between the sinner and God can end now and forever.
• The term reconciliation defines what we're all about. In fact, you will notice in verse 18 that God has given us the ministry of reconciliation.
• But how is this reconciliation that proclaim made possible?

• From a human standpoint, reconciliation seems impossible. If there is to be any reconciliation at all, it's going to have to come from God.
• That's the first point that I want you to notice in this text: reconciliation is by the will of God.
• In verse 18, Paul writes, "All these things are of God." Salvation is from God. God is a saving God by nature.
• There is nothing we can do to satisfy the just wrath of a holy God, change our nature, or make ourselves acceptable to him. The good news is that God so loved the world that he devised the means of reconciliation.
  • Illustration: MacArthur surveys a few ancient religions to show that all gods throughout time have been apathetic or violently hostile—and none of them cared to offer reconciliation by grace.
• Never has the world seen a God who by nature is a lover or who weeps over the plight of those who are under his sovereign rule.
• This is the wonder of salvation: the ministry of reconciliation begins with the fact that it is by the will of God.

• Reconciliation is not only possible by the will of God; it is made possible by an act of forgiveness by God.
• Verse 19 says that God is able to reconcile the world to himself by "not imputing their trespasses to them." In other words, the only possible way a sinner can be reconciled to God, is if God doesn't take their sin into account.
• This wasn't easy for God to do, because he is holy and just.
  • Romans 4:8
  • Psalm 32:2
• Bottom line: our God is a God who reconciles by his will and through an amazing act of forgiveness through his Son.

• According to verse 20, we are ambassadors for Christ in that God uses us to plead with others to "be reconciled to God." What's implied in this verse is that sinners have to make a response.
• So, God says we must plead with people to acknowledge Christ as Savior and Lord, because it is by the obedience of faith that they will be reconciled to God.
• The religions of the world don't see it that way. In one way, shape, or form, they all herald a system of works righteousness.

• All of this brings us to the most important thing I need to point out—the heart and soul of the Christian gospel. How is it possible for God to reconcile sinners?
• The answer is in verse 21, a verse that defines the doctrine of salvation: "But he made him who knew no sin to be sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in him."
• Look at the testimony of the New Testament concerning Jesus. Jesus was perfect, without sin.
• And in what sense was Jesus made sin? On the cross God treated Jesus as if Jesus had personally committed every sin that has ever been committed by every person who would ever believe—even though he committed none of them.
• Let me put it simply: God punished Jesus on the cross as if he lived your life. That's the great doctrine of imputation.
• This allowed God to pour out furious wrath and punishment on Jesus against those sins.
• But that's not all. Consider the latter half of the verse: "He made him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him."
• Now you're treated by God as if you passed every trial—as if you were righteous in every relationship, righteous in every thought, righteous in every deed.
• This is grace. This is salvation. And this is the word of reconciliation.