My last two lessons I’m sure to a lot of folks were a pretty hard pill to swallow as they say. The subjects of “Repentance” and God’s remedy for those who might refuse to repent; “A Place Called Hell” are not what most would consider popular or even edifying subjects. But the truth remains, these are subjects directly from the word of God which can not and must be swept under the rug.

  Now, having said that, let me say there should come a time when men can breathe a sigh of relief
and say; --- “Oh, there is a way out; --- and there is hope in God’s wonderful plan for some kind of reunion, or Re-conciliation!! --- You may ask, why do I have the word “reconciliation” hyphenated.
And that’s a very legitimate question. --- I don’t know why! --- Except in order for one to be Reconciled to something or someone, in my limited way of thinking, he would have had to have been “conciled” to something or someone in the first place. But, there is no such word in the English language as “conciled” or “concile”. Could it be this is because Adam and Eve were the exclusive subjects of any soul on earth to have had this particular relationship with God, that there was no need to ever have such a word? --- But, this is mere speculation on my part. --- But the closest word to it is “conciliate”, which means: 1. To make friendly again, 2. To settle a quarrel, 3. Bring into harmony, 4. To make content, submissive, or acquiescent. (Webster’s Dictionary) ---There once was a time when man was in harmony or “conciliated” with God. In (Gen. 2:25) we read; --- “And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.” --- You know the story, --- How that Adam and Eve had it all, everything they could possibly wish for, even eternal life; --- So long as they kept that close harmony with and submissive to the heavenly Father. --- But then that old serpent (Satan) came along, enticed them, or introduced them to the pleasures of sin, and they fell for it hook, line and sinker. --- (Gen. 3:7-11) “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.--- They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.--- Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, ‘Where are you?’ --- He said, ‘I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself." --- And He said, ‘Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" --- Now they became separated from God, banished from the beautiful garden and the tree of life, and in dire need of RE- conciliation!! 

 When Adam and Eve were first created, they were as innocent and sinless as little children with no need of repentance and no need of a Savior, --- therefore no need of reconciliation. --- They had just one law (or rule) to abide by; --- God said in (Gen. 2:16-17); --- “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die." 

 I believe the Lord God chastised the prophet Ezekiel when He said; --- “What do you mean by using this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, --- ‘The fathers eat the sour grapes, But the children's teeth are set on edge'?--- ‘As I live,’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘you are surely not going to use this proverb in Israel anymore.” (Ezek. 18:2-3) --- Then on down in (Vs. 18-20) He clarifies just the way it is to be; “The person who sins will die.The son will not bear the punishment for the father's iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son's iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself.” --- So much for the false doctrine of “Inherited sin”! And the practice of infant baptism.

 Now, the purpose of bringing this out is so that we can get the Bible criteria for who it is that’s in need of forgiveness of sin and reconciliation. And first of all we can rule out infants, or little children because in order for them to be guilty (accountable in God’s eyes) of sin, they would have to have some kind of understanding between right and wrong (or in Bible terms; good and evil). ---It’s when that child comes to the point when he can comprehend good from evil and chooses evil over good, he/she becomes guilty of sin. --- (Deut. 1:39) God told Moses; --- “Moreover, your little ones who you said would become a prey, and your sons, who this day have no knowledge of good or evil, shall enter there, and I will give it to them and they shall possess it.” --- And in (Isa. 7:14-16) we can see that there’s a period in a child’s mental development stage that he may not have yet learned to chose between good and evil; --- “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: --- Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel. He will eat curds and honey at the time He knows enough to refuse evil and choose good. For before the boy will know enough to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken.” --- To be accountable, is to be responsible!! --- And when a child is mentally capable of explaining (1 Jn. 2:15-16), I would say he’s old enough and matured enough to be accountable to God! --- “Do not love the world nor the things in the world If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. --- For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.”

This is what Paul had in mind when he said; --- “But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Rom. 3:21-23) --- Of course the context of this Scripture is saying there’s no distinction between Jews and Gentiles; --- however he points out the phrase “for all those who believe”, which goes right back to ‘understanding” and “believing” what has been taught; --- that is, the gospel of Jesus Christ; and babies, infants or young children are not mentally developed enough to understand or believe, let alone obey God’s gospel, therefore do not fall under the category “for all have sinned“. --- And so we must ask; --- What does the Bible say that sin is?? --- “Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.” (1 Jn. 3:4)

It’s the soul who sins that God says will die. --- He or she dies spiritually, that is they become separated from a spiritual relationship with God when they sin; --- Just like Adam and Eve back in God’s garden; --- thus in need of forgiveness and reconciliation with God!! --- And just how does one go about achieving this?? --- Do you go running out helter-skelter to “join the church of your choice”? --- Do you drop to your knees and say “The sinner’s prayer”? --- Someone might casually say; --- “Well, when the time is right, the Lord will lead me in the right direction!”

First of all my friend, if you’ve “joined the church of your choice”, you have joined yourself to the teachings and doctrines of carnally minded men. --- The word of God says in (Eph. 4:4-6); --- “There is one body (the church - Eph. 5:23) and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.” --- And you do not “join” the Lord’s church, --- but rather; --- “the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:47)

Secondly; The so called “Sinner’s prayer”? --- “Oh, Jesus, be merciful to me, a sinner. I accept Thee as my Lord and Savior!” (Or words to this effect). --- Please tell me anywhere in all the Scriptures where you can find anything like this. --- The closest thing you would find of this nature would be in (Acts 9:10-11); --“ Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, ‘Ananias.’ And he said, ‘Here I am, Lord.’ --- And the Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying,” --- Now here is one example of a sinner praying. ---Saul was a sinner and he was praying. You may ask the question, Did God hear his prayer? --- If so, how did He answer? --- (Acts 22:12-16) will provide us with this answer; --- “A certain Ananias, a man who was devout by the standard of the Law, and well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, came to me, and standing near said to me, --- 'Brother Saul, receive your sight!'--- And at that very time I looked up at him. ‘And he said, ---‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will and to see the Righteous One and to hear an utterance from His mouth. --- 'For you will be a witness for Him to all men of what you have seen and heard.--- 'Now why do you delay? --- Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.” --- Jesus was very specific when He said; --- “Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?” (Lk. 6:46) --- Some who may call upon the name of Jesus to be “saved”, will be very sadly mistaken!! --- Again the Lord’s reply for these; --- “Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.” (Mt. 7:21)

Having heard what the Lord Jesus had to say, --- Now, let’s hear what the Spirit has to say through His apostle; --- The apostle Paul explains it this way in (2 Cor. 5:17-21); --- “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. --- Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. --- Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. --- He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” --- And I’m persuaded this is what another great apostle had to say concerning this “Ministry of Re-conciliation” (2 Pet. 1:3-4); --- “seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.--- For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.”

By being reconciled with the heavenly Father, we can enjoy that marvelous Father-child relationship which is so vitally important! --- No other Bible writer seems to promote God’s love as the apostle John, “the disciple whom Jesus loved;“ (Jn. 21:7&20); --- John demonstrates this loving spirit in (1 Jn. 3:1-3); --- “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; --- and such we are. --- For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. --- Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. --- We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. --- And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”

We have great reason to rejoice in the promise of reconciliation!! (1 Pet. 1:3-5); --- “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

And just what is the Spirit’s description of RECONCILIATION?? 

(Rom. 5:8-11)
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.--- Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. --- For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.”

(Col. 1:19-22) 
“For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven. --- And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach --”

Lest we forget the individual who thinks; --- “Well, when the time is right, the Lord will lead me in the right direction!” --- Please hear these inspired words from (2 Cor. 6:1-3); --- “And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain-- for He says, --- ‘AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU, AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU.’--- Behold, now is ‘THE ACCEPTABLE TIME,’ --- behold, now is ‘THE DAY OF SALVATION‘-- giving no cause for offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited,”

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Questions and comments more than welcomed: ewilburn@austin.rr.com

Please don't delete this from your files, as who knows that while you may not at this time be moved by these scriptures but perhaps in time you might want to refer back to this and come to know better the love of the Lord. --- ew