The world is not the way it’s supposed to be. We all know it, even if we don’t know why. We feel it in our bones. At some point, things were right, and there was no need for worry. But something has since gone terribly wrong, and now every nation, household, and heart is full of chaos and longing. But let’s not forget, Christ died and was resurrected! And we know he died for our sins, but let’s not forget the full, awesome power of what his death accomplishes: it sets this entire longing world right!
The single problem that plagues the world—literally the sole cause of everything wrong—is that it is estranged from God. God is love, and he created a world to flourish with him in mutual love, and yet the world abandoned that love. We were made for relationship with God. That is quite literally the meaning of life. And in Christ, through whom our sin is forgiven and sanctified away, that relationship is restored. The gospel of Jesus accomplishes reconciliation. We who were dead in sin, infinitely estranged from the perfect living God, now are reconciled to him and able to know him and run to him as our own personal, loving Father.
Reconciliation is one of the many big, fancy words we associate with salvation, but it may be one of the most important! It reminds us what we should prioritize as most important in our lives. Our natural way is to see ourselves as the center of our own worlds and seek what benefits us. But God’s reconciliation reminds us that we are made not for ourselves but for him. And that means everything good that we seek—our identity, our fulfillment, and our joy—comes from being reconciled to the Lord and from nothing else.
The world is still not the way it’s supposed to be. But while we still dwell as foreigners in this world which is not our home, we can be cleansed of unrighteousness by the blood of Jesus, we can be reconciled with God, and we can live surrounded by his love—and that’s exactly the way things are supposed to be. So along with Paul in his letter to Corinth, I implore you on Christ’s behalf: be reconciled to God!
