RECONCILIATION
By Rev. Dr. Larry Delano Coleman
Thursday, September 11, 2014
My thoughts turn to ‘reconciliation’ as our nation ritually agonizes over the September 11, 2001, aerial bombing of the World Trade Center, and the Pentagon in New York City and Washington, D.C., in which thousands of American and foreign lives were lost, of all faiths, and of no faiths, when American-trained pilots, who also were Islamists led by Saudia-expatriate, Osama ben Ladin, dive-bombed hijacked American passenger planes into them. Osama was later killed pursuant to President Barack H. Obama’s orders, by Navy Seals, at his home, near Abottabad, Pakistan in 2011.
Ephesians 2:14-1621st Century King James Version (KJ21)
14 For He is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us,
15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances, that He might make in Himself one new man out of the two, so making peace,
16 and that He might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby.
21st Century King James Version (KJ21)
Copyright © 1994 by Deuel Enterprises, Inc.
Mama once surprised me in asking what did “reconcile” mean. I told her it meant “at peace with another,” though not the same as the other, like fingers entwining, like males and females.
2 Corinthians 5:17-20, 21st Century King James Version (KJ21)
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things have become new.
18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation,
19 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.
20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were beseeching you by us: we pray you on Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.
21st Century King James Version (KJ21)
Copyright © 1994 by Deuel Enterprises, Inc.
“Reconciliation” is a very potent notion, deracinating artificial differences and distinctions, all the way down to the root of existence, to life itself, to mankind itself, to nature itself. Clearly, this cosmological idea, this quintessentially spiritual concept is much more powerful than its secular ‘knock-offs,’ such as political terms like: armistice, détente, freedom, integration, democracy, socialism, peace, and the like.
Colossians 1:19-2321st Century King James Version (KJ21)
19 For it pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell,
20 and having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself — by Him, I say, whether they be things on earth or things in heaven.
21 And you, who were once alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, even now hath He reconciled
22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and unblamable and unreprovable in His sight,
23 if ye continue grounded and settled in the faith, and be not moved away from the hope of the Gospel, which ye have heard and which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, am made a minister.
21st Century King James Version (KJ21)
Copyright © 1994 by Deuel Enterprises, Inc.
Man’s personification of God by ascribing a gender to ‘Him’ and by attributing emotional verbs to ‘Him’ like ‘pleased” or ‘having made peace’ or ‘reconciled’ or ‘present’ are early human attempts to explain God through themselves, rather than to explain themselves through God, a confounded faith inversion.
Romans 5:10-1121st Century King James Version (KJ21)
10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
11 And not only that, but we shall also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
21st Century King James Version (KJ21)
Copyright © 1994 by Deuel Enterprises, Inc.
At the end of the day, the ultimate reconciliation is expressed in the life of Jesus Christ, whose death on the cross and ensuing resurrection, triumphed over Jewish traditionalism and over Roman nationalism, to teach the ‘least of these’ that ‘greater works than these’ can they do, too, who know him in their hearts.
Amen!
My thoughts turn to ‘reconciliation’ as our nation ritually agonizes over the September 11, 2001, aerial bombing of the World Trade Center, and the Pentagon in New York City and Washington, D.C., in which thousands of American and foreign lives were lost, of all faiths, and of no faiths, when American-trained pilots, who also were Islamists led by Saudia-expatriate, Osama ben Ladin, dive-bombed hijacked American passenger planes into them. Osama was later killed pursuant to President Barack H. Obama’s orders, by Navy Seals, at his home, near Abottabad, Pakistan in 2011.
Ephesians 2:14-1621st Century King James Version (KJ21)
14 For He is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us,
15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances, that He might make in Himself one new man out of the two, so making peace,
16 and that He might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby.
21st Century King James Version (KJ21)
Copyright © 1994 by Deuel Enterprises, Inc.
Mama once surprised me in asking what did “reconcile” mean. I told her it meant “at peace with another,” though not the same as the other, like fingers entwining, like males and females.
2 Corinthians 5:17-20, 21st Century King James Version (KJ21)
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things have become new.
18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation,
19 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.
20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were beseeching you by us: we pray you on Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.
21st Century King James Version (KJ21)
Copyright © 1994 by Deuel Enterprises, Inc.
“Reconciliation” is a very potent notion, deracinating artificial differences and distinctions, all the way down to the root of existence, to life itself, to mankind itself, to nature itself. Clearly, this cosmological idea, this quintessentially spiritual concept is much more powerful than its secular ‘knock-offs,’ such as political terms like: armistice, détente, freedom, integration, democracy, socialism, peace, and the like.
Colossians 1:19-2321st Century King James Version (KJ21)
19 For it pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell,
20 and having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself — by Him, I say, whether they be things on earth or things in heaven.
21 And you, who were once alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, even now hath He reconciled
22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and unblamable and unreprovable in His sight,
23 if ye continue grounded and settled in the faith, and be not moved away from the hope of the Gospel, which ye have heard and which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, am made a minister.
21st Century King James Version (KJ21)
Copyright © 1994 by Deuel Enterprises, Inc.
Man’s personification of God by ascribing a gender to ‘Him’ and by attributing emotional verbs to ‘Him’ like ‘pleased” or ‘having made peace’ or ‘reconciled’ or ‘present’ are early human attempts to explain God through themselves, rather than to explain themselves through God, a confounded faith inversion.
Romans 5:10-1121st Century King James Version (KJ21)
10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
11 And not only that, but we shall also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
21st Century King James Version (KJ21)
Copyright © 1994 by Deuel Enterprises, Inc.
At the end of the day, the ultimate reconciliation is expressed in the life of Jesus Christ, whose death on the cross and ensuing resurrection, triumphed over Jewish traditionalism and over Roman nationalism, to teach the ‘least of these’ that ‘greater works than these’ can they do, too, who know him in their hearts.
Amen!