Reconciliation
16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
2 Corinthians 5:16-21
What is reconciliation?
Reconciliation can be defined as reestablishing a relationship between two parties. The purpose of reconciliation is to produce a change in a relationship from hostility to peace. As Christians, Christ commands us to not only reconcile with each other, but also with God. In this article, http://www.reconcile.org/what.htm, Dawson encourages us to stop hating one another. According to Dawson, reconciliation is expressing and receiving forgiveness and pursuing intimate fellowship with previous enemies. Many times, we are tempted to hate others who have done wrong to us. We tend to develop a sense of bitterness which only leads to hatred. Instead of hating those individuals, we need to pray for them and ask God to intervene.
How does this relate to professional counseling?
If we do not practice reconciliation, painful memories will still have control over our lives and may continue to haunt us with horrific memories. Just as Christ forgave us, we are required to forgive each other. No matter how much someone has hurt us, we must forgive and reconcile. As a Christian counselor, we must constantly reconcile with others and Christ. Counselors should recognize that true reconciliation begins with God because He has the power to heal any broken relationship. How can we assist others in pursuing better relationships with others and Christ if we are not right with others and Christ? We would be hypocrites! Christian counselors should be challenged to adhere to God's commands, especially if we are challenging clients to.
Why does it matter?
Reconciliation matters not only because God commands us to, but also because it will ultimately assist us in having better relationships with others and a better relationship with Christ. Injustices will always persist and wrong will be done towards us for as long as we live, but the most important thing to remember is that we should not allow someone elses' sinful actions cause us to sin. The spirit of Christ within us should convict us to pursue reconciliation and love, rather than develop bitterness and hatred. After reading Dawson's article, I am encouraged and somewhat challenged to reconcile with a few individuals. Unfortunately, I have let these unresolved issues persist, but now I am determined to reconcile for the purpose of experiencing true forgiveness.
Sara,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blog because it led me to reflect on both my relationship with God and others. I believe it is so important for us as future Christian counselors to understand what reconciliation truly means. Before we can help others reconcile their relationship with God and/or others, we must be reconciled with God ourselves. As you mentioned, reconciliation is not a mere expression and acceptance of forgiveness, but a pursuit of an intimate fellowship. I thought it was important that you mentioned this because as Christians we often struggle with pursuing an intimate relationship with God. We lose zeal in in our relationship with God that we quickly become complacent, which can be a very dangerous place to be. It is so important that we not only accept God’s forgiveness, but as an expression of our trust in Him, we also act on that belief that He has truly forgiven us; and because of His forgiveness, we are free and empowered to overcome all that comes between our relationship with God. Though His work is complete, our work is not.
Thank you for sharing! :)