This is what Proverbs 10:12 means when it says: “Hatred stirreth up strife, but love covereth all sins.” Love enables us to forgive all sins! The other person should grant forgiveness based on the fact that the person confessed their sin and asked for forgiveness. They should then ask for forgiveness for what they have done. Practically speaking, a person in the wrong should humble themself and confess to the other person that they have sinned against them. How should I make reconciliation with someone? Therefore, forgiveness involves a two-way transaction: the humbling and asking for forgiveness by the offender and the release of the right of the offended to enforce justice. Together, they describe forgiveness as the process whereby the offended party “gives” up the right to “enforce” justice. The very term forgive is a word that was made up of the words force and giving. This is reinforced in Proverbs 10:12, Galatians 6:1-5, and Ephesians 4:1-3, 25, 29-31 where we are told that love should be our motivation for reconciliation.įinally, the Bible teaches us that reconciliation means that we must be willing to ask for forgiveness and forgive if asked (Matthew 18:21-35). When we take this approach, it communicates grace and love to the other person. The goal is to communicate that you want to resolve the problem, not make the other person look bad or put them in their place. The second thing the Bible teaches about reconciliation is that if we are approaching someone about a situation, we should do it in a spirit of meekness and keep it private (Matthew 18:15). This is reinforced in Hosea 6:6, Matthew 6:6, and Matthew 12:7 where Jesus told us that restoring relationships are more important than religious practices. This is stressed in Matthew 5:21-25 where we are told that if we have an unresolved disagreement with someone that we should resolve it as soon as possible, even before we go to church again. The first thing the Bible teaches about reconciliation is that we must make it a priority to reconcile. What does the Bible teach us about reconciliation? With this in mind, reconciliation has its Biblical foundation in the atonement of Christ. When Christ died on the cross for us, He removed the tension between us and God (Romans 5:10 2 Corinthians 5:16-21.) His shed blood, reconciled the conflict between us and the Father. When the word atonement is broken down to its historical parts (a-tone-ment) it means a condition without tension. By far, the most commonly translated word for kapar is the English word atonement. In addition to reconciliation, kapar is also translated into English words such as forgive, purge away, and merciful as well as a few others. This is one of the most theologically significant words in the Bible. In the Old Testament the word reconciliation is the Hebrew word kapar, pronounced kaw-far’. How does the Bible define reconciliation? When we have reconciliation, it means that we restore our relationship to one that enables us to be compatible and friendly with one another again. However, the root of reconciliation is the word conciliation, which is the action of stopping someone from being angry. We see from this definition that the words restoration and compatible are part of reconciliation. The action of making one view or belief compatible with another. The common definition of reconciliation as it relates to relationships is (1): 1.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |