Reconciliation-Enmity to Amity Enmity is a feeling of hostility, antagonism, animosity or ill will between two parties. Amity describes a cooperative and supportive relationship between parties. Reconciliation describes a state in which there has occurred a change of relationship from enmity to amity, from hostility to harmony, from discord to concord, from estrangement to friendship. Why does man need reconciliation? Sin causes man to be at enmity to and hostile with God. (Romans 5:10) What is the result of absence of reconciliation? Man is estranged and separated from God. (Isaiah 59:2) How is reconciliation realized? God took the initiative in reconciliation! The Cross of Christ, resulted in the death of God's Son making reconciliation possible. (Ro 5:10) Reconciliation is personally realized by grace through faith in the finished work of Christ. God’s answer man's alienation is reconciliation, initiated by Christ's work on the Cross. To say it another way, "the position of the world was changed by His death so that all men are now able to be saved. His death rendered the whole world savable, yet salvation is applied to those who believe." (Fruchtenbaum) Who is the object of reconciliation? Man needs to be reconciled to God (2 Cor 5:19, Ro 5:10). Some say God needs to be reconciled but the two passages quoted show it is man who needs to be reconciled. In English reconciliation means the reestablishing of cordial relations, getting two things (people, groups, countries, etc) to correspond, to call back into union and friendship the affections which have been alienated, to restore to friendship or favor after estrangement. Reconciliation is derived from Latin reconciliatio which means to bring together creating a re-establishing, reinstatement, restoration or renewal. The Latin word reconcilio is from from re- which means “back” or “again,” + conciliāre which means to make friendly, to conciliate anew, to bring together again, to win over again. One dictionary says reconciliation describes a new and friendly relationship with someone you have had an argument or a fight (e.g., spouses, family members, etc). The verb reconcile means to restore to harmony, to settle or resolve, to find a way to make ideas, beliefs, needs, etc that are opposed to each other capable of existing together. To bring into accord, causing opponents to come to terms. Ryrie says "Reconciliation means a change of relationship from hostility to harmony and peace between two parties." (Ryrie's Basic Theology) "The bringing together of two or more parties into unity, harmony, or agreement by removing the cause of disharmony is called reconciliation." (C. Swindoll) The chart below shows the usage of the word reconciliation over the past 200 years. Usage of "Reconciliation" Over Time At the outset the reader should understand that the goal of this article is not to give a comprehensive dissertation on the doctrine of reconciliation. The main goal is to give a number of quotes, stories, illustrations and sermon excerpts which will help you apply this doctrine of "enmity to amity" in the realm of interpersonal relationships (including marriage)! First let's look at every occurrence of the word reconcile (reconciliation, etc) in the Bible (NAS95). Observe that there are 15 occurrences in 12 verses and they are all in the New Testament. While reconcile does not occur in the Old Testament, clearly the concept of reconciliation is present repeatedly. For example, every covenant God initiates with man is His seeking to reconcile unholy men with the Holy One. We also see man to man reconciliation, most beautifully portrayed in the story of Joseph's reconciliation with his estranged family. The concept of reconciliation is progressively revealed throughout the redemptive story of Scripture and it comes to its consummation in the New Testament when Jesus cried out the incredible word "Tetelestai!" which means "It is finished!" signifying that the price for sin has been paid in full. As Charles Ryrie puts it "“It is finished!” (John 19:30) was the cry of victory in the hour of seeming defeat. The plan of salvation stands completed. This involved especially the work of redemption from sin, reconciliation of man, and propitiation of God. His work was completely done." And so on the Cross a way of reconciliation was made available for any soul who would place their trust in Jesus' substitutionary, fully atoning death in their place. Jesus became the Reconciler flinging wide open the gates so that sinful men could be brought back into communion with their Creator, God the Father. Hallelujah! What a Savior! What a Reconciler! So with that synopisis, let's look at the New Testament passages which use the word reconcile (or some variation thereof), most describing the reconciliation of men to God, but some describing the reconciliation of men to men. Notice that for more in depth exposition of these passages, click on the "-note" (except Acts 7:26 and 1 Cor 7:11). MAN TO MAN - Matthew 5:24-note leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering. MAN TO MAN - Acts 7:26 "On the following day he appeared to them as they were fighting together, and he tried to reconcile them in peace, saying, 'Men, you are brethren, why do you injure one another?' MAN TO GOD - Romans 5:10-note 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. MAN TO GOD - Romans 5:11-note And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. MAN TO GOD - Romans 11:15-note For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? MAN TO MAN - 1 Corinthians 7:11 (but if she does leave, she must remain unmarried, or else be reconciled to her husband), and that the husband should not divorce his wife. MAN TO GOD - 2 Corinthians 5:18-note Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, MAN TO GOD - 2 Corinthians 5:19-note 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. MAN TO GOD - 2 Corinthians 5:20-note 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. MAN TO MAN - Ephesians 2:16-note and might reconcile them (Jews and Gentiles) both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. (While verse 16 speaks primarily of men to men, Eph 2:14-16 shows that the reconciliation of men to men is the result of reconciliation of both Jews and Greeks to God). MAN TO GOD - Colossians 1:20-note 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. MAN TO GOD - Colossians 1:22-note 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-- Guzik - This is the result of God’s work of reconciliation. Taken together, these words show that in Jesus we are pure and can’t even be justly accused of impurity. Arnold Fruchtenbaum summarizes these New Testament passages on reconciliation: (1) In Relationship to Human Reconciliation - The first usage refers to mere human reconciliation. It is used in human terms when two people at odds with each other are reconciled (Mat. 5:23–24; 1 Cor. 7:11) (2) In Relationship to Israel’s Future Reconciliation - A second usage of reconciliation is that of Israel’s future reconciliation, when Israel, as a nation, will be reconciled back to God (Rom. 11:15). (3) In Relationship to the Church - A third usage is of the reconciliation of Jews and Gentiles into one body, which is now happening in the Church (Eph. 2:16). (Messianic Study Bible) Wayne Grudem defines reconciliation as follows - The removal of enmity and the restoration of fellowship between two parties. ....To overcome our separation from God, we needed someone to provide reconciliation and thereby bring us back into fellowship with God. Paul says that God “through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself” (2 Cor 5:18-19-note). (In Matthew 5:23-24-note) Jesus here tells us that whenever we come to worship we should be sure that our relationships with others are right, and if they are not, we should act quickly to make them right and then come to worship God. This admonition ought to be especially true when we come to the Lord’s Supper.....In fact, John says that anyone who says, “I love God” but hates his brother “is a liar” (1 John 4:20). Husbands particularly need to make sure they are living “considerately” with their wives, and honoring them, in order that their prayers “may not be hindered” (1 Peter 3:7). And the entire church is responsible to watch “that no ‘root of bitterness’ spring up and cause trouble, and by it the many become defiled” (Heb.