The Spirituality of Reconciliation

 

Reconciliation is the restoring of harmony; it’s bringing into unity or agreement what has been alienated.

In a world rife with conflict, there is a great need for reconciliation and by “world” I don’t just mean the planet earth but all the smaller worlds that exist within it; our own little worlds in which we exist – homes, schools, offices, universities, churches, neighbourhoods, communities, societies and nations. Just as it is in the larger world around us, in these personal worlds of ours, there is always some kind of disagreement.

Sadly, this is nothing new, there has always been arguments caused by people’s differences and there has always been a need for reconciliation. Apostle Paul addressed it in his second letter to the congregation at Corinth, and in chapter five we read,

All these new things are from God who brought us back to himself through what Christ Jesus did. And God has given us the privilege of urging everyone to come into his favor and be reconciled to him. For God was in Christ, restoring the world to himself, no longer counting men’s sins against them but blotting them out. This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others. We are Christ’s ambassadors. God is using us to speak to you: we beg you, as though Christ himself were here pleading with you, receive the love he offers you—be reconciled to God. For God took the sinless Christ and poured into him our sins. Then, in exchange, he poured God’s goodness into us!  – 2 Corinthians 5:18-21 (TLB)

According to the apostle, there is need for reconciliation between God and human beings because of the alienation that exists between us and Him. Sin, to which God has a righteous aversion, is the source of this alienation. Thankfully God has provided the means of reconciliation, through Jesus Christ.

There is a spiritual element to reconciliation, not only between God and man but between us human beings too. You see, reconciliation, is an exchange from enmity to fellowship. It is an exercise of grace – God’s grace toward us and our grace toward each other.

Paul points out that God’s act of reconciliation is established in the finished redemptive work of Jesus and that is the basis of this restored relationship with mankind.

in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. – 2 Corinthians 5:19 (ESV)

This was entirely God’s doing. As the apostle asserts, even while we were enemies via sin, God reconciled us to Himself (see Romans 5:10). However, this changed relationship is possible only if the sinner changes status. God is not reconciled to the sinner, for it is the sinner who is reconciled to God because it is the person’s sinfulness that created the enmity.

This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. – Colossians 1:21-22 (NLT)

But what about reconciliation between persons?

We can agree that reconciliation between human beings, requires sound decision making based in true wisdom and understanding but above all, grace. For this reconciliation to be successful, there needs to be spiritual orientation and not strategy alone. We must follow the example of God in extending grace to one another.  

Paul has made it clear that there is a spiritual element to reconciliation, and, as Christ’s ambassadors, reconciliation must become a way of living. In every sphere of our lives, we must find ways of working together to achieve harmony, especially in the church.

The church is certainly not immune to conflict and disagreement. Christians must be willing to collaborate with one another and with others, outside of church confines, in the spirituality of reconciliation in an effort to maintain civility.

Reconciliation from this spiritual perspective involves the difficult task of rebuilding shattered relationships and healing the wounds left by scarred memories. Grace is the key that opens hearts to change from a position of enmity to one of fellowship.

Conflict was meant to deepen relationships not fracture them but when things like pride, control, misunderstandings, unresolved disputes, hurt emotions, rejection and unmet expectations are left unattended to fester in our hearts, conflict that separates is inevitable.

Healing relationships in the spiritualty of reconciliation removes those barriers to fellowship.

Beloved, reconciliation can mean several different things depending on the circumstances, but we are looking at it from a purely spiritual perspective. God’s method of reconciliation, as outlined by the apostle should give us a better understanding of the spirituality of reconciliation.

We must carry the spirituality of reconciliation to a broken world because it reflects God’s heart and His character. God sought to reconcile man to Himself, who are we to not seek to reconcile with others.

With His blood, Jesus Christ paid a debt He did not owe to reconcile us to God

The spirituality of reconciliation sends a message that brokenness is not the end of the story. Our faith compels us to step into places of tension and discord, not with arrogance, but with humility, hope, and an openness to transformation.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “The Spirituality of Reconciliation” © 2026 July 21, 2026