The writer makes the shocking statement: “I don’t care if I go to heaven.” Can he convince you to agree?
One day, when speaking at a Bible camp, a nervous hush fell over the crowd when I said, “I don’t care if I go to heaven.” After a few moments, I put their minds at ease by adding, “I just want to be with the Lord Jesus.”
You see, the gospel we often preach falls far short of the emphasis of the Bible. We tend to focus on the sinner being saved from sin and hell, and being made fit to live in heaven forever. Both are gloriously true, but they are actually mainly benefits that come from the greater truth of salvation: that we have been reconciled to God, and will never be separated from Christ. So we won’t be in hell, since His personal presence is not there; and we will be in heaven, because that will be where He is enthroned, and we will be seated with Him.
Hear it from the final chapters of the Revelation:
“He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God.…He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be My son.…And they shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads” (Rev. 21:3, 7; 22:4).
“Christianity is not a religion; it’s a relationship.” Many times we make this statement as we share our faith with the lost. If it is true (and it is!), then it should shape our understanding and emphasis about the message of salvation. John summarized it by saying, “God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life” (1 Jn. 5:11f). So, having eternal life is not simply a gift from God that spares us from hell and grants us entrance into an everlasting home in heaven; it is to have the very life of the eternal Son of God take up permanent residence within us.
The Lord Jesus defined it as He prayed to the Father, “And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent” (Jn. 17:3). This refers to a knowledge that is from the heart. It has an intimacy to it, as can be seen in our glimpses of the beautiful relationship between the Son and the Father, as Christ walked this earthly scene. He showed us what eternal life looks like; and it is a life that only He can live. This is why reconciliation is to be such a crucial aspect to the message of salvation and of the lives we live as believers.
Reconciliation is essentially a bringing about of agreement. It ends any conflict and brings peace. We can see this in practical examples, such as the work of a mediator in a dispute a company has between union members and the management, or between a husband and wife. Where there was disagreement, there is now agreement; balance and harmony is found. Things can then proceed in the way they should. On a much more profound level, this is what has happened in our salvation.
“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ… For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly…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” (Rom. 5:1, 6, 10).
“And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight” (Col. 1:21f).
Note that the disagreement was seen by God as enmity, a hostility toward His holiness. This was not just in our deeds but in our minds. Likewise, if there is to be agreement, then the change will have to first take place in our minds—how we think, where our allegiance is, what our priorities are, what attitudes we allow, the lifestyle we choose, etc. Hence the exhortation in Romans 12:2, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” The Lord is perfect, so the need for reconciliation is entirely ours —all of the change must occur in us. But the provision for reconciliation comes entirely from Him!
Salvation brings repentant sinners into a reconciled state, which is to show itself in our new life. The Lord spoke through Amos, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3). There needs to be a deliberate plan for two to walk together. God is holy and righteous, but we are not. So we must change if we are to “walk in [i.e. keep in step with] the Spirit” (Gal 5:25) and “walk [in a manner] worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing” (Col 1:10).
Christ’s call on our lives is the same today as it was for the first disciples: “Follow Me.” If we are to succeed in this, we must deliberately go where He is going and at the pace He is setting. The fact that He has reconciled us to Himself makes it possible for us to be effective disciples. And it safeguards us from the two gutters on either side of the “path of righteousness,” namely legalism and liberalism. Christ subscribes to neither of these views, so those who agree with Him will be free of these traps, as well.
He also calls us to work with Him. “Come unto Me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and you shall find rest unto your souls” (Mt. 11:28-29). Now that we are reconciled, we have a focus for the work we do. It isn’t just that we work for the Lord; it is a matter of working with the Lord. He tells us that the way this happens is to pay attention to His heart. The work He does is an extension of His character. Likewise, the work we do in His name is going to be right only if our hearts and minds are reconciled to His. It isn’t just a matter of doing right; it is a matter of being right—just like the One whose yoke we now share.
This reconciliation also shapes our fellowship. First, it affects our fellowship with the Lord Himself. Notice the appeal He makes to believers in Laodicea, who were not in agreement with Him: “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me” (Rev. 3:20). He is eager to unveil Himself to those who long to know His heart: “The secret [intimate counsel] of the Lord is with them that fear Him; and He will show them His covenant” (Ps. 25:14).
Then, after fellowship with the Lord, another benefit of this reconciliation with Him is that we end up having fellowship with all other believers (see 1 John). If we each agree with Him, then we will have agreement with each other.
Finally, having been reconciled by Him and to Him, we are to be on a mission as ambassadors to urge others likewise to walk with God. In fact this gospel appeal is called “the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Cor. 5:15-20). Fallen humans have a need to be reconciled to God. The Lord wants us to agree with Him so that we might enjoy His glory. So, when we call sinners to salvation, may our words and hearts be in agreement with the Lord’s. He wants us to tell them, “Be reconciled to God.”
We are to be on a mission as ambassadors to urge others likewise to walk with God.