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Joseph was utterly wronged, and by the world’s standards, had no cause to make peace with his brothers. Joseph, favored son of Jacob, or “Israel,” was hated by his jealous brothers, beaten, cast into a pit, and sold into slavery ( Genesis 37). The story of Joseph and his brothers is one of the most profound examples. The Bible is peppered with numerous other stories of reconciliation. What are some other examples of reconciliation in the Bible? Only in Jesus can we have that wholeness and perfect healing. No one comes to the Father except through me” ( John 14:6).
#RECONCILIATION DEFINITION FULL#
The whole message of the Gospel is one of reconciliation: A people who sinned over and over against God were given Jesus to believe in, model after, and follow, so that in their faith and following they could uncover their path back to God and full unity.Īs Jesus told His disciples, “I am the way and the truth and the life. It is acknowledging the need for forgiveness and then allowing transformation and unity to occur. Throughout the pages of the Bible, we see God, in His great love for humanity, extending many opportunities for the people to find their way back to Him, from Moses leading the Israelites to the Promised Land to prophets who were called by the Creator to offer warnings and teachings.īut only through Jesus do we see God’s true and ultimate message of reconciliation, our path back to Him, and to wholeness. We were cast out from the garden and that beautiful, original relationship with our Creator. But then came our fall from that perfect union, when man and woman disobeyed God and ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil ( Genesis 3). We spoke with God directly and felt no shame, for we were one with Him. In the beginning, humanity was in perfect harmony with the Lord in the Garden of Eden ( Genesis 2). Many believe the Bible is one giant story about reconciliation. Where does the Bible talk about reconciliation? It’s bringing that lost sheep back into the proverbial fold. Reconciliation is merging two separate, closed-off pieces into one unit.
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It’s taking the wrong and covering it with the cleansing power of God, restoring it to a new state of transformative unity with the Lord and all creation. The Greek word for reconciliation is “ katallage,” which translates to “adjustment of a difference” or “restoration to favor,” while the Hebrew word is “kapar” or “ kaphar,” which translates to “cover over” or “atone.” Reconciliation has much to do with transformation it’s the moving from a place of separation, hurt, and brokenness to a place of healing, wholeness, forgiveness, and reunion. But what is reconciliation, what does the Bible say we should do about it, why do we need it, and what does it actually look like in real life? What is reconciliation? The Bible talks a great deal about forgiveness and its ultimate foundation, reconciliation. You’ve righted the wrong as best you could, moved past it, turned your life around, made peace with God - and yet you can’t seem to forgive yourself.Īll these things stand in the way of our ultimate peace and wholeness in the Lord: true reconciliation. Or maybe it’s you who has done the hurting.
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