In 2 Corinthians,
chapter 5, beginning in verse 17, Paul wrote,

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation
has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ
and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God
was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins
against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his
appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:17-20).

It’s interesting to
note that Paul uses the word “reconciliation” three times. I enjoy exploring
the meaning of familiar words because there is often more to them than “meets
the ear.”

If something can be re–conciled, presumably
it was once “conciled.” But what does that mean? “Concile” isn’t a word you’ll
find in most dictionaries. Reconciled is what linguists call an “unpaired opposite.”

For example, we recognize what it means
to be “disgruntled.” But how often are you “gruntled?” You can be “overwhelmed”
– but what about being “whelmed?”

These were once quite common words, but they
have fallen into disuse and only their opposites remain. So what about
“conciled?”

You can actually find it in the multi-volume
Complete Oxford Dictionary. It is an archaic word that has to do with people meeting
in agreement. And thus, “re-conciliation”
implies not the forging of a new relationship,
but the restoration of a relationship
that once existed. And this adds an exciting dimension to the verses I read
in 2 Corinthians.

With this new understanding, we can see
Paul showing us that God, through Jesus Christ, has “reconciled” the
relationship broken by the fall of man. In this restored state, God and man now
work together in partnership to spread the “ministry of reconciliation” to all
the world.

I’m Joseph Tkach, Speaking of LIFE.