Why the be ye reconciled to God ?
2 Cor 5:17-20
Therefore if any man
be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech
you by us: we pray
you in Christ's stead,
be ye reconciled to God
This imperative, in the passive voice may i add, is directed to new creatures in Christ Vs 17, also to them that have already been reconciled to God by Christ's death Vs 18-19; Rom 5:10, to them that have no sins of theirs charged or imputed to them Vs 19.
Now the imperative to them is not to the unreconciled, but the already reconciled, so its not an imperative wherein a choice must be made to either obey or not, be reconciled or not be reconciled, no its an imperative wherein God is actually causing the already reconciled, is causing the truth of it to be reconciled, embraced, receive into their hearts and minds and affections, causing them to receive the truth of them having already been reconciled to God through Christ's death. We know this because the command " be ye reconciled" is in the passive voice,, which means :
The passive voice represents the subject as being the recipient of the action. E.g., in the sentence, "The boy was hit by the ball," the boy receives the action.
Its the living voice of Christ, through His messengers turning the minds and hearts of His people to embrace the truth in Faith. Under the New Covenant it is written Ezk 36:27
And I will put my spirit within you,
and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do
them.
Its a command as if Christ were to say, let there be light, light would therefore obey the command of Christ, hence Christ shines in the heart the light of the gospel [of reconciliation through Him] 2 Cor 4:6
For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts,
to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
So the imperative is not to lost souls separated from God, and dead in sin, but quickened, regenerated souls, new creatures, who are now being reconciled to the truth of their reconciliation/salvation !
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