So far, we have discussed the Scriptures that speak of reconciliation in the order in which they appear in the Bible. In all other instances, it refers to the reconciliation of humanity with God. With the exception of 1 Corinthians 7:11, which we have already discussed, because that is the only time the concept of reconciliation is used in a relationship between people. In all other cases, it refers to the reconciliation of man (humanity) with God.
the world reconciled
This is also the case in 2 Corinthians 5:18-20, where we encounter the words reconciliation and reconcile no fewer than five times. In Romans 11, Paul spoke about the reconciliation of the world, and here too, it refers to the world being reconciled to God.
compelled
In the preceding verses, Paul argued that he is compelled by the love of Christ (2 Cor. 5:14). God had poured out His love into Paul’s heart (Rom. 5:5). God proves His love in that Christ died for us while we were still ungodly (Rom. 5:6) and sinners (Rom. 5:8). That love compelled Paul. That is compulsion, not coercion.
Died and Risen for All
Christ died for all, and therefore all have died—that’s how God reckons (2 Cor. 5:14). Adam took all humanity with him into sin and death (Rom. 5:12; 1 Cor. 15:22). Likewise, all humanity is contained in Christ, the last Adam, and in Him receives justification and life (Rom. 5:18; 1 Cor. 15:22). Christ died for all and was raised for all (2 Cor. 5:15; 2 Tim. 2:11). However, the resurrection of all occurs in a specific order (1 Cor. 15:23). Those who are already alive are a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).
2 Corinthians 5
18 And all this is from God, who is reconciling us to himself through Christ and giving us the ministry of reconciliation.
Everything that Paul mentions above is from God. That we died with him, that we are raised with him, and that God reconciles us to himself through Christ—it is all God’s work. God reconciles enemies through Christ.
The ministry of reconciliation
Here again we see that it is man who is reconciled to God, not the other way around. God did not need to be reconciled, because he was not an enemy. He reconciles us and now gives us the ministry of reconciliation. What this means is explained in the next verse.
19 How that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting their transgressions against them, but placing the word of reconciliation in us.
God gave Paul—and us too—the ministry of reconciliation to proclaim the word of reconciliation to the world. That word is: that God, in Christ, is reconciling the world to Himself and not counting their transgressions against them. The world’s greatest transgression is that they crucified and killed God’s Son. Yet God does not count it against them. On the contrary, He goes through Christ, giving life to the world and thus convincing everyone of His love. Every knee will bow to Him, and every tongue will heartily confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil. 2:10-11).
Joseph
Compare this with Joseph, who is a magnificent type of Christ. Despite the enmity of his brothers—who wanted to kill him and sell him—he nourishes them and declares that God intended it this way, “to preserve and redeem them” (Gen. 45:5-7). So God does not hold the world accountable for crucifying his Son, but rather gives them life.
20 We are ambassadors for Christ, as from God appealing through us: (on behalf of Christ we implore): Be reconciled to God!
Most translations render this as: be ye reconciled to God. This would imply that a person must cause something to happen or perform an action to be reconciled. However, this contradicts what we read two verses earlier: “And all this is from God, who is reconciling us to himself through Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:18).
Not an invitation, but a command
What is rendered in many translations as an invitation requiring action is, in the original text, a command. Paul uses the Greek verb katallagēte here, in an imperative, passive voice. This means that the action—be reconciled!—is performed on the subject, the person, and that the person is passive in it. Man makes no contribution whatsoever to his own reconciliation.
Below are some examples in which the same grammatical form is used.
be silent! -expelling an unclean spirit
Mark 1
25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him.”
Here Jesus casts an unclean spirit out of a demon-possessed man. The unclean spirit knew who was standing before him, as is evident from the preceding sentence. After Jesus’ command, he had no choice but to remain silent and leave the man. This may seem active—”he came out” (v. 26)—but it is not. The unclean spirit could not remain. The same applies to being reconciled. When God reconciles man, he cannot resist or stop it, and he plays no part in it.
be cleansed – a leper healed
Mark 1
40 And a leper comes to him and calls him, and kneels before him, and says to him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”
41 And Jesus was moved with compassion, and stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.”
What part did the leper play in his healing? None. The Lord gave a command; he obeyed it and was healed.
be roused – the young man of Nain
Luke 7
14 And he went and touched the bier. And the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, be roused!”
This is perhaps the most striking example. Here it is a dead man who is raised by Jesus. What can you expect from a dead man? No faith, no consent, not even a response. The dead man is raised because Jesus gives him the command. The world that is reconciled by God is just as passive in this.
See also Matthew 8:3; Mark 7:34; Luke 4:35, 5:13, 17:6 for more examples of this grammatical form.
We repeatedly see confirmation that this verb form is a command, in which nothing is asked of the person to whom it is addressed. It is God who reconciles; humanity undergoes it and is transformed.
plead
But why then does Paul plead with his readers? Pleading in Scripture is not an uncertain or desperate cry, but an appeal to God’s promises. Daniel knew that the time for Jerusalem’s destruction had been fulfilled (Dan. 9:2), and yet he turned to God with prayer and supplication (Dan. 9:20), appealing to what God had promised.
So too, Paul knew that God is reconciling the world to Himself. And in his compassion, he cries out: Be reconciled to God! The reconciliation of all things (Col. 1:20) is the message that Paul proclaimed among the nations. Whoever now recognizes and believes this truth is already reconciled (Col. 1:21).