Because this is a lesson plan outline rather than a formal speech, the collection of quotations [generally being read by class members] and statements [which served as my discussion guide and memory prompts] might seem a little disjointed, though they do follow a plan and reach a conclusion, starting with this opening and theme-introducing quotation:
One of the ways I like to study the scriptures is through the study of the meanings of their words and expressions, ideally in the original tongues (to the extent known) and also through etymology. The importance of being able to get precise understanding through effective translation of the scriptures is represented in these comments from Brigham Young:
If [the Bible\ be translated incorrectly, and there is a scholar on the earth who professes to be a Christian, and he can translate it any better than King James’s translators did it, he is under obligation to do so... If I understood Greek and Hebrew as some may profess to do, and I knew the Bible was not correctly translated, I should feel myself bound by the law of justice to the inhabitants of the earth to translate that which is incorrect and give it just as it was spoken anciently. Is that proper? Yes, I would be under obligation to do it. |
So, just to start us out, to get our mental juices going while we study the scriptures, let’s look at the word “reconciliation”. [The class was invited to have open discussion about the meaning of the word. Before reading ahead, you can also consider what you believe it means.]
Can we say that the basic idea of reconciliation is that, for example, we have A and B and something between them that needs to be removed or resolved in order for them to get back together again? Is this an idea we talk about in the Gospel? If this is what it means to be reconciled, what does that suggest about the ministry of reconciliation?
Perhaps you have seen this illustration (to the left) before. Is this what Paul meant? Well, maybe; but Paul didn’t write in either English, or even the Latin from which "reconciliation" comes. The word he used is this one: (please forgive my imperfect Greek transliteration) katallagay, which, in the original text, looks something like this: |
What this suggests is that katallagay – the word Paul used, which has been translated as “reconciliation” – doesn’t simply mean to resolve a conflict, remove a barrier, or re-establish a good relationship; it seems as if the idea Paul might have wanted to convey is that reconciliation requires a more fundamental change than merely forgiveness and cessation of sin; that is, that reconciliation to God isn’t just about changing what we do, but changing who we are.
Other experts suggest the term for reconciliation in the Bible relates to a change or exchange of one thing for another – a transformation.
“Reconciliation is the process of ransoming man from his state of sin and spiritual darkness and of restoring him to a state of harmony and unity with Deity… Man, who was once carnal and evil, who lived after the manner of the flesh, becomes a new creature of the Holy Ghost; he is born again; and, even as a little child, he is alive in Christ.” |
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. |
What we’ve covered so far is reconciliation to God. This is in the end of verse 20: “be ye reconciled to God” How? Through Jesus Christ. We'll come back to that important point; but, for the moment, let's focus on other instances of the application of the ministry of reconciliation.
[The class was asked to consider other areas of life or relationships that require reconciliation.]
In addition to being reconciled to God, in 2 Corinthians Paul writes about other things that expand on the theme of reconciliation in other contexts. In particular, he describes:
1. Being reconciled to others;
2. Being reconciled to our experience;
3. Being reconciled to our own conscience.
Paul writes about these in a way that teaches that not only are these other types of reconciliation, but each of them grows out of our reconciliation to God through Christ.
Paul talks about this in terms of forgiveness.
5 But if any have caused grief, he hath not grieved me, but in part: that I may not overcharge you all. |
In that earlier letter, Paul reprimanded the Corinthians for being too lax, for being more social than spiritual, and for failing to deal with the sinner appropriately; so he tells them to excommunicate the guilty man.
5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. |
First, in verse 5, he essentially says, "let’s not overstate the harm done here." In fact, there are two common ways of reading verse 5. Some, as in the King James Version, seem to suggest Paul does not want to overstate to the Corinthians the sorrow that the sinner has caused him. Others read it more this way: “I am not really the one affected by this man’s sin, but to some degree (although I don’t want to overstate this), he has affected all of you.” |
This is key to Paul’s concept of reconciliation between people – between couples, and between communities – forgiveness. Just as forgiveness from Heavenly Father, through the atonement of Jesus Christ, reconciles us to him, when someone has offended us, or our community, we can reconcile them to us by extending our love and mercy toward them, which is kind of the same principle that Paul talks about at the very beginning of the letter, when he writes:
Another area of our lives where reconciliation matters is with respect to our experience.
[At this point in the, I asked the class to engage in a kind of thought experiment with me. I asked each to close his or her eyes and take a moment to think back to what might be thought of as the worst time in his or her life: Despair, fear, sorrow – whatever the depth of negative feeling that he or she had reached till now, to think of that. I warned this it would likely be neither easy nor fun, but that they should talk that time to explore again the most horrible, rotten feelings they had ever hand.
Then, keeping their minds mind focused on that, I asked them to bring Christ into the scene. "There He is," I said, "standing by you, supporting you, comforting you. Perhaps you can imagine the words He would say to help you feel better, and the wonderful support that comes from feeling His love. Just take a second to imagine the same situation, with Christ intervening for you."
Then I added, "Now, imagine Christ is speaking with you after this is all over, and He explains to you that the trouble you experienced – the sorrow, the pain, the fear, the despair – whatever it was – came from Him.
"How does this change things for you?
"If you knew that your troubles were given to you by God,
would you be inclined to look for the meaning in them,
for what good might come from them?"
I then asked them to open their eyes and continue with the lesson.]
In this letter to the Corinthians, Paul describes some of his troubles and also why he is able to endure them.
We can be reconciled to our experience, to our lot in life, to our struggles, shortcomings and suffering, if we allow them to become the means by which we see the hand and grace of God in our lives.
In chapter 6, Paul talks about the qualities he cultivates to be able to do this:
In other words, focusing on our covenant promises, on being good to others, trusting God, we become more able to endure difficult times and to trust that whatever we are experience is God’s will for us and will be for our good.
But Paul takes this matter even further. In 2 Corinthians and elsewhere he says that we, in effect, share or become partakers in Christ’s sufferings, and therefore become partakers of His life, both knowing, and experiencing, and bearing testimony of, the life that comes through the atonement of Jesus Christ, and thereby becoming more like Him. For example:
5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. |
When we take Jesus’ yoke upon us, this admits us eventually to what Paul called the ‘fellowship of [Christ’s\ sufferings’ (Philippians 3:10). Whether illness or aloneness, injustice or rejection, …our comparatively small-scale sufferings, if we are meek, will sink into the very marrow of the soul. We then better appreciate not only Jesus’ sufferings for us, but also His matchless character, moving us to greater adoration and even emulation. |
Lastly, Paul talks about the reconciliation of our conscience through repentance. He pleads:
1 We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. |
In Romans, Paul refers to these two aspects of grace as
JUSTIFICATION
… the gift of the atonement of Christ which, when we accept it, makes us right with God;
and
SANCTIFICATION
...the further gift of power through the atonement to change into the kinds of beings who can live eternally in God’s presence. One stage of grace cleanses us, and the other stage corrects and refines us.
Here he merely refers to it in one fell swoop as “receiving grace.”
Each of us who has received the testimony of the Holy Ghost convincing us that Jesus is the Christ, and who has sought through faith and repentance to follow Him, who has entered into the waters of baptism and received the gift of the Holy Ghost…we each have received the grace of God. The question that Paul invites us to ask ourselves is:
Have we received it in vain?
or are we doing those things that the partakers of Christ’s grace ought to do?
Paul teaches the Corinthians what this entails, first referring to his own example:
1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. |
Now, if this was all, or only, about changing our behaviour, this would not be about the reconciliation of the conscience; but, for Paul, behavioural change is only part of the story, and it is not the most substantial part.
Paul teaches in two ways that the essence of repentance and of Christian living is not just in what we do, but in the attitude we have about doing it.
One of these ways is to talk about giving of our substance to the poor. In chapters 8 and 9 of 2 Corinthians, he tells the Corinthians that just as Jesus Christ gave to us, so they should give of their wealth to assist others. He is asking for welfare offerings, essentially – what Latter-day Saints are asked to provide every Fast Sunday.
However, Paul is also very clear that this injunction is “not by way of commandment” (2 Cor. 8:8), and in chapter 9 he explains why:
7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. |
The same is true of other types of righteousness, including repentance itself.
Most Latter-day Saints are familiar with the stages or elements of repentance that President Spencer W. Kimball and other General Authorities of the Church have described. What are they, in a nutshell?
- Recognition (of one's sinful act and nature)
- Regret/Sorrow (for the sin and the harm caused)
- Forsake/Cease (i.e., do not commit the sin again)
- Confess (the sin to God or to proper ecclesiastical authority)
- Make Restitution/Reparation (if possible, to those who were harmed)
Which of these elements of repentance has most to do with attitude? [Sorrow]
In 2 Corinthians, Paul clarifies that mere sorrow is not enough – we have to have the right kind of sorrow in order to properly repent.
You remember, when writing about the man who had committed incest, Paul said that he did not want him to suffer “overmuch sorrow”. Later in this letter he teaches about there actually being two different kinds of sorrow.
How do we achieve godly sorrow?
We have to believe that despite our sins, God loves us.
What does the Apostle John say?
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. (John 3:17)
Godly sorrow for sins, is sorrow that is based upon a true recognition and realization of our worth to God our Father and to Jesus Christ.
We matter to them.
They want us to come home to live with them.
No matter how flawed, weak and failing you are, or think you are, they think better of you than you do; they love you more than you do. Why else would Jesus Christ have come to earth, to live a life of poverty, sorrow and suffering, ultimately to die in agony on the cross, for you?
Paul writes of this also, in effect defining Christ's grace:
9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. |
- What we’ve covered so far is reconciliation to God. This is in the end of verse 20: “be ye reconciled to God” How? Through Jesus Christ. We'll come back to that important point; but, for the moment, let's focus on other instances of the application of the ministry of reconciliation.
It is important for us to know that reconciliation to God is not something we can effect under our own power. We need Jesus Christ. In my lesson plan notes, I had added the following for the purpose of returning the discussion to that point: (There is so much more to say to clarify and explain this, but I simply include these notes here more or less as they were.)
Who does this reconciling? If Ian and I have a conflict, who has to do the reconciling? Me and Ian, right? We have to reconcile ourselves to each other. But between God and me: who reconciles that? |
Each of us should consider ourselves very special. We should consider that, somehow, we must be worth the love that Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father give to us. Therefore, none of us deserves the kind of negative, self-pitying sorrow that drags us down and makes us depressed. Self-pity and depression are not intended to be part of our lives.
As a beloved child of God, loved by Jesus Christ, who lived and died for you, you deserve that energizing, enriching and enlivening sorrow that pulls you up by your boot straps and tells you to keep trying, to be better today than you were yesterday, and never, ever give up.
This is the sorrow of salvation , that leads to eternal joy, and is the right and blessing of every Christian to feel and to act upon.
In preparing this lesson, it has been my intention to share my belief and assurance that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love each of us with a love that looks beyond every weakness and flaw and sees our eternal potential; and that Jesus Christ’s ministry and atonement were designed to bring each one of us back home with Him, to reconcile us individually and collectively to one another, to ourselves and, particularly, to God, so that each one might put on a completely new nature and character, to become a being of light, of salvation, of peace and of joy worthy and able to live in God's presence.