Treasures New and Old

Christian Convictions: Vessel – A Vessel of Reconciliation

“As a disciple, I want to master the Bible so that the Master of the Bible can become my Master”

-Author unknown

As a reminder, this study series is about being better disciples, and so I thought it prudent in this article to recap for you the Seven Disciples’ Principles that we should remember and observe (as in guard, hold important). Our focus, however, for this article is reconciliation and, particularly, reconciliation between God and man as it was accomplished in Christ Jesus.

Seven Principles Recap:

1) We must always strive to be like Him and understand that we can never be better than Him

2) Always remember that Christ is our Master – others may be teachers or counselors, or brethren, but He is our Master

3) The Master is coming back and will ask for an accounting

4) Hold fast to the truth, don’t stray, avoid the gray areas

5) Disciples serve one another – as our Master gave example

6) Stay in the Master’s Book

7) Be a vessel of honor

Definition of Reconcile:

Kaphar: “a primitive root word, to cover (specifically with bitumen); figuratively to expiate or condone, to placate or cancel:- appease, make (an) atonement, cleanse, disannul, forgive, be merciful, pacify, pardon, to pitch, purge (away), put off, (make) reconcile (-liation)” (Strong’s H3722).
The Hebrew word kaphar (or kapar) has been translated into numerous English words based on the translators understanding of the context in each instance. There are 102 places where kaphar is used and they are translated as: atonement 71 times, purge 7 times, reconciliation 4 times, reconcile 3, forgive 3, purge away 2, pacify 2, atonement…made 2, merciful 2, cleansed 1, disannulled 1, appease 1, put off 1, pardon 1, and pitch 1 time (Wordsearch’s Strong’s H3722).

Rasa: “a primitve root; to be pleased with; specifically to satisfy a debt :- (be) accept (-able), accomplish, set affection, approve, consent with, delight (self), enjoy, (be, have a) favour (-able), like, observe, pardon, (be, have, take) please (-ure), reconcile self” (Wordsearch’s Strong’s H7521).
The Hebrew word rasa (used 57 times in the Old Testament (Wordsearch’s Strong’s)) though a close relative to kaphar, has a different tone about it. Translators turned rasa into the following English words, again based on context: accept 22 times, please 6 times, pleasure 6 times, delight 5, enjoy 4, favourable 3, acceptable 1, accomplish 1, affection 1, approve 1, and miscellaneous translations 7 (Wordsearch’s Strong’s H7521).

Katallasso: “to change mutually, i.e. (figuratively) to compound a difference:- reconcile” (Strong‘s G2644).
Apokatallasso: “to reconcile fully:- reconcile:” (Strong’s G604).
These two Greek words for reconcile and reconciliation appear in different forms less than twelve times. Therefore our greatest understanding of reconciliation and the act of reconciling with another and with God is best found in the Old Testament.

What does it mean?

The two words translated the most from Hebrew to English are ‘atonement’ for kaphar and ‘accept’ for rasa. Kaphar speaks to the sacrifice that is made to atone for sins while rasa speaks to the acceptance of that atoning act. Look at some of these verses:

A quick look at atonement:

Leviticus 1:4-5: “And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him. And he shall kill the bullock before the LORD: and the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall bring the blood, and sprinkle the blood round about upon the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.” (There are 43 verses in Leviticus alone on kaphar atonement (E-Sword Strong’s).)

Numbers 5:8: “But if the man have no kinsman to recompense the trespass unto, let the trespass be recompensed unto the LORD, even to the priest; beside the ram of the atonement, whereby an atonement shall be made for him.” (Atonement is used fifteen times in Numbers (E-Sword’s Strong’s).)

Exodus 29:36-37: “And thou shalt offer every day a bullock for a sin offering for atonement: and thou shalt cleanse the altar, when thou hast made an atonement for it, and thou shalt anoint it, to sanctify it. Seven days thou shalt make an atonement for the altar, and sanctify it; and it shall be an altar most holy: whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy.” (Atonement is found seven times in Exodus (E-Sword Strong’s).)

So atonement was pretty serious business in the Old Testament system of sacrifice for sins so that man can stand “holy” before God. That is, his sins were covered and forgiven. But that system only cleansed for a season and did not change the people and the atonement sacrificed had to be repeated over and over, yearly.

A quick look at accept:

Ezekiel 20:40-44:

For in mine holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, there shall all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, serve me: there will I accept them, and there will I require your offerings, and the firstfruits of your oblations, with all your holy things. I will accept you with your sweet savor, when I bring you out from the people, and gather you out of the countries wherein ye have been scattered; and I will be sanctified in you before the heathen. And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to your fathers. And there shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have been defiled; and ye shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that ye have committed. And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have wrought with you for my name’s sake, not according to your wicked ways, nor according to your corrupt doings, O ye house of Israel saith the Lord GOD.

In the Old Testament, the sacrificial atonement was first made and acceptance followed. But Christ has shown us a better way.

Christ shows us a better way

Romans 5:8-11: “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.”

Christ has already paid the atonement price on the cross and has prepared a way for us to be eternally reconciled to God and to Christ. There is still a need for acceptance. God has already accepted Christ’s sacrifice. We must now accept the gift God extends to us through His Son by accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.

Romans 10:8-11: “But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.”

So to “accept” this gift of salvation, we are to:
- Confess with our mouth the Lord Jesus Christ
- Believe in our heart that God has indeed raised Him from the dead
- Accept these by a word of faith

Ephesians 2:14-18: “For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us, Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.”

If you are a Christian and reading this article, you already know these things and have accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior and have been reconciled to God through His shed blood on the cross. But the subject I wish to discuss is for us to be a vessel of reconciliation to those around us and even to the world. We cannot do the work of reconciliation that Christ did. How then can we be vessels of reconciliation?

First know that the whole act of atonement and acceptance and reconciliation is one of forgiveness on the part of God toward man. Christ’s sacrifice bought us forgiveness for our sins. Now, with that understanding, can I be a forgiver in the role of a reconciler? Yes, I can!

2 Corinthians 5:17-21:

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 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. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Look at what the Apostle Paul is saying:

1. If you are in Christ, a saved, born-again individual, you are a new creature.
2. Old things are passed and you have become new. Since “all things” is mentioned, that includes our relationships are new, our focus is new, our eternal benefits are new, our calling is new, our mission in life is new.
3. You are reconciled to Christ and God the Father (and Holy Spirit).
4. You have been given the ministry of reconciliation!
5. How? We have been committed with the word of reconciliation – that is God has entrusted us to share the gospel of His love and forgiveness through the atoning death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
6. That has made us ambassadors for Christ. We are citizens of heaven, we serve the King of Kings – Jesus Christ – and we are His ambassadors in the vile and wicked world.
7. We have been made the righteousness of God in Christ (not in ourselves – but in Christ).

It is our task now to be those reconcilers called by God to those lost around us as we carry the good news of God’s forgiveness of sin through the work of the cross by Jesus Christ and His shed blood for the atonement of their sins.

2 Corinthians 4:5-7: “For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. 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. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.”

You are to be a vessel unto honor, an ambassador for Christ – a reconciler for Him to the lost.

2 Timothy 2:19-21: “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honor, and some to dishonor. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.”

Maranatha!

May God bless you all!

Bro. Joe

References

Kress, J. (2021). On Being a Disciple – Seven Principles.

Meyer, R. (2005). e-Sword. [computer software] . Franklin, TN: Equipping Ministries Foundation. (Original work published 1890)

Strong, J. Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries. Meyers, R. (2005). e-Sword. [computer software] . Franklin, TN: Equipping Ministries Foundation. (Original work published 1539)

Unknown.

Strong, J. Strong’s Talking Greek_Hebrew Dictionary. Wordsearch. (2020). Wordsearch Bible. [computer software] . Nashville, TN: LifeWay Christian Resources. (Original work published 1890).

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