I love you. God has indeed given us the ministry of reconciliation. But what does that mean? Christ Jesus is indeed the Prince of Peace who unites Jew and Gentile, slave and free, male and female, and, hopefully, Democrat and Republican. All lesser distinctions are subsumed in the greater identity of "in Christ". However when Paul spoke to the Corinthians of the ministry of reconciliation, his message was "be reconciled to GOD". The need for a vertical reconciliation is even greater than the need for horizontal reconciliation. In fact, without the former, the latter is impossible. What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world of racial harmony and economic equity and yet lose his own soul for all eternity? What prompted this comment was your quoting Dr. King on the Christian as thermostat. I have heard that illustration many times, just not attributed to MLK. Personally, I would be cautious about quoting Martin Luther King in church without some sort of a disclaimer. Thomas Jefferson was a great man of history. However he was not a born again Christian. He literally took a pair of scissors to the New Testament and cut out all the words and miracles of the Savior that he thought were untrue. King was also a great man in the same way but I dare to say that I do not believe he was a brother in Christ. When he was 12 or 13 he told his Sunday school teacher that he did not believe that Christ rose from the dead. His enrollment in a liberal seminary only confirmed his unbelief in basic Christian doctrines. In addition to rejecting the divine Sonship of Christ, the virgin birth, and the bodily resurrection of Jesus, while in seminary he wrote: "Doctrines such as a supernatural plan of salvation, the Trinity, the substitutionary theory of the atonement, and the second coming of Christ are all quite prominent in fundamentalist thinking. Such are the views of the fundamentalist and they reveal that he is opposed to theological adaptation to social and cultural change. He sees a progressive scientific age as a retrogressive spiritual age. Amid change all around he is willing to preserve certain ancient ideas even though they are contrary to science." MLK apparently thought more highly of Atheistic scientists and his Hindu hero, Mahatma Gandhi than he did in the divinely inspired Word of God. King rightly called America to repent of her national sins of inequality and racism but did he ever call individuals to repent of their personal sins against a holy God? Do you? 2 Cor. 5:14 "For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. 16 Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, BE RECONCILED TO GOD. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." Ephesians 2:11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh-who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands- 12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, 16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. 17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. 18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. 19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
We must at all times serve the risen Christ.
I love you.
God has indeed given us the ministry of reconciliation. But what does that mean? Christ Jesus is indeed the Prince of Peace who unites Jew and Gentile, slave and free, male and female, and, hopefully, Democrat and Republican. All lesser distinctions are subsumed in the greater identity of "in Christ".
However when Paul spoke to the Corinthians of the ministry of reconciliation, his message was "be reconciled to GOD". The need for a vertical reconciliation is even greater than the need for horizontal reconciliation. In fact, without the former, the latter is impossible. What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world of racial harmony and economic equity and yet lose his own soul for all eternity?
What prompted this comment was your quoting Dr. King on the Christian as thermostat. I have heard that illustration many times, just not attributed to MLK. Personally, I would be cautious about quoting Martin Luther King in church without some sort of a disclaimer. Thomas Jefferson was a great man of history. However he was not a born again Christian. He literally took a pair of scissors to the New Testament and cut out all the words and miracles of the Savior that he thought were untrue. King was also a great man in the same way but I dare to say that I do not believe he was a brother in Christ. When he was 12 or 13 he told his Sunday school teacher that he did not believe that Christ rose from the dead. His enrollment in a liberal seminary only confirmed his unbelief in basic Christian doctrines. In addition to rejecting the divine Sonship of Christ, the virgin birth, and the bodily resurrection of Jesus, while in seminary he wrote:
"Doctrines such as a supernatural plan of salvation, the Trinity, the substitutionary theory of the atonement, and the second coming of Christ are all quite prominent in fundamentalist thinking. Such are the views of the fundamentalist and they reveal that he is opposed to theological adaptation to social and cultural change. He sees a progressive scientific age as a retrogressive spiritual age. Amid change all around he is willing to preserve certain ancient ideas even though they are contrary to science."
MLK apparently thought more highly of Atheistic scientists and his Hindu hero, Mahatma Gandhi than he did in the divinely inspired Word of God. King rightly called America to repent of her national sins of inequality and racism but did he ever call individuals to repent of their personal sins against a holy God? Do you?
2 Cor. 5:14 "For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.
16 Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, BE RECONCILED TO GOD. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."
Ephesians 2:11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh-who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands- 12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, 16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. 17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. 18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.
19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.