… if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself…. (2 Corinthians 5:17-19, ESV)
Friends have disagreements. Colleagues have debates. Spouses have spats. Over time, tensions build, and the next thing you know, former friends, colleagues, and lovers are engaged in verbal fisticuffs.
We all witnessed the brouhaha between Brooks and Bryson. As the media stoked the logs, things heated up. Though they “played nice” for the Ryder Cup, no one expects to see them vacationing together. Brooks even cashed in on his petulance in a “made for TV” match.
Greg Norman’s battles with Deane Beman and Tim Finchem are legendary. Now, his battle with PGA Tour Commissioner, Jay Monahan, is front-page news. Litigators are licking their chops.
Throughout the years, golf has certainly seen its share of dust-ups. Azinger and Ballesteros had their infamous “spat” during theWar by the Shore. Phil’s recent actions and accusations indicate there is “trouble in River City.” Notwithstanding his apologies, this recent feud remains unresolved.
What do we do when things get ugly? Many people cut and run. Those more virtuous seek reconciliation. When reconciliation doesn’t work, some go the extra mile and find a mediator.
All these stories are at the human-to-human level. The big question staring us in the face is this one, “What happens when you and God have a falling out?”
The early narratives in Genesis tell us what is wrong with the world—God and Adam were in a covenant partnership. Adam and Eve broke trust with their Creator. The fallout for this treachery is not restricted to our primal parents.
You and I are “in Adam.” Which teaches us this—you and I are like them. We have Adam’s physical and spiritual genes in our veins (c.f., Romans 5; Acts 17). This problem is what theologians call “original sin.”
In the story regarding Adam and Eve, we discover something very important about grace. We discover a pattern that repeats itself throughout all of scripture.
When Adam and Eve sinned, they employed the cut and run approach. God would have been just to execute them for high treason. But he didn’t.
We all know that the offending party is obligated to initiate reconciliation. For example, if you offend your spouse, you know its falls to you to make things right.
Strikingly, here and throughout Scripture, God—the one who has been offended—initiates the process of reconciliation. That’s grace!
God comes to them in the cool [Spirit] of the day. Rather than executing capital punishment, he slays animals and clothes our primal parents in bloody skins, covering their shame, and eliminating their fear.
This pattern repeats itself at the first Passover—a lamb is slain, blood is applied, and lives are spared (c.f., Exodus 12). This pattern continues (c.f., Isaiah 53). As Paul confirms, “…Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed” (1 Corinthians 5:7).
Amazingly, when our rebellion called for the strictest punishment, God the Father initiated reconciliation by sending his mediator—Jesus the Christ—to effect reconciliation. As Paul reminds us, “…there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus ” (1 Timothy 2:5).
However, this mediation is strikingly different than human-to-human mediations. In God’s mediation, there are no negotiations, and the terms are unilaterally decided by the offended party. First, our Mediator chooses to bear the penalty for our offense. That penalty is death. Second, God requires that we repent for sin and place our faith in him.
The ultimate mulligan is God’s grace of reconciliation—We who were once enemies are now reconciled to God by the death of his Son. (c.f., Romans 5: 10)