Doug Brents
Well-known member
There are two sides to this, and both of them are correct.Yes it is, Reconciliation to God is solely by Christ 2 Cor 5:18-19
18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
19 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.
1: Jesus' death and resurrection, by itself, is sufficient to cover the sin of every single person who has ever and will ever live. His gift is infinite, but our sin in finite. Even if our sin were a solid of the densest, hardest material the size of the whole universe, that were just a drop in the ocean of Jesus' forgiveness.
2: Only those who accept Jesus' forgiveness receive His forgiveness. He does not force His forgiveness on those who do not want it. None of us deserve His forgiveness, but we must do what He says leads to us receiving His forgiveness to get it.
What did Jesus say to the Church in Laodicea?No conditions, and there bet not be any conditions stipulated when one preaches the word of reconciliation
That turns it into a false gospel
"Those whom I love, I rebuke and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me."
Jesus stands outside our heart, outside our life, and He is knocking on the door. IF, not when, but IF anyone hears His voice and opens the door (an action real or metaphorical) that man takes, then He will come in and have a restored, reconciled relationship with the one who opened the door. We can certainly close the door and keep Jesus out of our heart, and thus remain in condemnation for eternity.
What did Jesus say to Nicodemus? God loved the whole world so much that He gave His Son, so that anyone who has faith in Jesus will be saved from eternal death to eternal life.
There are so many more. We don't receive His forgiveness without any action on our part.