Dear Fellow Believers in Christ, (Our Heavenly Father rebirthed us and reconciled us to Himself through Christ in us) 

We need to focus on our Heavenly Father. The Father's eternal plan centers us on Christ. We have been born again or received a Spiritual rebirthing with His son in us. This gives us a clear, son to Father relationship with Him. Christ has reconciled us to the Father, so that we can have a loving and intimate relationship with Him. We are a new creature in Christ Jesus. What are the all things that have become new? What are the old things that at intervals are being rendered void? What and why is our identification with Christ? How does a growing expression of Christ take place in and through us? Is not our salvation actually hinged on our belief in satisfaction of our Heavenly Father in His raising Christ from the dead, according to the salvation scriptures? Is not the Ministry of Reconciliation the only specifically named ministry in scripture? Holy Spirit take the Word and lead us into all truth.


REBIRTHING AND RECONCILIATION

by Dwight Davis


"Now all things are of God, who once then reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has at intervals given us the ministry of reconciliation" (I Cor. 5:18, Expanded Greek translation - EGT).

First, All Things in Our Spiritual Rebirthing Are of God with Full Possession
"Now all things are of God" (I Cor. 5:18a). Wow! The statement of that scripture is a mouth-full just by itself. Paul just led into that verse saying, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, old things at intervals are being rendered void; behold, all things have already completely become new" (II Cor. 5:17, EGT). The all things new are the complete Christ in Seed, Person, nature and Spirit now in us with the Spiritual rebirthing. We now have fully received all things of Christ, based on His already completed and finished work on the cross. However, the old things deal with the mind of man. In the Spiritual rebirthing, the mind remains primarily untouched. The mind is renewed at intervals by the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit renews our mind to the things of Christ, then Christ and the finished work of the cross can be fully expressed in and through us. Again, all things in our Spiritual rebirthing are of God, and are complete in Spirit. All things in the Spirit are given by and through His grace with full possession.

Second, The Mind is Transformed with Increasing Identification with Christ
However, the old things of the mind are periodically being rendered void by the renewal of the Holy Spirit (II Cor. 5:17), with increasing identification with Christ as our life who lives in and through us (Gal. 2:20). It is "Jesus Christ and Him Crucified" that Paul determined should be the focus of our knowledge (I Cor. 2:2). Jesus Christ is our new identification and life, for we are "saved by His life" (Rom. 5:10). We are fully saved by His life when the Holy Spirit put His incorruptible Seed within us at the Spiritual rebirthing (I Pet. 1:23). We need to let the Holy Spirit renew our mind to the truth that the "life is in His Son" (I John 5:11). The life is in His Son, not just the Son. Christ is the Father's Son and the Eternal Father raised Him from the dead (Eph. 1:20). The Eternal Father has granted that His Son would ever have His eternal life in Himself (John 5:26). We don't have eternal life aside from the fact that we have Christ in us, who is the Person of eternal life. The Holy Spirit speaks the truth of Jesus Christ and Him Crucified. The mind is transformed with increasing identification with Christ.

Third, Christ Flows in the Body with the Growing Expression of His Life
What is the greatest hindrance to others from seeing Christ fully expressed in us? It is a lack of our mind being transformed by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 12:1,2). The mind needs to know all about Him crucified, so we don't end up trying to resurrect and do things in our already put to death – dead flesh (Rom. 6:3-6). The more the mind is transformed by the Holy Spirit, the more Christ flows spontaneously in the body with the growing expression of His life. The more the old things in us are rendered void, the more others can see Christ fully expressed in us, without the contradiction and the distraction of the container.

Fourth, We Believe in the Eternal Father and Confess the Lord Jesus Christ
The Father made Christ who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (II Cor. 5:21). We just simply believe with our heart in the Eternal Father – who raised the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead (Rom. 4:24). Yes, that's right. That is exactly what the word of God says, plus one other thing. That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus Christ – who was raised from the dead, and believe in your heart that the Eternal Father raised Him from the dead, you will forever be saved (Rom. 10:9). The Father is completely pure, righteous, and holy, and He has raised the Lord Jesus Christ and granted Him to be the source of all illuminating purity, righteousness, and holiness. So, with the heart you believe in the Eternal Father – who raised the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. With the mouth you confess the Lord Jesus Christ who has been granted to be the source of all illuminating purity, righteousness, and holiness of the Father (Rom. 10:10). As a result, the Father imputes righteousness from our believing in the heart (Rom. 4:24), and salvation from the resurrection and eternal life of Christ in us (Rom. 5:10).

Fifth, The Father Reconciles Us to Himself Through the Lord Jesus Christ
Christ was raised because of our justification with the Father (Rom. 4:25). The faith of the Father through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ for us becomes peace (Rom. 5:1; Eph. 2:13-14). This faith gives us access into His grace (Rom. 5:2). The final and complete sacrifice of the blood of Jesus has once then justified us, and in love forever saved us away from any separation we might have had with the Father (Rom. 5:9). We were reconciled to the Father through death of the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:10). We have access through Christ in one Spirit to the Father (Eph. 2:18). The Father Himself has once then reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ (II Cor. 5:18). We are in Christ – in His love – in His justification – in His peace – in unity and fellowship with the Father. "God (the Father) was ever in Christ ever reconciling the world to Himself" (II Cor. 5:19). That is another mouth-full for us to chew on.

Sixth, The Father Has Committed to Us the Word of Reconciliation
The Father has now committed to all Spiritual rebirthed sons, the word of reconciliation (II Cor. 5:19). The Father does not ever impute trespasses to the Spiritual rebirthed sons (II Cor. 5:19), and ever imputes unto us the righteousness of Christ (Rom. 4:24; I Cor. 1:30). So, the Father has committed to us the word of reconciliation, in order that we might tell the world and other rebirthed sons the truth of what the Father has done in and through Christ, who comes to live in us as our life, our justification, and our righteousness.

Seventh, The Father Has Given to Us the Ministry of Reconciliation
The Father has given to us the ministry of reconciliation (II Cor. 5:18). We are to take "the word of reconciliation" and be as ambassadors for Christ (II Cor. 5:19,20). As rebirthed sons, we are instruments that our Father uses as vessels to flow the life of His Son through to plead and implore others to be reconciled to God (II Cor. 5:20). The ministry of reconciliation is the only specifically named ministry in the New Testament. We should focus and tell others, that the Father loved us while we were enemies (Rom. 5:10), and while we were alienated in our minds by wicked works – now He has reconciled (Col. 1:21). V