reconciled

Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ...

Consider this. You have screwed up big time. You bought illegal fireworks and inadvertantly caused your neighbor's house to burn down. Not only that, but your dog got loose and bit the mailman. Worst of all, you were negligent at work, which led to an SEC investigation of your company. There could be criminal charges against you.

You are in desperate need of an advocate. You foresee that the legal fees will force you to bankruptcy.

In the spiritual realm, we all have screwed up big time. We are guilty of negligence and rebellion. We have sinned against our neighbor. We have sinned against God. We are in desperate need of an Advocate. One who will represent us before the Judge. The really bad news is that the Judge is also an offended party!

Praise be to God that we have that Advocate - Jesus. He Himself paid the penalty for our trespasses. Through Him we are reconciled to the Father. Normally reconciliation involves two parties that both have rights. Forgiveness is required by both sides. This is not so for us. Only God has rights in the case against us. We have no ability to bargain. Thank God that Jesus has thrown Himself at the mercy of the court.

Through Jesus we are reconciled to Gpd. The Father even accepts us as His adopted children! Wow, what an Advocate!