Tonight is the subject of reconciliation, objective and subjective. The article that pertains to this is article number 32 from our Confession of Faith entitled Reconciliation. I didn't follow it because it seems to go the opposite of what I want to do. It seems to go from subjective to objective and I think you'll see that when we read the statement. It says, all believers through the knowledge, so that's subjective. of that justification of faith given by the Father and brought forth by the blood of Christ have as their great privilege of that new covenant peace with God and reconciliation. Yea, all believers joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have received atonement, or as it is said in the scripture, reconciliation, which would be objective there. Let me define the word reconcile. The English word is a compound of two parts. It has several syllables, but two main parts. Re plus conciliate. Conciliate and this re means to conciliate again. Conciliate means to become friendly or agreeable. I do enjoy very much referring to the Oxford English Dictionary, and especially because it will give you scriptures that are used in this way, which is why it carries this definition. In this dictionary, reconcile means to bring a person again into friendly relations to or with one's self or another after an estrangement. And so it quotes, it gives us John Wycliffe. in 1382 and 2 Corinthians 5 verse 19. Now, I'm going to go to that scripture just a minute. The next, it means to restore to purity, to absolve or cleanse, and it's a 1535, a Myles Coverdale. And he was using the scriptures were young there and they're still being formed into the English language. His version there at the moment, Psalm 51 verse seven, I thought was interesting. Our King James Version Bible will use the word purge for the word reconcile here. But notice the idea. Oh, reconcile or purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean. Then it means to expiate or atone. Again, the same man in 1535, Coverdale. And again, this is interesting because it gives us 1 Samuel 3 verse 14. And there it says, I have to change it a little bit the way they wrote back then, but this wickedness of the house of Eli shall not be reconciled with sacrifice. And that means, being there's no reconciliation, then he is set for judgment by the Lord. You just gain that from that part of the scripture. And finally, it means to make atonement. In 1539, the Protestant Bible, the Great Bible, quotes in Leviticus 6, verse 30. And we're gonna read that, but again, and no offering, and it skips a little bit, brought into the tabernacle of witness, or of the congregation, to reconcile with all in the holy place shall be eaten. In the New Testament, the verb to reconcile is translated from the basic Greek, katalasso. And it can have also a couple of different other prepositions as well. And it's also translated from the Greek verb, helaskamai. And the noun reconciliation is translated from the Greek katalage. The kata preposition means to be under, generally, or against. And that second part of the word, alato, means to change. And so it means to be about a change or to be under a change. That's what reconciliation is doing. or has done. Catalogue is translated only one time as atonement, with the English word atonement, and in three times is translated with the English word reconciliation. In Romans 5 verse 11, Romans 5 verse 11, where it's translated atonement, you'll see in your margins most likely the word reconciliation. And not only so, but we also join God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have now received the atonement or reconciliation. The words I've already mentioned, catalasso and catalaget, signify, this man says, to reconcile and reconciliation. They point to an action by which enmity is changed to friendship and surely have, first of all, an objective signification. There are sinners that God has reconciled by the death of His Son. The fact that He has reconciled some proves that He has a discriminating and eternal love. You know the scriptures, it says in chapter 9, verse 18 of Romans, therefore he has mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will, he hardeneth. So this is of the Lord's doing. But it isn't obviously. He hasn't reconciled everyone by the death of his son. That's a fact. If he had, there wouldn't be a hell. So you've got to think about that. The truth is that God's love for the elect is unchangeable. And I'm bringing this up because reconciliation is of a particular people. This man says, God is love. I want you to notice this. He loved us while sinners and before satisfaction was rendered. Satisfaction does not awaken love in the divine mind. It only renders it consistent with his justice that God should exercise his love toward transgressors of his law. And another man says, with God, reconciliation does not mean his change of heart from an angry, to a friendly disposition. God doesn't change. Now, if you thought about that for a moment, you probably could go to, and the Lord repented. And you have to consider, does God change? No, he doesn't. So you have to think about what that means. It has something to do with what is different about God's government to his people in a time sphere, if I can say it like that. Reconciliation first settles the issue, first settles the issue of the punishment due for sin in all of the elect of God. And after this, it will work to turn the life from what had been in an unbroken practice of sin. The first objectively sets the elect at peace with God in Christ. The second subjectively works in the center so that he might personally experience the peace of God, which passes all understanding in Philippians 4-7. So, turn to Leviticus chapter 1, verses 1-4. Beginning here, there is the implication of unsatisfied sin under which the nation of Israel operated. The Lord set up an entire sacrificial system that pictorially showed their need for reconciliation. So in a mystery, it spoke of one who should come to die for their sins. So Leviticus chapter one, Verses one through four, the Lord called unto Moses and spake unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation saying, speak unto the children of Israel and say unto them, if any man of you bring an offering unto the Lord, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd and of the flock. cattle being the animals of the field, and involve both the herd and flock. If his offering be a burnt offering of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish. He shall offer it, notice the words, of his own voluntary will, at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord. Now, the voluntariness reveals a need for a change in the sinner's disposition. It assumes here that the enmity between God and he is satisfied. And therefore, based on this sacrifice, he was to draw near to God. Verse four, and he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him. Shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him. Which, by the way, in chapter six, verse 30, that word is translated reconcile. as justification was divided into two parts, standing versus state, sanctification into the two parts, past and present, so reconciliation may be divided into objective and subjective reconciliation. This man says, there is a twofold reconciliation, one of which is the work of Christ and was made at his death. The other, and it's important to make the distinction. The other, the work of his spirit at conversion. When by his grace, men are reconciled to the way of salvation by Christ, and both may be seen in one text, and that is, turn to Romans chapter five, verses 10 and 11. Romans 5 verses 10 and 11. And they fall out in this very order. Objective reconciliation, and then subjective reconciliation. You gotta put your thinking cap on. It's not gonna be one of those things where you may get it necessarily just flowing into the head. You're gonna have to think about it. You may have to refer to this again, and it'll be very helpful. Objective here in Romans 5 verse 10 the very first part for if When we were enemies, I wanted to show you something here when we were being Enemies We were reconciled Stating that as a matter of fact to God By the death of his son faith has nothing to do with it. That's objective. That's what Christ did for the elect of God Now the next part of the verse is subjective. Much more being reconciled, or to emphasize the tense here, having been reconciled is an accomplished fact again, we shall be saved by his life. That's subjective reconciliation. Again, I want to quote this man, Christian reconciliation has two sides, objective and subjective. God must be reconciled to man, and man must be reconciled to God. First, the satisfaction of God's holy law is objective reconciliation. It is a reconciliation by which God has reconciled man to himself. God has laid aside His holy anger against sin and the sinner and has received the redeemed sinner into His favor. Second, subjective reconciliation is the operation of the Holy Spirit in removing the sinner's enmity against God. He becomes, all of a sudden, he becomes willing to conform his life to the image of Christ. That's what he's basically saying. Subjective reconciliation is the operation of the Holy Spirit in removing the sinner's enmity against God. It is subordinate to objective reconciliation. Objective reconciliation makes subjective reconciliation a reality. You can't have subjective without objective. For instance, mere subjective reconciliation would be psychological and all would be based on feelings. Assurance comes not from feeling, but from knowing that God's nature has been satisfied and that he looks with favor on the redeemed. So great distinction between the two, objective and subjective. It is objective because it's what Christ did for all of the elect at one time on the cross. 1 Peter 3.18 doesn't use the word, but that's what's taking place here. Christ also has once, once for all, suffered for sins, the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God. That's reconciliation, objectively, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit. It's objective because it is what another, our Lord, has done for us. It is outside of us, and it's not something which any man may contribute to. He doesn't participate in this. So very important to make that distinction. So look at Leviticus chapter six, verse 30. I hope that was the right text. I thought that was in another scripture here. Leviticus six, verse 30. It's chapter 16, because we're going to go there in just a minute to close this. Leviticus chapter 16, verse 30. No, it's not. Let me look at it one more time. 3630. Oh, it is there, 630. It's going to be said one more time in chapter 16, but in Leviticus chapter 6, verse 30, no one contributes to this. Notice what it says here. No sin offering where of any of the blood is brought into the tabernacle of the congregation to reconcile with all in the holy place shall be eaten. It shall be burnt with fire, shall be eaten. is indicative of participation, partaking of, with Him in it, and that's not happening here. Again, in Hebrews, chapter two, verse 17. Hebrews chapter two, verse 17. Again, speaking of Christ, Wherefore, in all things, it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins, and that means referring to the guilt and the defilement that they have incurred for sin. making reconciliation for the sins of the people. That's what he did alone. No man participated or cooperated with him in that. Now that was why it's objective. It's subjective because when the Spirit of God makes application of Christ's redemptive work to the sinner's heart, He's changed so that his actions reflect that he has been, in fact, reconciled. It's synonymous to conversion, in my estimation. Or if you want, it's synonymous to practical sanctification. You say the same thing. When God does a work of regenerating grace in a sinner, he will not live. as he had before that word was begun. It's a matter of fact. Now, this twofold aspect to reconciliation, turn to 2 Corinthians chapter five, beginning at verse 18, is shown in these two texts. 2 Corinthians five, verse 18, and then we'll go to Colossians chapter one. Objective. Verse 18, 2 Corinthians chapter 5, says, all things are of God. Now that's a big statement, and you know, a lot of people that profess to be Christ's have a real problem. They might read the words, but they're not having it. All things are of God, and Paul just said, when you read the verse before it, therefore, if any man be in Christ, he's a new creature, old things are passed away, behold, all things are new, all things are of God. He did it all, okay, who has reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation. Quoting again, another man, the tense of the verb here in 2 Corinthians 5 verse 18 proves that objective reconciliation is a finished work. It is not continuously wrought by God. He says, having been reconciled, and it's referring to Romans 5, 10, eris, passive participle, having been reconciled, we shall be saved, future passive indicative, by his life. Hence, going from the aorist passive participle to the future passive indicative verb proves that having been reconciled to God guarantees that we shall be saved by his life. Now, if you took Romans 5 verse 10, And laid out the grammar, it's in the passive verb. And I tell you what, you ought to do this if you have any desire with grammar and stuff, it's laid out in passive. Lay it out in an active voice verb and you're going to see that Christ did these things. No question about it. Put it, it's by Christ's death, by what he did. He went on to say, God is reconciled to the sinner in the sense of making it possible. for the holy God to look with favor upon sinful mankind. Reconciliation affects no change in God. But it does change the administration of his government, his law, regards with approbation those against whom it was formerly hostile. The change is with the relation between those for whom Christ died and the judge of all. The first one in 2 Corinthians 5.18, objective, all things are of God who has reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ. Now verse 19, the subjective experience of it. To wit, was what? That God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, and has committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us. We pray you in Christ's stead. What? Get your life in alignment with the fact you've been reconciled to God. Be ye reconciled to God. Passive imperative commandment. Now turn to Colossians chapter one, verses 19 through 22. Again, you have virtually the same things taking place, objective and subjective. And we'll bring this to a quick close. Colossians one, verse 19. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell. And having made peace through the blood of his cross, as a matter of fact, that's what it means, it's an aorist verb, as a matter of fact, by him to reconcile all things to himself, by him I say, whether they be things in earth or things in heaven, There's more being reconciled than just the elect. The entire creation, if you will, you'll notice, of things in earth and things in heaven. Not things, like Philippians would refer to, that are under the earth, because those that are there will never be reconciled to God. Never. And so you'll see under earth is omitted. Whether they be things in earth or things in heaven. and you that were being once some time, once alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now your experience is he has reconciled in the body of his flesh through death to present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable in his sight. Christ's death brought peace between God and the sinner. The issue of the punishment for sin is settled. It's settled for the elect. The disorder between the sinner and God is healed, not by faith. not by faith, but by the death of the blessed son of God, Isaiah 53 verse five. But he was wounded for our transgression. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. Now turn to Leviticus chapter 16. Refer to, and close with this, the day of atonement. It manifests that Israel, in effect, I'm filling in some lines here for you. In effect, the Day of Atonement manifests that Israel was barred from coming into the presence of the Lord because of sin without this atoning sacrifice. We can say that the Day of Atonement showed that God's justice for sin was not yet settled. I told you to turn to Leviticus 16, but I want to read from Hebrews chapter 10 verses 1 through 7 to set before our minds that what we're going to read in Leviticus is a picture there in Hebrews 10 of a greater truth that is in Christ. In Hebrews 10.1, the law having a shadow of good things to come and not the very image of the things. In other words, it's not literal there in that sense. The law having a shadow of good things to come and not the very image of the things can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the commerce thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? had the sacrifices done what they were a type of, they would have ceased offering him. But they didn't. They kept on every year going through the sacrificial system because sins were not settled yet. He said, for then would they not have ceased to be offered? Because that the worshipers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices, there's a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore, when he comes into the world, he says, sacrifice an offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices, we're gonna read about in just a moment, for sin thou hast had no pleasure, Then said I, Lo, I come. In the volume of the book, it's written of me to do thy will, O God. And he takes up a body, human body. He comes into a human body. In Leviticus chapter 16, you've already turned there, it begins by citing the deaths of Nadab and Abihu, who, as you might recall, were stricken dead because they presumed to come before God as they pleased. rather than as the Lord had ordained for them to come. So Leviticus 16, 1-3 says, And the Lord spake unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they had offered before the Lord and died. And the Lord said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times. into the holy place within the veil before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark, that he die not. For I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat. Hold your place there. Again, in Ephesians chapter two, verse 14, basically, he's talking about how that the two peoples, Jews and Gentiles are brought together by the sacrifice of Christ, and so what did he do? By that, he made peace. He brought the two together, but he is our peace, all the elect of the Jew and Gentile. He is our peace, that he might, in verse 16, reconcile both of us peoples unto God. in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby." Now, in Leviticus 16, you will see that there is a sin offering and a burnt offering. The sin offering relieved the sinner of the guilt and defilement for sin, but it also By it, they also received a temporal forgiveness. But the guilt and defilement was temporarily set aside, and they received a forgiveness as well. Then there's the burn offering we're gonna read of. The burn offering, very important, forms the basis for the peace offering. The burnt offering forms the basis for the peace offering by which offering communion is restored with God. And you can find that in Leviticus 3 verse 5. The burnt offering represents the offering of the body of Christ as a satisfactory sacrifice to God. By it, sinners are reconciled to God. I wanna explain something more. I'm gonna read this portion from verses four through 19. Some of you were with us in the Leviticus study, and I'll say this much, which will be helpful. They offered an animal from the herd, and they offered in the Day of Atonement, and animals, two of them from the flock. The herd animal represents the most costly and incomparable of sacrifices, strong and able. The flock animal, the most precious sacrifice, harmless and obedient. And the fowls in Leviticus chapter three, I think it was, chapter two, the fowls representing the least esteemed of the sacrifices. So beginning at verse four, We read, first of all, the objective reconciliation. Speaking of Aaron, he's to bring these animals. He shall also put on the holy linen coat. He shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with a linen miter shall he be attired. These are holy garments. Therefore, He shall wash his flesh in water, and so put them on. Before he puts them on, he's to wash himself. And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering. And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself and for his house. And he shall take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for the scapegoat. And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the Lord's lot fell and offer him for a sin offering. But the goat on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord to make atonement with him and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness. And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself and shall make an atonement he reconcile or propitiate for himself and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself. And he shall take a censer full, which in Hebrews we know as a golden censer, he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar, referring to the brazen altar, before the Lord, and his hands full of sweet incense, beaten small, and bring it within the veil, which will do what? Create this cloud that we read of in verse three. and he shall put the incense upon the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony that he die not." It brings up a sweet fragrance and it speaks of satisfaction. God is pleased with this as he comes in to the place of the holiest of all. And he shall take of the blood of the bullock and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward toward the door of the tabernacle leading out. And before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle the blood with his finger seven times. Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people, and bring his blood within the veil as well, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat. And what does he do by this? And he shall make an atonement for the holy place. Because of the uncleanness, the issue isn't settled. because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel and because of their transgressions and all their sins. And so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation that he remains among them, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness." And notice this again, and there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goes in to make an atonement in a holy place. That high priest represented Christ and Christ alone. He did all that work himself there in representing what Christ did for us. when the blood was shed when he died on the cross until he come out. No one is in there and have made an atonement that has to be accomplished here for himself and for his household and for all the congregation of Israel. It's objective. It takes care of the sin issue. Totally. He shall go out unto the altar of incense on the other side of the veil of the holy place, the sanctuary. He'll go out to that altar that is before the Lord, which speaks of the intercessions of our Lord Jesus Christ for his people. And what he'll do, he'll make an atonement for it. And shall take of the blood of the bullock and of the blood of the goat and put it upon the horns, which speaks of the effectual mediation of the Lord Jesus Christ on behalf of his people. And put it upon the horns of the altar round about. Now, when Christ died on the cross, God once for all propitiated for the sins of all of the elect, and they were reconciled to him forever. God's justice for sin is satisfied by Christ's death, and that's objective. No man, as you just read, cooperates in this work when the high priest was in there, which is our Lord in a type. That was the work of Christ alone. Now read the last three verses here that I want to talk about, which is subjective, and that's verses 20 through 20. I think all we really need to do is read from 20 to 22. And when he has made an end of reconciling the holy place and the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, he shall bring the live goat. And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, and all their sins. putting him on the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness." A fit man, a man that can do this. He's prepared for this work. He's a ready man for this. And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited, and he shall let the goat go. Let go the goat in the wilderness, and that's subjective. Just make these two final statements, if you will, remarks. But when the Spirit of God brings us forth in the new birth, and we come to faith in Christ by the hearing of the gospel, then begins subjective reconciliation. In this, brethren, and we've been trying to be careful about it, in this we cooperate in what way? By yielding our members as instruments of righteousness to holiness, Romans 6, 19. In this, every believer should partake, but because of, I think, because of unrepentance and unconfessed sin, we might not be And so Paul commands the Corinthians that had failed in this respect, he commanded them, like we read earlier, we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. So, question. Do we know that Christ died for us? If so, We know that he reconciled us to God once for all. There's no falling away. You can't become unelect. It's not possible. He died for you and reconciled you to God. But are our lives now, since then, reconciled to God by the spirit of God that's living in us? Or, if that's not the case, Here's what's going on. We're despising the very shed blood of Christ. We're despising that sacrifice that he's made, and we're subject to judgment, being chastened as children because we are the sons of God. Are we despising the sacrifice by walking in disobedience, the sacrifice that Christ has made for us by choosing rather to live for the world? Since Christ has reconciled us to God by his death, then we should be reconciled in our lives. It's that simple. Thank you for your attention.