Reconciliation and Hope.
FIRST QUARTER 2026
SABBATH SCHOOL INSIGHT #9
FEBRUARY 28, 2026
"RECONCILIATION AND HOPE".
Memory Text: 2 Corinthians 5:21
“For He [God] made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
The Sabbath School commentary on Sabbath introduces the important truth that there are two aspects of reconciliation:
- Universal reconciliation for all humans.
- Individual reconciliation by our choice.
“Through His death on the cross, Jesus has accomplished reconciliation for everyone and everything, especially human beings, who were alienated from the life of God through sin, but now can be reconciled to Him through faith. The process of individual reconciliation is unpacked in this week’s passage.”
While this quarter’s focus is on Philippians and Colossians, this week’s memory text is from 2 Corinthians 5:21. It also includes 2 Corinthians 5:15 on Wednesday. However, there is no real explanation of these passages.
This memory text is the climax of 2 Corinthians 5:14-21. I describe this passage as the foundation of the gospel. It helps us understand the love of God and to be motivated by that love to live for Him. It also helps us understand the ministry of reconciliation.
It is this message that changed my life when I attended the 1888 Message National Convention in 1990. I grew up in a Seventh-day Adventist home and went to Adventist schools from first grade through Andrews University Seminary. I had been a pastor for six years and talked about righteousness by faith. I thought I understood the gospel.
However, when I heard the Bible study Pastor Jack Sequiera shared on 2 Corinthians 5:14-21, I called my wife and said, “I will never be the same.” I later learned that W. W. Prescott shared the same basic message in 1895 in Australia. His sermon was called, “The Word Became Flesh.”
“For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died” (2 Corinthians 5:14).
The phrase, “if one died for all then all died” is rarely talked about because it has not been understood. The key to understanding this phrase is learning how God sees the human race.
Both Adam and Jesus represented the whole human race—what they did impacted everyone
When God created Adam, He was creating the human race. He took a rib from his side and created Eve. Before they had children, they chose to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
From God’s perspective we all were in Adam. The seed that produced the children that became all of us, was in him. Therefore, when Adam sinned, we all sinned in him. This is bad news. But from the same perspective, Jesus freed all of us from condemnation because we all were in Him based upon God’s choice. “But of Him [God] you ARE in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God – and righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30).
God is faithful and just in the plan of salvation, for we were redeemed in the same way we are lost: through the choices of Adam and Jesus:
“As through one man's offense [Adam's], judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act [Jesus'], the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life” (Romans 5:18).
Paul called Jesus the last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45,47). One of the meanings of the Hebrew word Adam means mankind or human race. (Compare NKJV and KJV in Genesis 1:2).
Notice the impact both Adams have on the human race.
“For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:21,21).
It was helpful for me to see a couple of Bible illustrations that show God can see a large group or nation represented by one person.
"Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah as [his] wife. . . . Now Isaac pleaded with the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived. But the children struggled together within her; and she said, 'If all is well, why am I like this?'
"So she went to inquire of the Lord. And the Lord said to her: 'Two nations are in your womb, two peoples shall be separated from your body; one people shall be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the younger.' So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb" (Genesis 25:21-24, emphasis supplied).
Notice how God told Rebekah, "Two nations are in your womb." Literally there were only two children, Jacob and Esau. However, God saw the whole nation of Israel in Jacob and the whole nation of Edom in Esau. From His perspective, one man represented a whole group of people, so He was able to say, "Two nations are in your womb."
A second illustration is found in Hebrews 7:9,10. In the book of Hebrews, Paul is trying to help Jewish Christians accept Jesus as their High Priest. However, the Jews had a problem. How could Jesus be a priest when He was not from the tribe of Levi?
Paul explains that Jesus is a priest like Melchizedek, rather than like the Levites. (See Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 6:20). Melchizedek was a priest in the Old Testament who received tithe from Abraham (Genesis 14:14-20; Hebrews 7:1-8). Paul then makes a statement based on the concept that one person represents a whole group:
“One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor” (Hebrews 7:9,10 NIV).
Paul says the Levites paid tithe to Melchizedek, for they were “in Abraham.” In other words, what Abraham did, the Levites were seen to have done. This is very different than our normal way of thinking. However, it is vital to understand this concept, for this is what the gospel is based on.
Since Jesus created Adam, He was the head of Adam. He had the legal right to become another head and representative of the human race. From God’s perspective, what Jesus did, we did in Him. That is why Paul wrote, “if One died for all, then all died” (2 Corinthians 5:14). In Christ we all died the death earned by our sin. This led Paul to write:
“God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing [counting] their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Cor. 5:19).
This verse shouts the unconditional love of God for everyone.
No matter who we are or what we have done, God is not counting any of our sins against us. How can He say this? Because in Christ, we all died the death we had earned. The focus now is on reconciliation.
“Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God” (2 Cor. 5:20).
Reconciliation is a relationship word. When a relationship between two people is broken, three things need to happen for the relationship to be reconciled:
- Confession – Acknowledging we have done wrong if we failed in some way.
- Repentance – Communicating our choice not to continue the hurtful behavior. And if it is possible, make restitution for the loss or damage we have done.
- Forgiveness – The person who has been wronged choosing to forgive the hurt.
When all three actions have taken place, the relationship is reconciled. This allows the offender an opportunity to rebuild trustworthiness through loving and faithful actions over time.
Early in my Christian life I tried to be the best Christian I could be so I could go to heaven. Instead of keeping my eyes on Jesus and letting the Holy Spirit transform my life, I fell into the trap of focusing on my faults. I began to live with a lot of guilt, shame, and pain. Emotional and spiritual pain needs a pain reliever. The gospel is the pain reliever, but I didn’t understand the gospel.
I turned to food as a temporary relief. That led to more guilt, shame, and pain. I found myself in the cycle of addiction. I would beg God to forgive me, but would get up not feeling forgiven.
After understanding what Jesus did for all, I no longer ask God to forgive me. If I happen to fail in some way, I confess my failure and choose to repent, affirming that I do not want to live that way. Instead of saying, “please forgive me,” I say, “Thank You for already forgiving me. I say that because He is “faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
When I first started praying that way, I still “felt” guilty and unforgiven. However, as I continued to focus on the truth and God’s promises, the peace that passes understanding became a living reality. Victory over sin also became a reality, for my motivation changed from fear and reward to being motivated by love and appreciation for all Jesus had done for us.
Now we come to the Memory Text for this lesson:
“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
When we understand that Jesus represented all of us as the last Adam, we learn that what Jesus did, we did in Him (2 Corinthians 5:14). We can apply the message we learn from 2 Cor. 5:14. What Jesus did, we were seen to have done. In Christ, we not only died the death we had earned, we also lived the life He lived. That is why we might become the righteousness of God “in Him.”
As a result of what Jesus had done for all, we learn the following from Colossians 1:12-14:
- Through Jesus’ perfect life and death, the Father has qualified us for eternal life.
- God has delivered us from the power of darkness and has transferred us into Jesus’ kingdom.
- We have redemption through Jesus’ death and the forgiveness of our sins.
Paul uses the word “us” in each of these verses. In verse 14 we gain a clue that can help us know for sure he is referring to the whole human race in Colossians 1:12-14.
“For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,
who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time” (1 Timothy 2:5,6).
Since Jesus gave His life as a ransom for all, we can know that the “us” in Colossians 1:12-14 is talking about everyone. God took the initiative to do all this for us. As a result, we have a daily choice:
Do I want to be reconciled to God? Do I want to surrender my life to Jesus and let Him be my Savior from all aspects of the sin problem? When we say yes, we can live with the day by day assurance we have eternal life. This has important implications as we consider this passage in 1 John 5:10-13:
“He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son.
And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
[If we don’t believe God has given us eternal life, we call God a liar.]
He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
[God gave the Son to the human race. Those who don’t have the Son are rejecting Him.]
These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.
[We can live with the day by day assurance we have eternal life because of Jesus.]
At this time we need to go back and look at 2 Corinthians 5:17:
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
In this study we have been saying that God sees all of us in Christ. In this verse Paul writes, “If anyone is in Christ. . .” He does so because there are two choices involved in being “in Christ.”
- God’s choice: “But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—" (1 Cor. 1:30).
- Our choice: “We implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God” (2 Cor. 5:20).
Based on God’s choice, the old that passes away is the condemnation brought by Adam’s and our sin. The new that comes is justification of life.
“Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life” (Romans 5:18, emphasis supplied here and next).
“All have sinned and fall short of the glory God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3;23,24).
Based on our choice to surrender our life to Jesus and abide in Him, the old that is gone is the love for sin and darkness. The new that comes is the hunger and thirst for righteousness.
“For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light” (John 3:20,21).
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace” (Romans 8:5,6).
We can now look at 2 Corinthians 5:15,16:
“He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again”—vs 15.
Before I understood what Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:14, I thought I had understood the gospel. However, I still had a lot of insecurity.
After understanding this gospel foundation, my motivation for following Jesus changed from fear and reward to love and appreciation for what Jesus had already done for me.
“Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer.” —vs 16.
From our human standpoint, we tend to put people in different classes: The rich vs. the poor; the good vs. the bad; the United States vs. Russia; Christian vs Muslim; Seventh-day Adventist vs. Baptist; male vs. female; Republican vs Democrat, etc. This list could go on and on. Then in our mind and conversation we tend to lift up the group we identify with and look down on the others.
Paul says we are now to see each other from God’s perspective.
BASED ON GOD’S CHOICE, IN CHRIST WE ALL:
- Have died the death we have earned. (2 Cor. 5:14)
- Are Forgiven. (Col. 2:13; 2 Cor. 5:19; Eph. 1:7)
- Are Righteous. (2 Cor. 5:21)
- Are Justified. (Romans 3:23,24; 5:8-9;18)
- We all have been sanctified. (Heb. 10:10; Rom.12:1)
- Are free from condemnation. (Rom. 5:18; 8:1-4)
- Have been reconciled to God. (2 Cor. 5:19; Eph. 2:16)
- Have been adopted into God’s family. (Ephesians 1:5)
- Have been redeemed. (Col. 1:14; 1 Tim 2:5,6; Eph. 1:7)
- Have been given eternal life. (Col. 1:12; 1Jn 5:10-12)
- Are perfect while we grow spiritually. (Rom. 10:14)
- Are children of God. (1 John 3:1)
EVERYONE IS NOW INVITED TO:
- Let Jesus be their Savior. (Matt. 11:28-30).
- Be born of the Holy Spirit. (John 1:12,13; 3:1-5)
- Be an ambassador for God. (2 Cor. 5:20)
- Have peace in the midst of storms. (Mark 4:35-41)
- Have peace in the midst of problems. (Phil. 4:7,8)
- Invite the Holy Spirit to live in us. (Luke 11:13)
- Experience the fruit of the Spirit Galatians 5:22,23)
- Disciple others. (Matt. 28:18-20)
- Be content with what God provides. (Phil 4:13)
- Be peacemakers. (Matthew 5:8)
- Live with the assurance of eternal life. (1 John 5:13)
- Have a living relationship with Jesus. (Rev 3:20)
- Intercede in prayer for others. Hebrew 4:15,16)
~ Clinton Meharry