2 Corinthians 5:14-6:2, Jeremiah 6:16, John 20:21

Grace – the undeserved favor of God, divine unmerited assistance – for a Christian, is life itself. Everything that God does in you, for you, and through you, He does by His grace. You are saved by grace, through faith, in what Jesus accomplished on the cross. Grace is the center… 

Grace is not earned; grace is given in belief by faith. Grace comes through a personal relationship with Jesus, “The law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17). So how do you get this undeserved favor of God? All you have to do is believe, repent, and trust in Christ. 

Verses 6:1-2 – Here we see God’s will for us concerning our calling as messengers of reconciliation. These two verses carry on the instruction from chapter 5. God’s Word  instructs us, each person who is a new creation in Christ, believers, to participate in the ministry of reconciliation. 

But not all those who attend church are new creations or believers. Some have chosen not to serve, be involved, or be a part of the Body of Christ.  According to what the Word says, they have received the grace of God in vain; they have not moved on, they are stuck and stagnant.

God is emphasizing His message to us because we have received the grace of God. Therefore, believers, are to work together, with one another, and with God in this ministry of reconciliation, “As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain” (2 Corinthians 6:1 NIV).

This is our calling and our duty as citizens of the Kingdom, as the family of God, as His Church. God has blessed His new creation by the grace we received at salvation and the grace we now receive as co-workers with Him in the ministry of reconciliation 

Do we really get what is being said here? We are his co-workers; He works within us to accomplish His will. We have the Holy Spirit, He is with us and works within us so that we can be messengers of reconciliation and ambassadors for Christ. This is the responsibility of each and every believer! 

We are to be working together with God!!!! But only when we are doing the work we were created for in Christ Jesus.  The old is gone the New has come! 

We are to join with Him in his creative work… God is still creating; making sinners into new creations, “If anyone is in Christ they are a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17)!

And we, His new creation, are to Go into all of the world and proclaim the good news to all creation. As His messengers, as partners with Him, we are to offer God’s reconciliation to all! 

When you receive the grace of God, your life should be sanctified, set apart for the Lord. The grace of God penetrates and changes us as we carry out what has been entrusted to us.

I cannot over state that we are to come together to worship God as His reconciled people. Our worship of God reminds us of His love, His presence with us, and His grace which leads us to want see others free from sin and in a relationship with Him as well. 

Discussion Guide:

• What, in you, is the result of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ?
• Was God’s grace in vain?
• How are you participating in the ministry of reconciliation as an ambassador for Christ?

Further Reading: Ephesians 2:1-10, Acts 20:24, James 4:6, 2 Thessalonians 2:16, Hebrews 4:16, Titus 2:11-14, 1 John 3:1, Romans 6:4, John 3:3, Galatians 5:24, Colossians 1:21-23, Colossians 3:1-17, Romans 12