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provided for the sinner and the ungodly complete acceptance in Christ. Moreover, to
Paul was entrusted that stewardship toward the Gentiles which
(1) Dealt with their alienation from God in Adam, apart from personal sins
(Rom. 5: 12).
(2) Dealt with their alienation from God as Gentile nations (Rom. 1: 8 and 11:).
(3) Dealt with their alienation from God by sins committed (II Cor. 5:).
(4) Dealt with the alienation perpetuated by the distinctions of circumcision and
uncircumcision, which was abolished in the new man of the mystery (Eph. 2:).
(5) Dealt with the alienation of the whole church of the one body from its destined
sphere "in the heavenlies far above principalities and powers" (Col. 1:).
The study of the first of these, the reconciliation that set aside the alienation
introduced by Adam, lies immediately before us in Rom. 5: 12 in the general course of
the series. For the moment, therefore, we pass on to consider the remaining four items.
The reconciliation of the Gentile nations as such.
The question of reconciliation takes us back to the days of Abraham. Up to Gen. 11:
no one nation was more favoured than another, but in the days of Nimrod and Babel it
appears that the nations gave up God by plunging into idolatry, and that God gave up the
nations, leaving them to walk in darkness. This is not only taught in Rom. 1: 18-32, but
in Acts 17: 30, where the apostle speaks of a period when the nations walked in
darkness and ignorance, while Israel had light and law. In Gen. 12: we have the call of
Abraham and the promise that of him the Lord would make a great nation. While this
had ultimate Gentile blessing in view, it operated for the time in restricting the purpose of
God to Israelitish channels, and as Israel came into prominence and favour the Gentile
nations lapsed more and more into ignorance. This aspect of truth is treated at some
length in Volume XVII, page 129.
Just as the giving of the nations coincided with the taking up of Israel, so, in its turn,
the reconciling of the nations is made known as Israel fall into ignorance and are set
aside: "For if the casting away of them (Israel) be the reconciling of the world, what
shall the receiving of them (Israel) be, but life from the dead?" (Rom. 11: 15). This is the
reconciliation viewed nationally.
The reconciliation of the Gentile viewed as sinners.
"So that, if any man be in Christ, there is a new creation; old things have passed
away; behold, it has become new! Yet all things are of that God Who is reconciling us
to Himself through Christ, and is giving us the ministry of the reconciliation (same word
as `atonement' in Rom. 5: 11); how that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto
Himself, not reckoning their offences to them, and placing in us the word of
reconciliation. On behalf of Christ, therefore, are we ambassadors for Christ, as if God
were beseeching through us, we pray on behalf of Christ, Be ye reconciled to God. For
Him Who knew no sin, on behalf of us He made (to be) sin, in order that we might
become (the) righteousness of God in Him" (II Cor. 5: 17-21).