Alienation and Reconciliation
Elder O. B. Mink
Now In Glory

Alienation

“... Being alienated from the life of God ...” (Ephesians 4:18) To be alienated from the life of God is to be estranged from all that is decent, honest, and good. It is to be in a state of utter spiritual ignorance, a state wherein all that is pure has been debauched, and a state wherein desperate wickedness prevails and where there is a quench less hatred of God (Romans 1 and 3).

Sin has so ruined the natural man that there is not “ONE” good thing in him (Romans 7:18), his mind is enmity against God, his every thought only evil continually, and his will is utterly perverse (Romans 8:7; Genesis 6:5; John 5:40).

Man in his native state is not merely a deviate from the Divine standard, but he is absolutely depraved, and a relentless defiant of heaven’s authority. Man does not need to sit on the throne of Egypt to ask: “Who is the Lord that I should obey his voice?” (Exodus 5:2), for man is born with a revolting and rebellious heart (Jeremiah 5:23), and man’s alienation from God is the seedbed of this earth’s abounding abominations (I Peter 4:3).

The Origination Of Man’s Alienation From God

“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” (Romans 5:12) As to the origin of evil, man is not the proto sinner. That infamous distinction belongs to the devil. But in the fall of Adam all of his posterity became as depraved as the devil, for there are no degrees in depravity; it is of the same extent in fallen angels and men.
There are no degrees in death, be it spiritual or physical. Both are, absolute and final apart from the quickening grace of God. In and by the sin of ancestral and federal Adam a malignant force was unleashed which brought an immediate cessation of spiritual life in Adam, and reduced him to a mere mortal wherein his every step brought him closer and closer to the dust from which he was created (Genesis 2:7, 3:19, 5:5). However, let it be carefully noted in quantifying the offense of Adam against God, Paul says: “all have sinned” (Romans 5:12). “Sinned”, antecedent to their corporeal being, but federally and spiritually every man was equally a constituent unit in the Edenic covenant, and that without residual innocence, for all men were as yet in the loins of Adam, and with him and in him “all have sinned.”
In the strict and judicial sense man is not alienated from the life of God because of the sin of ancestor Adam, for it unavoidably follows that all having partaken of the consequences of sin, must not have only had a character which was susceptible to sin, but were in collusion with Adam in originating mankind’s alienation from the life of God. No person suffers the consequences of Adam’s sin without being involved in and with equal degree of guilt as that of Adam, for the penalty is universal in scope and sameness; i.e., “Death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12).

Man’s corrupted character and his physical deterioration is owing to his seminal and federal union with rebellious Adam, and Adam’s sin was no more personal than it was corporate; for by it all men sinned and were alienated from their Creator. Adam’s spiritual demise was precisely that of all of his progeny, and from the standpoint of human nature there is no variation in man’s alienation from God, for all merited the same condemnation and the same measure of wages was contractually measured to every man (Romans 3:23, 6:23).

The alienation of the off springs of Adam is not owing to a transference of Adam’s sin to them, for the holy and just God does not exact penalty from any son of Adam who is not on his own guilty of sin. The contrary view which contends that Adam’s sin was strictly and exclusively his sin, in which only he participated, leaves the question of infant mortality painfully unanswered, and does away with human responsibility. However, they who believe in Christ to the saving of their soul, are not left to their own surmising in so great matters, but know the curse wrought by sin does not exclude the womb or tender years, for they know where there is no sin, there can be no death. Children are conceived in iniquity or hereditary sin, and with conception comes the sentence of death (Psalms 51:5; II Corinthians 1:9). Then too, they know the womb is not off limits to the quickening grace of God, and no death manifests a heavenly destination more than that of an infant, but so as God’s redemptive grace will not suffer the least decimation in our thinking, let us remember that infants are saved in the same way the vilest sinner is saved, and that is by the vicarious death and atoning blood of Christ (Hebrews 9:22).

 Alienation Does Not Abrogate Responsibility

“But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give an account thereof in the day of judgment.” (Matthew 12:36 ) “So then every one of us shall give account of himself unto God” (Romans 14:12).
The antinomian retorts: “But we are not under the law, but grace.” I fear the person who makes this statement is under the law apart from reconciling grace, and is yet a spiritual anarchist, doing despite to the economy of God. He needs to learn that God’s law is not graceless, and that God’s grace is not lawless. Grace and law are not antithetical, but complementary in their particular design and accomplishment. The purpose of the law was to reveal man’s responsibility unto God and his total inability to respond, even infinitesimally unto God’s law, and to point him to Christ in Whom dwells all sufficiency (Romans 3:20; Galatians 3:24; II Corinthians 12:9).
The incumbency of preaching the law is not less today than when it was first given to Israel. Nay, on the contrary, it is superimposed; for the church now has the plenary revelation of God, and is thereby made aware that it is the preaching of the law that brings conviction to the hearts of God’s elect, without which, there is no salvation from sin. It is in the light of the law that sin becomes exceeding sinful (Romans 7:13). The law of the Lord is perfect as far as it goes (Psalms 19:7), but the law in and of itself never made any thing perfect (Hebrews 7:19). The preaching of the holiness, goodness, and justice of the law (Romans 7:12), apart from the gospel of Christ cannot in the least prosper those who hear it, for men are justified by faith in the Christ of the gospel without the deeds of the law (Romans 1:16, 3:28).

God’s elect are as sure to go to heaven, as Christ Himself is in heaven (John 6:37, 17:24), but I hear the Antinomian say: “A-men, and seeing we are forever saved, it does not matter how we live in this world.” But Paul rebukes the Antinomian, saying: “What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid” (Romans 6:15). The Arminian goes to the other extreme, and says: “Man is saved by the work or exercise of his freewill, and that destiny determining decision is the basis or root of his incessant good works.” It was in Adam that human freewill brought alienation to the family of mankind, and robbed man of all his power of spiritual discernment (I Corinthians 2:14; Colossians 1:21).

It is true, fallen man has a free-will, but it is in its every exercise restricted to the carnal, and is utterly impotent to will the first thing pleasing unto God. The natural man can will to do the greater or lesser evil, but never to do good; “...There is none that doeth good, no, not one” (Romans 3:12). The person who claims human free-will is essential to salvation, bluntly asserts that his will has a creative power greater than that of God, for salvation is referred to as a new creation (II Corinthians 5:17), and this new creation is the glorious product of the infinite agony which Christ suffered for his people under the curse of the law (Isaiah 53:6; II Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:13).

Whereas, the first creation was without cost or resistance spoken into existence (Genesis 1), but let us remember; there can be no creation except it come from nothing, and thus it was with both creations. To say, the will of fallen man was contributing factor in his creation in Christ is to fly in the face of logic, but worse, it is to call God a liar; and cannot but aggravate man’s merited alienation.

Reconciliation
An Awesome Audit

“And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled.” (Colossians 1:21)
Man owes to God a life of perfect righteousness, but at his best state, he is altogether worthless (Psalms 39:5), his debt is infinite, and he has not the least farthing to pay toward his account. However, this does not disturb him in the least, for his foolish heart is blinded, and he soothes his frayed conscience by telling himself, “there is no God” (Psalms 14:1; Romans 1:21; Ephesians 4:18). Yet, his Divine Creditor MUST, and will be satisfied, for He hath appointed a day wherein all accounts of the irreconciled will be infallibly audited, and every deficit duly recompensed (Acts 17:31; Revelation 20:12).

Set in juxtaposition to the judgment of those who die in their alienation from God, is the substitutionary death and judgment of Christ upon the cross, whereby His elect people were reconciled to God (Romans 5:10). Christ in His vicarious suffering satisfied the just demand of the law against His people, freeing them from its retribution, and made peace with God for them (Romans 5:1; Ephesians 2:14). God, the Father seeing the travail of His Son in death on the accursed tree was satisfied, for by it many were reconciled, and His justice so fully appeased, their sins were put beyond Divine remembrance (Isaiah 53:11; Hebrews 10:17; Colossians 2:22).

“But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.” (Romans 6:17, 18)
Being made free from the condemnation of the law does not make the holiness of God less exacting, nor does the reconciling grace of God allow any room for licentiousness, for liberty without rule is anarchy. While the regenerate is no longer under a killing letter, he is subject to the authority, and law of Christ (Galatians. 6:2). Paul said, He was dead to the law of sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:11), and Peter says obedience unto Christ purifies the soul (I Peter 1:22).

Knowing that Christ paid the full penalty of the law for all whom the Father gave Him in the covenant of reconciliation, and knowing that God will not demand payment at the hand of Christ, and then again at the hand of those for whom He died; does not give the redeemed person any ground for complacency or lukewarmness toward sin, but should cause him to have an insatiable hatred of sin and never any satisfaction with it.

In the reconciling experience the old nature remains unchanged, and vehemently asserts itself against all that is holy and good. That is why Paul said: “O wretched man that I am! ...” (Romans 7:24), and it is why the Publican said: “God be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18:13). Both Paul and the Publican knew, being made free from the condemnation of the law does not make the holiness and justice of God less exacting. However, both men knew, while they were not beyond the reach of sins contamination, that Christ on their behalf had eternally nullified sins power of damnation.

The law is a spiritual mirror reflecting the corruption of human nature. It has no life giving element in it, and is referred to by Paul, as the “Ministration of death and condemnation” (II Corinthians 3:7, 9). However, the good news is, there is a ministration that is antithetical to the ministration of death. It is a new and living way, wherein the reconciled sinner reflects the glory of Christ (II Corinthians 5:18; Hebrews 10:20). God’s reconciling grace never stops with regeneration, for if regeneration was the sum of God’s reconciling work, then the Antinomian would have the truth, and we the lie; but Paul unveils the heresy of antinomianism by saying: “Christ liveth in me,” and by praying Christ would be formed in the Galatians (Galatians 2:20, 4:19). No mortal man reflected the life of Christ more than Paul, but he knew he had not attained unto the perfect image of Christ, so he pressed on toward that glorious and consummate end (Philippians 3:14).

However, this does not mean the saint will not become burdened with his discipleship, and stagger in the strait and narrow way. The severity of his trials, and the contradictions of his heart causes his faith to decline and his efforts to please God lose their distinctness, but he does not despair, for he knows while he cannot live above sin, he cannot live in it. He knows he must wait until he gets to heaven to have the same hatred of sin that God has, but this does not lessen his solemn obligation to see sin in its devastative influence, and in due season, the fires of reconciliation which was often imperceptible are rekindled and his reflection of Christ shines all the brighter, for he has patiently waited upon the Lord (John 16:33; Isaiah 40:31).

Reconciliation is an inclusive term, wherein is found propitiation, and the terminus of sins condemnation. But let us not read into this divine superlative, the irresponsibility of God’s elect, for both angels and men are forever answerable unto God’s decree of holiness. While God has never been at enmity with His elect, His reconciling of them did not in any sense diminish His anger against sin. Notwithstanding, God’s anger against their sins committed in violation of His holy law was judicially atoned for in the person of Christ, and in so doing, the throne of His advocacy was established; whereby the post regenerative sins of His people may be mediated (I Timothy 2:5; I John 2:1).

Howbeit, let it be clearly understood, forgiveness of sins cannot be merited by the elect before nor after their regeneration, for all remission of sin has a singular ground, and that is the shed blood of Christ (Hebrews 9:22). The atoning power of the blood of Christ did not stop at Calvary with the redemption of God’s elect, but perpetually and effectually runs in it cleansing stream to the heart of every penitent saint (I John 1:7), and causes him to more perfectly manifest his heavenly sonship (Romans 12:1, 2; Hebrews 4:16).

An awesome truth which every redeemed person needs to learn very early in their sainthood is that God is no less angry with their sins than He is with the sins of the non- elect. Any less view of God would be foolhardy, and unworthy of His character. God’s chastisement of His children is not the evidence of decreased love, but of a love that is perfectly holy and angry with sin. God’s displeasure with sin is sovereign and steadfast, and is often manifested in anger against His rebellious children, for His wrath is settled upon their old nature, holding it in check, so as His reconciling grace may have its perfect work. God’s chastisement of His people is not incompatible with His love for them (Hebrews 12:6).

(Baptist Herald - March, 1992)

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