One of the consequences of sin is alienation. Not just alienation from God, but also from each other. In the Bible, relationship restoration is often referred to as "reconciliation." When lived out, the gospel has the power to restore us to each other.
"For Christ Himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in His own body on the cross, He broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in Himself one new people from the two groups. Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of His death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death." Ephesians 2:14-16
If being transformed by the gospel produced this forgiving, reconciling culture in the early church, what does that say to us as Christians today?
