The testimony of Scripture is as distinct as possible. It never speaks of God’s being reconciled to us. "If, when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son" (Rom. 5:10). It does not say that God was reconciled to us. The death of Christ was essential to the reconciliation; but man was the enemy of God and needed to be reconciled. So we read, in Colossians 1:21, "And you who were sometime alienated, and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled." The ground of this is stated in the previous verse to be "the blood of His cross." So also, in 2 Corinthians 5, "God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself." It does not say "reconciling Himself to the world."

Thus, to anyone who bows to Scripture, the truth is as clear as a sunbeam. "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son." "It pleased the Lord to bruise Him." It is of the utmost importance to maintain the true aspect of God’s nature and character in the presentation of the gospel. To say that "Christ died to reconcile the Father to us" is to falsify the divine character as seen in the mission and death of His Son. God was not man’s enemy but his friend. True, sin had to be condemned; God’s truth, holiness, and majesty had to be vindicated. All this was accomplished, in a divine way, in the cross where we see at the same time God’s hatred of sin and His love to the sinner. Atonement is the necessary basis of reconciliation; but it is of very great importance to see that it is God who reconciles us to Himself. This He does, blessed be His name, at no less a cost than "the death of His Son." Such was His love to man_His kindness, His goodness, His deep compassion_that, when there was no other way possible, sin being in question, in which man, the guilty and enemy and rebel could be reconciled to Him, He gave His Son from His bosom, and bruised Him on Calvary’s cursed tree. Eternal and universal praise to His name!

(From Short Papers, Vol. 2.)