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Cedarville Magazine
by Jason Malone ’98
C h a p e l N o t e s
Let me tell you why I love 2 Corinthians.
It perfectly lays out God’s mission and
how you and I are to join Him. You have
often heard that the Bible, from Genesis to
Revelation, is God’s story of redemption.
We see it here in 2 Corinthians.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the
new creation has come: The old has gone,
the new is here” (2 Cor. 5:17)!
If you have a relationship with Jesus, if
you have a grace story, you are a brand-new
creation. When you begin a relationship
with Christ, it’s a complete transformation.
I read a commentary that said, “You are not
reformed, rehabilitated, or reeducated. You
are recreated.” We no longer see life like
we used to.
The old creation was plunged into sin
and condemnation because of Adam’s
disobedience, but the new creation means
salvation and righteousness because
of Jesus’ obedience. He restores every
broken relationship.
“All this is fromGod, who reconciled us
to Himself through Christ ...” (2 Cor. 5:18)
.
God’s mission, the reason for Jesus
coming, was reconciliation — restoring
to friendship or harmony, making things
The following is an excerpt from a chapel presentation by Jason Malone ’98 on August 19, 2013.
Malone was the keynote speaker for the 2013 Fall Bible Conference. Listen to his full remarks
and other conference messages at
Watch or listen online at
to hear these engaging presentations:
right. Jesus came to heal the rift between
God and humanity. And the initiative for
reconciliation, all of it, was with God! The
New Testament never talks about God
being reconciled to the world but always
about the world being reconciled to God.
Why is this important? God’s attitude
toward us was, and is, love. Never anything
else. He made the first move to restore the
friendship. Through His son, Jesus, we are
no longer enemies of God.
Before he came to know Christ, Paul
was an enemy of God — arresting and
condemning to death people who loved
Jesus. As Paul (then called Saul) walked
down the road in Damascus, God got
his attention and asked, “Why are you
persecuting Me?” It was God who made
the first move to bridge the chasm between
Himself and Paul. He made Paul a new
creation, and He has done the same for you.
You have a grace story! So what is God’s
expectation of you?
“And He has committed to us the
message of reconciliation. We are therefore
Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were
making His appeal through us” (2 Cor.
5:19b–20a).
God’s plan to accomplish His mission
is the Church, you and me. He brought us
into a relationship withHimself so we could
represent Him wherever He has placed us.
We are ambassadors of Jesus Christ sent into
the world to declare peace — reconciliation
with God. Are you sharing that message?
Are you living that message?
“As God’s co-workers, we urge you not
to receive God’s grace in vain. For He says,
‘In the time of My favor I heard you, and
in the day of salvation I helped you.’ I tell
you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is
the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:1–2).
If you are unwilling to get in on God’s
mission, you are receiving His goodness
and grace in vain. It was God’s goodness
that led Him to hear your cry, and mine,
for a Savior. Now is the day of salvation
for others.
Jason Malone ’98
is the Mission/Vision
and Teaching Elder at Summit Church in
Greenville, South Carolina. You may contact
him at
God’s Mission of Reconciliation
9/10
KenWhitten
Senior Pastor of Idlewild Baptist Church
Lutz, Florida
9/25
Scott Rigsby
First Double Amputee to Complete the Ironman
Triathlon; Author of
Unthinkable
Marietta, Georgia
10/30
Daniel Akin
President of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
Wake Forest, North Carolina
10/31
Harry ’96 and Echo (Tuinstra) VanderWal ’96
Founders and Executive Directors of The Luke Commission
Swaziland, Africa
11/6
Marc Sweeney
Dean of the Cedarville University School of Pharmacy
Cedarville, Ohio
11/21
Mark Vroegop ’93
Senior Pastor of College Park Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
