Be reconciled — Not: Let yourself be reconciled

There are Bible passages that, despite their familiarity, become like a splinter in the eye upon closer inspection. One such verse is 2 Corinthians 5:20 – in most translations rendered as: “Let yourselves be reconciled to God.”

At first glance this sounds devout and inviting, but biblically speaking, it is a major misstep. More than that: this translation undermines what Paul forcefully and clearly presents about reconciliation. What sounds like an invitation is, in the original text, a declarative statement with commanding authority. And that is a crucial difference.

Not a plea, but a divine decree

In Greek, Paul uses the verb katallagēte—an imperative in passive form. In plain English: something is commanded, without the addressee being able to do anything about it. No action is requested, no cooperation required. The human is a passive recipient, not a contributor to reconciliation.

A better rendering would be: “Be reconciled to God.” Not “allow it,” not “be open to it,” not “help make it happen”—but a prophetic, divine command: it will happen.

Humanity passive – God active

This aligns seamlessly with Paul’s argument in the preceding verses:

“All things are from God, who, through Christ, reconciled us to Himself.”
– 2 Cor. 5:18

God is the actor. He is the subject. He is the reconciler. The world—hostile, estranged, opposed—is reconciled to Him through Him, through the cross. Not the other way round. God does not need reconciliation; He reconciles the world to Himself.

The popular theological reasoning — that God’s wrath had to be appeased, that a debt had to be settled before He could be gracious to mankind again — is contrary to Scripture. Nowhere does Scripture say that God had to be reconciled. It is the world that was hostile, not God.

The power of the word: command and action in one

What does is mean, when Paul mean is using an imperative passive like “Be reconciled to God” in 2 Cor. 5:20?

This combination is not very common in the New Testament — only a few dozen times — but the instances in which it occurs are telling. For in all these examples we see: it is a command that fulfills itself. Not a call to human action, but a divine word that creates reality. Below are a few striking examples:

1. “Be cleansed” – the leper (Matt. 8:3)
   “And Jesus stretched forth His hand, touched him, and said, ‘I am willing; be cleansed.’ And immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy.”Here Jesus uses exactly the same grammatical form as in 2 Corinthians 5:20: a command in the passive voice. The leper does not need to do anything; nothing is asked of him — he undergoes the cleansing. It is a word of power: the statement accomplishes what it says.
2. “Be opened” – the deaf man (Mark 7:34)
   “And having looked up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, ‘Ephphatha’—that is, ‘Be opened.’”Again, a passive imperative: the command “be opened” is directed at someone who… hears nothing. A human inability is here absolutely no obstacle. The power of the word lies in God’s action. No condition, no cooperation, only execution.
3. “Be raised” – the widow’s son at Nain (Luke 7:14)
   “And He touched the bier, and those carrying it stood still; and He said, ‘Young man, I say to you, arise.’”

   What more proof does one need? Christ speaks a commanding passive word to someone who is dead. No preacher in the world expects a response from a corpse — except the One who speaks life. The young man is awakened solely because it is spoken. No faith, no permission, no cooperation. The dead man is completely passive — just as the world is in reconciliation.
4. “Rejoice” – the barren (Gal. 4:27; Isa. 54:1)
   “‘Rejoice, you barren…’”

   Here too, the same form: passive imperative. It is a prophetic declaration addressed to someone who has no possibility of joy — the barren one. And yet: the word brings forth fruitfulness. God creates joy where only despair reigned.
5. “Be holy” – believers (1 Peter 1:15–16)
   “‘Be yourselves also holy in your entire walk. For it is written: You shall be holy, because I am holy.’”

   The call to holiness is not a command for man to work on himself. It is a declaration that God Himself fulfills. A foretelling. The verb form makes it clear: it must happen, but also: it will happen. Just like reconciliation: not cooperation, but transformation.

Same form – same effect

• It is a command, yes.
• But it is a command that demands nothing from the one addressed.
• The action lies entirely with God.
• Man is passive, receives, undergoes, is transformed.

So when Paul writes:

“Be reconciled to God.”

Then it is not a plea. Not an invitation. Not an offer or a call to cooperation. It is a divine word that goes out into a hostile world, alienated from God. It is evangel: a good message, a joyful proclamation of what God Himself brings about.

Finally — and on that “pleading…”

Some will object: “But doesn’t 2 Corinthians 5:20 say that there is pleading? ‘We are beseeching you: Be conciliated to God’!”

Indeed, many translations render it that way. But let us understand this properly: biblical pleading is not a desperate attempt in uncertainty, but an urgent appeal.

Paul is not pleading because he doubts the reconciliation — on the contrary, he is convinced that God is conciliating the world to Himself. That is why he speaks as an ambassador of Christ with power, urgency, and deep compassion. His pleading is not an expression of uncertainty, but of passion. He proclaims a message that is firmly established — and he longs for his hearers to acknowledge this truth. And those who joyfully acknowledge this truth are even now conciliated and lovers of God (Col.1:21).

That is why it all the more applies:
Be conciliated — not: let yourselves be conciliated.

Delen: