Misinterpretations often include viewing 'all things are of God' as endorsing pantheism or claiming God causes evil and sin, whereas it specifically pertains to the new order of reconciliation originating from God's mercy. Another error reverses the direction of reconciliation, implying humans must appease or reconcile God through their efforts rather than receiving His prior act through Christ. Some also reduce the 'ministry of reconciliation' to passive personal assurance alone, ignoring its active call for believers to evangelize and urge others to be reconciled to God.
II Corinthians 5:18
King James Version (1769)
18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
This verse reveals the profound truth that God is the source of all things in the believer's renewed life, having taken the sovereign initiative to reconcile sinful humanity to Himself through Jesus Christ's atoning work on the cross, thereby bridging the chasm caused by sin. In His grace, God not only restores this relationship but also commissions believers with the ministry of reconciliation, entrusting them to proclaim this message of peace with God to the world, making them ambassadors of Christ's redemptive work.