For those who think that Jesus was merely a good teacher, these verses will come as a shock.  The Son of God contained all the fullness of God (Colossians 1:19-20).  Everything that identifies God was in Jesus Christ.  So, the great divine characteristics of perfect love, absolute authority and infinite power were and are in Jesus. Jesus was not just a spokesman or representative of God (like a prophet), or an educator of God's ideas (like a teacher), or a demonstrator of good living (like a mentor): all the fullness of God was and is His rightful property.  Jesus is God (Colossians 2:9) and was carefully observed living in a human body (2 Peter 1:16-18).
 
Jesus is also the reconciler.  Being perfect God and perfect man, He had the ability and right to reconcile us to God: as Colossians 1:22 says, "But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation...".  Without a body, God could not die (which was why Jesus Christ was born as a human being): and without the sacrificial death of a perfect substitute, everybody would have to suffer for their own sins (which is why 1 Corinthians 5:7 says, "... Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed").  

While we may forgive people who hate us, as Jesus did (Luke 23:34), reconciliation cannot happen without repentance – because hostility still exists.  Reconciliation is in God's nature (2 Corinthians 5:18), but is only possible when rebellion is ended and the legacy of sin is removed.  So, God prepared a body and filled it with Himself, so that He could be punished to death for all our sins - in order that we might be reconciled and have peace with God (2 Corinthians 5:21).
 
Many people think they can impress God with their good deeds.  But they forget that their bad actions, words and thoughts stand against them, and can never be 'outweighed' by acts of charity or piety.  Without Jesus there is no reconciler between sinful humanity and holy deity.  But, as 2 Corinthians 5:19 says, "... God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them." It goes on to say, "And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation".  That means that the wonderful news of peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1) is no longer a secret.  The Lord expects those who have His peace to announce it to others!  Start again today in the workplace, the community and wherever you travel.  You are the Lord's messenger of hope; somebody is waiting for you to tell them about Jesus, the fullness of God.