Spiritual gifts part 45: God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself

Pastor-Teacher
John Farley
Thursday,
October 28, 2010

Spiritual Gifts Part 45: God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself.

Point 2. The Giver of the Gifts: The Person and Work of God the Holy Spirit.

3. Efficacious Grace = the work or ministry of the Holy Spirit in making the faith in Jesus Christ of the spiritually dead person effective for eternal salvation.

God the Holy Spirit applies the benefits of the work done by our Savior on the cross (on behalf of the whole human race) to the individual who believes in Jesus for salvation.

Redemption - the price for our sins has been paid.
Expiation - the blood of Christ cleanses us from all guilt. The IOU has been canceled.

Propitiation - God the Father in His righteousness and justice is completely satisfied with the blood of Christ on your account.

Reconciliation - a permanent status of peace exists between you and God.

“the blood of Christ” is an analogy to represent the substitutionary spiritual death of Christ.

Salvation had to:
Pay the price for sin
Cancel the penalty of sin
Satisfy the justice of God
End the war that man started against God

When Christ died spiritually on the cross, He died as the Substitute for every member of the sinful human race. This is known as the unlimited atonement.

1TI 4:10
For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.

The blood of Christ - His substitutionary spiritual death on the cross - provided redemption, expiation, propitiation, and reconciliation for every man.

1JO 2:2
and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.

REDEMPTION = the ransom or PRICE paid by our Lord Jesus Christ for our sins. It is the SINWARD side of the cross.

EXPIATION = CANCELLING the DEBT. To put an end to the guilt. It is the PENALTY side of the cross.

PROPITIATION = SATISFACTION. The justice of God is completely satisfied with the Person and Work of Christ. It is the GODWARD side of the cross.

RECONCILIATION = the removal of the barrier between God and man. Man is restored to PEACE with God. It is the MANWARD side of the cross.

JUSTIFICATION = the declaration that the believer is no longer under condemnation.
It means VINDICATION. It is God rendering a verdict of “RIGHTEOUS”.

Redemption (in relation to sin): liberation because of a payment made.

People are redeemed from something; namely, from the slave market of sin.

People are redeemed by something; namely, by the payment of a price, the blood of Christ.

People are redeemed to something; namely, to a state of freedom.

GAL 5:13
For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

Expiation (in relation to the penalty): the aspect of Christ’s work that canceled the penalty of sin, which is spiritual death.

Expiation is also used at times to refer to all of the doctrines that make up the finished work of Christ on the cross.

Propitiation (in relation to God): means “satisfaction”. God the Father is completely satisfied with the work of Christ on the cross.

Reconciliation (in relation to the world): the removal of the barrier between God and man, replacing enmity with PEACE.

While propitiation is Godward, reconciliation is manward.

Reconciliation means a change of relationship from hostility to peace between two parties.

Peace is a synonym for reconciliation.

The spiritual death of Christ changed man’s former state of war into one of complete peace with a holy and just God.

God provided reconciliation for the whole world.

This does not mean that all the world is universally saved, but that all may be saved.

In the position where the barrier once stood, Christ now stands as the only Mediator between God and man.

When a person believes in the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ, he receives from the Holy Spirit the reconciliation that God provided in Christ’s death.