The Gospel in One Word: Part 7
As we continue to discuss propitiation and its essential nature within our understanding and communication of the gospel, I want to look this morning at what this accomplishes for us and our relationship with God that only propitiation can accomplish.
Last week we ended by looking at what comes to those who reject the gospel. Today, we look at what comes to those who receive the gospel through faith. And here it is:
PEACE
It just so happens that we will discuss this Sunday in the sermon, as Philippians 4 speaks of this, so I don't want to give it all away. But for now, I offer the following.
Romans 5 makes it explicitly clear that due our sin, prior to salvation, we are enemies of God. See Romans 5:8-10. As such, our relationship with God is one of animosity. This relationship as such will ultimately end in the wrath of God being poured on on us due our sin if nothing is done to change the relationship by dealing with our sin. If propitiation is not made or if it is made but rejected, wrath due our sin is the outcome.
This again is where the Biblical and right idea of propitiation is so important. How most religions approach making amends with their god(s) is through human effort, works, or a sacrifice that the human brings and offers to their god to hope to appease them, or in hopes of getting their god to do what they want done.
But this where Christianity is so different and unique, and it is specifically seen in the Biblical truth of propitiation.
In Christianity we see the total opposite of this. Instead of the sinner making the offering, hoping to appease their god, in Christianity we see God Himself bringing the sufficient offering He demands and that the sinner must pay. Think about that and the difference.
The gospel teaches us that what God demands of us due our sin, death, He pays for us in the offering of Jesus Christ. How amazing is that? How sufficient is that?
Think about it. In this way, what God offers us in the gospel is true and everlasting peace knowing He offered exactly and sufficiently what He demanded in order for Himself to be appeased, propitiated. No need to wonder, to worry, to try and add to it just in case. It truly is finished.
What this ought to flood our hearts with this morning and every morning regardless of what we face is PEACE. And not the peace that the world offers or how it views peace, but the very peace of God knowing that due the sufficiency of His offering in the gospel, we now have peace with God. Huge.
More than tranquility or lack of hardship, as this is not what this means. The peace we have through the gospel isn't that. But it is better.
The peace the gospel brings us through propitiation is the power to face anything in life, even hardship. It also brings the power to face the reality of indwelling sin, our own failings.
How? Full pardon of our sin. Full and satisfactory payment due the debt of our sin. Meaning, our sin is dealt with, washed clean, separated from us. Through propitiation, our sin no longer stands in the way of our relationship with God. Forever. At God's own effort and expense. God did this for us, therefore we know it is accepted and sufficient.
PEACE
Due propitiation, God is now for us, not against us. He can accept us through our faith in the sufficiency of His offering of Christ into His family and new covenant. We are co heirs with Christ through adoption.
PEACE
Total change of relationship. Hostility turned to friendship. Alienation turned to adoption. Wrath turned to love.
PEACE
What the gospel offers, and what we need more than anything, more than even peace here on earth, is peace with God. And propitiation offers this through a new relationship and acceptance of us by God because our sin has been fully dealt with by God Himself through a sufficient offering due our sin.
See Col. 1:20
Only God could do this. And only God did do this in the offering of Christ. This is the gospel. May this understanding bring us peace this morning and every morning, knowing through faith in the gospel, God is for us and not against us, no matter what we face.
PEACE
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