UNIT VI - God's Plan of Salvation
Grace
The Vocabulary of Salvation
Redemption
New Covenant
Propitiation
Reconciliation/Atonement
Justification
God has acted to resolve the deadly dilemma of man's sin. God has taken the initiative to do what humanity could not do for itself. He Himself has done what had to be done to win forgiveness, life, and salvation for fallen mankind. The holy and righteous God could not allow sin to go unpunished. The price had to be paid. And so God paid that awful price Himself. "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16) Our wonderful God loves us with a love we could never have earned for ourselves. The Bible calls the undeserved love of God that is ours in Christ Jesus -
Scripture affirms with unmistakable clarity that our salvation is totally by grace, the result of what God has done for us in Jesus, His Son. We do not contribute to that salvation in any way whatsoever.
"It is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)
"This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe...A man is justified by faith, apart from observing the Law." (Romans 3:22,28)
"He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy." (Titus 3:5)
"God credits righteousness apart from works." (Romans 4:6)
"You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace." (Galatians 5:4)
"If by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace." (Romans 11:6)
"God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them...God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." (II Corinthians 5:19,21)
The Bible uses a rich variety of language to describe the saving work of Jesus Christ. Each of these compatible interpretations emphasizes a different aspect of that work and serves to enhance our understanding of what God has done for our salvation.
The term "redemption" is derived from a Latin root meaning "to buy back", thus meaning the liberation of any possession, object, or person by payment of a ransom. In Greek the root word means "to loose" and so "to set free". The term is used of freeing from chains, slavery, or prison. The Bible uses the concept to teach that Jesus Christ has paid a complete, substitutionary, ransom price, namely the shedding of His blood to set the captive free from slavery to sin and death.
"Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:28; cf. Mark 10:45)
"Be shepherds of the church of God which He bought with His own blood." (Acts 20:28)
"For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord's freedman; similarly he who was a free man when he was called is Christ's slave. You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men." (I Corinthians 7:22-23)
"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a Lamb without blemish or defect." (I Peter 1:18-19)
"When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, He went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but He entered the most holy place once for all by means of His own blood having obtained eternal redemption...For this reason Christ is the Mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance - now that He has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant." (Hebrews 9:12, 15)
"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins in accordance with the riches of God's grace." (Ephesians 1:7)
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." (Romans 3:24)
A "covenant" is an arrangement between two parties involving mutual obligations (literal Hebrew - "to cut a covenant" cf Genesis 15:9f.; Jeremiah 34:18); especially the arrangement which established the relationship between God and His people, expressed in grace first with Israel and then with the church. Through the covenant which He initiated, God conveyed to humanity the meaning of human life and the promise of salvation. That promise was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. The New Testament refers to what God's love has accomplished in Christ for the salvation of humankind as the "New Covenant".
"The time is coming, declares the Lord, with I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke My covenant, though I was a husband to them, declares the Lord. This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God and they will be My people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, Know the Lord, because they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." (Jeremiah 31:31-34; cf. Hebrews 8:8-12)
"In the same way, after supper, He took the cup, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me.'" (I Corinthians 11:25)
"He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant - not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills us the spirit gives life." (II Corinthians 3:6)
"By calling this covenant 'new', He has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear." (Hebrews 8:13)
"For this reason Christ is the Mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised inheritance - now that He had died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant." (Hebrews 9:15)
"You have come to God, the Judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus, the Mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel." (Hebrews 12:23,24)
"Propitiation" means the turning away of anger by the offering of a gift. Our loving God cannot be indifferent to sin and its disastrous consequences in the lives of His people. Sin provokes the anger of God and His wrath descends upon those who choose to live in sin. Unlike human anger which is often simply an irrational lack of self-control, the anger of God is the stern opposition of His holy nature to all that is evil. (cf. Psalm 11:5-7; Romans 1:18) Forgiveness necessarily involves the laying aside of God's anger. The sacrificial system of the Old Testament was intended by God to teach His people that the only means of averting His wrath against sin was the blood of the atonement (Leviticus 17:11). The Levitical sacrifices did not, in themselves, merit the remission of sins or placate God's anger. Instead they pointed forward to the one great sacrifice of "the Lamb of God who takes who takes away the sin of the world." (John 1:29; cf. Hebrews 10:3-4,14) "Each and every sacrifice was a sermon on the sacrifice and blessings of Christ." (David Chytraeus) The gift that secures propitiation was provided by God Himself in the person of His Son. The blood of the atonement was the precious blood of Jesus poured out for us upon the cross.
"God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in His blood." (Romans 3:25)
"Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the place of atonement...He (Christ) did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves, but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption...So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people." (Hebrews 9:5,12,28)
"This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." I John 4:10
"For this reason He had to be made like His brothers in every way, in order that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that He might make atonement for the sins of the people." (Hebrews 2:17)
"My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have One who speaks to the Father in our defense - Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." (I John 2:1,2)
Reconciliation (Latin - "to bring together again") and Atonement (Anglo-Saxon "to overcome separation" - literally "at - one - ment") are two very similar terms which both refer to the restoration of friendly relationships and of peace where before there had been alienation and hostility. Both terms imply the removal of the offense which caused the disruption of peace and harmony. In Scripture they refer to God's action in removing the barrier of sin which separated Him from fallen mankind by the sacrifice of His Son. The innocent Christ takes the place of guilty mankind and offers His death as our substitute (Vicarious Atonement). Luther describes what he aptly calls the "joyful exchange" in this way: "Christ is full of grace, life, and salvation. The soul is full of sins, death, and damnation. Now let faith come between them and sins, death and damnation will be Christ's, while grace, life, and salvation will be the soul's. (M. Luther, The Freedom of a Christian, 1520) Reconciliation is, first of all, a change in the heart of God toward man because of Christ's interposing sacrifice. As a result of the "joyful exchange" of Christ's righteousness for our sinfulness, God now regards us as though we had never sinned. This reconciliation is an objective reality, wholly independent of humanity's mood or attitude. The blessings of this reconciliation are received subjectively by each individual through faith, which is, of course, also a gift of God.
"Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered Him stricken by God, smitten by Him and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." (Isaiah 53:4-6)
"But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through Him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation." (Romans 5:8-11)
"All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation...We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." (II Corinthians 5:18-21)
"But now in Christ Jesus you who were once far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in His flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in Himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which He put to death their hostility." (Ephesians 2:13-16)
"For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God." (I Peter 3:18)
Justification is the declarative act of God by which He establishes persons as righteous, that is in right and true relationship to Himself. In Greek, justification is a forensic term - that is, it applies to the law court and the act of acquitting or vindicating someone. To be justified, in a Biblical sense, means to be declared "not guilty". It has to do with the innocence of a person. Justification in Scripture is a verdict not a process or quality in man. God's declaration of man as innocent is just and fair because of the atoning death of Christ on the cross where full payment for sin was exacted in blood. Therefore the justification of the sinner is completely by grace, not on the basis of anything man has done but only because of what God in Christ has done for man. All this is entirely apart from the Law and human effort. The Bible firmly condemns every attempt to combine self-righteousness with the righteousness of God as futile and damnable. The righteousness of God is appropriated to the individual by faith alone. Man cannot produce his own faith, neither in whole or in part, but through the Gospel in Word and Sacrament (Means of Grace) God confers faith through the working of the Holy Spirit.
"Therefore no one will be declared righteous in His sight by observing the law; rather through the law we become conscious of sin. But now a righteousness from God apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in His blood...so as to be just and justify the man who had faith in Jesus." (Romans 3:20-26)
"What does the Scripture say? 'Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness'...The words 'it was credited to him' were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness - to us who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." (Romans 4:3,23-5:1)
"Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all man. For just as through the disobedience of the one man, the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one Man, the many will be made righteous." (Romans 5:18-19)
"So we too have put our faith in Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law, no one will be justified...I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing." (Galatians 2:16-17,20-21)
"The article of justification, which is our only protection, not only against all the powers and plottings of men but also against the gates of Hell, is this: by faith alone in Christ, without works, are we declared righteous and saved...The article of justification is the master and prince, the lord, the ruler, and the judge over all kinds of doctrines; it preserves and governs all church doctrine and raises up our conscience before God. Without this article the world is utter death and darkness. No error is so mean, so clumsy, and so outworn, as not to be supremely pleasing to human reason and to seduce us if we are without the knowledge and contemplation of this article...This doctrine is the head and the cornerstone. It alone begets, nourishes, builds, preserves, and defends the church of God; and without it the church of God cannot exist for one hour...In short, if this article concerning Christ - the doctrine that we are justified and saved through Him alone and consider all apart from Him damned - is not professed, all resistance and restraint are at an end. Then there is, in fact, neither measure or limit to any heresy or error...Whoever departs from the article of justification does not know God and is an idolater." (M. Luther from What Luther Says Vol. II. Ewald Pless, Translator and Editor. Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, 1959.)
"Concerning the righteousness of faith before God we believe, teach, and confess unanimously, in accord with the summary formulation of our Christian faith and confession described above, that a poor sinner is justified before God (that is, he is absolved and declared utterly free from all his sins, and from the verdict of well deserved damnation, and is adopted as a child of God and as an heir of eternal life) without any merit or worthiness on our part, and without any preceding, present, or subsequent works, by sheer grace, solely through the merit of the total obedience, the bitter passion, the death, and the resurrection of Christ, our Lord, whose obedience is reckoned to us as righteousness. The Holy Spirit offers these treasures to us in the promise of the Gospel, and faith is the only means whereby we can apprehend, accept, apply them to ourselves, and make them our own. Faith is a gift of God whereby we rightly learn to know Christ as our Redeemer in the Word of the gospel and to trust in Him, that solely for the sake of His obedience we have the forgiveness of sins by grace and are accounted righteous and holy by God the Father and are saved forever...Accordingly the word 'justify' means to declare righteous and free from sins and from the eternal punishment of these sins on account of the righteousness of Christ which God reckons to faith." (Formula of Concord, SD, VI, 1577)