Foundations In Grace – Redemption, Reconciliation & Propitiation

“When Jesus therefore had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!’ And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.” John 19:30

The doctrines of redemption, reconciliation and propitiation, combined into one interrelated body of truth, are often termed The Finished Work of Christ.

Redemption - The aspect of Christ’s death on the cross that is toward sin.

Definition – “Redemption is an act of God by which He Himself pays as a ransom the price of human sin which the outraged holiness and government of God requires. Redemption undertakes the solution of the problem of sin.”

Three distinct Greek words:

1. agorazo (ἀγοράζω) – To purchase in the market.

2. exagorazō (ἐξαγοράζω) – To purchase out of the market.

3. lutron (λύτρον) noun, lutroo (λυτρόω) verb - to redeem, liberate by payment of ransom, to liberate many from misery and the penalty of their sins.

Two Distinct Dimensions:

1. The objective, historical aspect: ransom. The idea is that Christ, by His death on the cross, purchased us in the slave market of sin and liberated us from the penalty of sin.

2. The subjective, experiential aspect: liberation. “…the addition of the prefix ex = ek (out of) radically shifts the emphasis of the word from the price paid to the liberation of the slave… exagorazein is a subjective, personal term.” C. Gordon Olson

Reconciliation – The aspect of Christ’s death on the cross that is toward man.

Definition – Reconciliation comes from the Greek word katallassō (καταλλάσσω) which means to change completely. “Reconciliation means a change of relationship from hostility to harmony and peace between two parties.” (Ryrie) Mankind is the object of reconciliation since God is immutable and cannot change. God took the initiative and reconciled the world to Himself through the death of Christ.

Two Dimensions:

1. The world – Through the death of Christ God changed completely the position of the world in its relation to Himself. 1 Cor. 5:19, Romans.

2. Believers - The moment we believe in Christ we are said to be reconciled to God. We at that moment receive the value of Christ’s reconciling death. 2 Cor. 5:18, Romans 5:11.

Propitiation – The aspect of Christ’s death on the cross that is toward God.

Definition – Propitiation means the turning away of wrath by an offering. The wrath of God, because of sin, was propitiated or completely satisfied by the death of Christ.

Two Greek words:

1. hilasmos (ἱλασμός) – that which propitiates or satisfies. This word is used in two verses to show that Christ is the One who propitiates. I John 2:2, I John 4:10.

2. hilastērion (ἱλαστήριον) – the place of propitiation. Because the ‘mercy seat’ of the ark was the place of propitiation and this word is translated as ‘mercy seat’ in Hebrews 9:5. The other use is in Romans 3:25.

Two Dimensions of Propitiation

1. The world – Christ is said to be the propitiation for the sins of the world. There is no qualification here. The world has been covered by Christ’s propitiation regardless of how many believe it.

2. Believers – Jesus, in His own Person becomes, for everyone who believes, the meeting place between God and man!

Conclusion:

Propitiation is the work of God by which His wrath is satisfied by the death of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. This propitiation is universal in that the sins of the world are propitiated (1 John 2:2) by Jesus Christ’s sacrifice, but specific, in that through faith, the believer enters into a relationship with God through Jesus, the living Mercy Seat (Romans 3:25).