Prayer: Father, Your kingdom of light stands in great contrast to Satan’s dominion of darkness. As Your children, we want our lives to be characterized by light, the light of Your Holy Spirit, who dwells within our hearts. It is in Jesus’ precious name we pray. Amen.
Main Scripture: Romans 5:1-11
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly (vs. 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 (vss. 8-11).
Associated Scriptures:
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ (Ephesians 2:13).
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 (Colossians 1:22).
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17).
Correlative Quotes:
The acknowledgment of our submission to Christ as our Lord, the recognition of what we owe to Him as our Savior, - these things, naturally, are most frequently expressed in the names we call Him by. "Redeemer," however, is a title of more intimate revelation than either "Lord" or "Savior." It gives expression not merely to our sense that we have received salvation from Him, but also to our appreciation of what it cost Him to procure this salvation for us.[1] B. B. Warfield
The idea in atonement supplying power for redemption is seen in the expression "death for redemption." Jesus came into this world, in flesh, not only to declare all the attributes of God (John 1: 18; 1 Tim. 3:16), but to be poured out a sin offering (Heb. 10: 5, 10, 12, 14). The offering of his life for atonement declares God just and the justifier of all who believe in Jesus (Rom. 3:24-26).[2] – Earl E. Robinson
The distinctive quality of God’s love is that it operates irrespective of merit. Human love is given to those who are lovable; but God’s love embraces even the unlovely.[3] – Benjamin C. Chapman
Study:
Faith establishes our relationship with God and gives us peace. Hope continues our relationship with God. Love, the third benefit of justification, perfects our relationship with God.
When we committed sin in Adam, we allowed ourselves to be sold into the slavery of sin. When Christ fulfilled God’s plan for salvation, He bought us back with His death, burial, and resurrection (Galatians 3:13). The redemptive act is only fulfilled when sinners realize their guilt and accept the gift of salvation offered by God. Through the action of redemption, we once again become the children of God (Galatians 4:5).
Psalm 103:11-12 reads, “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. That’s reconciliation!
In John 15:13-15 Jesus tells His disciples, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.”
Summary Statement:
Atonement, redemption, justification, grace, reconciliation, salvation, and are all closely related. Even though some of these terms are occasionally used interchangeably in scripture, each has its own nuance.
Romans 3:23-25 describes what Christ has done for us, “For all have sinned and come 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.”
Atonement is the sacrifice itself, the payment for our unrighteousness. and describes the shedding of blood. The blood of Jesus is the purchase price for our redemption. Secondly, redemption is paying the price for our sin. We were bought back with the price of Christ’s life (Ephesians 1:7). Thirdly, justification is the action of God as Judge. It is a result of atonement and redemption (Acts 13:38-9). Fourthly, grace is a gift from God. Grace show God compassion. Next, reconciliation is the restoration of our relationship with God (2 Corinthians 5:18). The action of Jesus allowed God to be at peace with us again (Romans 5:1). Finally, salvation is the action of God, through the payment of Christ, that grants us eternal life. Salvation is by grace through faith alone (Ephesians 2:9).
Lessons within the Lesson:
Do I really believe that I am “under grace” and set free from sin?
How do I view sin?
Explain God’s love for us as seen in redemption, reconciliation, and propitiation.
What is the purpose of propitiation and how does it impact the believer’s life?
[1] Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield, "Redeemer" and "Redemption", monergism.com/thethreshold/sdg/warfield/warfield_redeemer.html.
[2] Earn E. Robinson, Redemption, truthmagazine.com/archives/volume15/ TM015100.html.
[3] Benjamin C. Chapman, The Epistle of 1 John, Liberty Bible Commentary, © 1983 by Old-Time Gospel Hour, p. 2637.
[4] McClintock and Strong Encyclopedia, Electronic Database. Copyright © 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.
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