Category: The Amazing New Covenant

Healing Part 2 – New Testament Confirmation

 

The New Testament confirms the truth that Jesus provided physical healing for us through his suffering and death, as is clearly revealed in Isaiah 53.

The New Testament explains the Old Testament in light of who Jesus is and what he accomplished.

Jesus spent considerable time explaining to his disciples how he fulfilled Old Covenant scriptures.

Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. Luke 24:27 (NLT)

Jesus is the focus of the entire Bible. If we fail to see him in the Old Covenant, we will miss its meaning and purpose completely. To miss Jesus is to miss life itself.

He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” John 3:36 (NKJV)

It is clear that Matthew understood the implications of Isaiah 53 regarding physical healing.

He clearly stated that Jesus fulfilled Isaiah 53:4 when he healed people.

Now when Jesus entered Peter’s house, he saw his mother-in-law lying down, sick with a fever. 15  He touched her hand, and the fever left her. Then she got up and began to serve them. 16  When it was evening, many demon-possessed people were brought to him. He drove out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick. 17  In this way what was spoken by Isaiah the prophet was fulfilled: “He took our weaknesses and carried our diseases.” Matthew 8:14-17 (NET1)

It is always instructive to see how the Bible interprets itself, as it does here.

Matthew leaves absolutely no room to doubt that Isaiah 53 addresses physical healing, no matter how later translators may skew the meaning because of their biases.

Let’s return to the New English translation to see how it honestly renders the passage from Isaiah.

But he lifted up our illnesses, he carried our pain; even though we thought he was being punished, attacked by God, and afflicted for something he had done. 5  He was wounded because of our rebellious deeds, crushed because of our sins; he endured punishment that made us well; because of his wounds we have been healed. Isaiah 53:4-5 (NET1)

Their notes reveal the following insight into their struggle to properly translate this passage.

17 sn Continuing to utilize the imagery of physical illness, the group acknowledges that the servant's willingness to carry their illnesses (v. 4) resulted in their being healed. Healing is a metaphor for forgiveness here.

Even these honest translators feel compelled to weaken the power of physical healing contained in these verses, but Matthew rescues us from this error. These verses cover all forms of healing, to be sure, including forgiveness, but we cannot afford to pretend it does not cover the physical aspect.

Peter also cites Isaiah 53 in his first letter.

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we may cease from sinning and live for righteousness. By his wounds you were healed. 1 Peter 2:24 (NET1)

Those who do not agree that physical healing is for today argue that Peter is here referencing a healing of the soul from the effects of sin and not physical healing.

Healing certainly applies to psychological and spiritual wounds, but it is not limited to them.

God did many signs and wonders through Peter, including remarkable healings. I am sure he understood that this power derived from what Christ suffered during his passion and death, just as did Matthew. They were students of the same teacher and were filled with the same Holy Spirit. God used them both to pen portions of our New Testament.

The Book of Acts reveals what the apostles believed through what they did. Actions speak louder than words. They believed that physical healing is available in Christ. So should we.

In conclusion, we owe a debt of gratitude to Matthew for clearing up this controversy of whether or not Isaiah 53 provides us with a doctrinal foundation for physical healing. Once we know where we stand, it should increase our faith that God still heals today.

Click here to see all the articles in this series on healing.

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Healing Part 1 – The Inescapable Logic of Isaiah 53

What does the Bible have to say about physical healing? Jesus healed many during his earthly ministry; as did the first apostles. I have personally witnessed people receive healing from God through prayer, including myself. I know evangelists who preach the gospel to huge crowds in other countries where the Holy Spirit often heals and sets people free as a testimony to the truth of their message. Why is it that some churches teach that physical healing is available in Christ; while others insist that, since the completion of the New Testament scriptures, the gifts of the Spirit, including healing, are no longer active? Is God still healing people today, or has he backed off from the way he began the church age? In this series I will examine whether or not Jesus purchased healing for his people through his death and resurrection, whether healing is for today, why we don’t  see more current examples of this gift in operation, and the difference between true faith and what I call “magical thinking”.

Sadly, we Christians sometimes dilute the Word of God to match our own experience or presuppositions. We like to make excuses.

This is called eisegesis, the process whereby we read into the Bible what we want it to say instead of pulling out its true meaning (exegesis) and conforming our thinking to that. God’s Word should set our standard for thinking, behavior, and experience, not the other way around. It may be very difficult for us to admit that we are not experiencing all that God has provided to his people, because we are afraid to think about what that says about us. It is also easy to fall prey to the influence of worldly thinking and dead church tradition.

In the short run, it may seem easier to deny that healing is for today than to struggle with why we are not experiencing it. But in the long run, we want to know what the Bible really teaches and ask the Lord to make that our experience.

Four Important Hebrew Words

Isaiah 53 is the foundation for our understanding of physical healing.

Let us begin by looking at two verses from that chapter. But first, let’s be honest in admitting we all bring to the Bible a few or maybe a lot of preconceptions and biases. This is also true for those who translate the scriptures from the original languages. Those translators who do not believe that physical healing is for today will likely reflect that belief in the words they choose to convey the meaning of the Hebrew and Greek words. Regrettably, that has been especially true of this chapter in which some key words usually are not translated according to their most natural meaning. Below I quote from the New English Translation because it is very literal and seems to have less translators’ bias than some other versions. I put the Hebrew words inside parentheses.

But he lifted (nasa) up our illnesses (choli), he carried (sabal) our pain (makob); even though we thought he was being punished, attacked by God, and afflicted for something he had done. 5  He was wounded because of our rebellious deeds, crushed because of our sins; he endured punishment that made us well; because of his wounds we have been healed. Isaiah 53:4-5 (NET1)

For us to properly understand how Jesus provided healing for us through what he suffered, we need to pay close attention to the above four highlighted Hebrew words.

  • nasa – This verb means to bear or carry.
  • sabal – This verb means to carry a heavy load.
  • choli – This noun fundamentally means sickness.
  • makob – This noun translates best as pain.

Isaiah 53:4 says that he (Jesus) lifted up or bore (nasa) our sicknesses or illnesses (choli). The same verse also says that Jesus carried (sabal) our pain (makob). The NET translates this in a most natural manner. In other words, it says it as the Hebrew says it. (You may wish to read other translations to see how they use the same words.)

Next, let’s look at how these same two Hebrew verbs are used with reference to sin. The core of the gospel hinges upon Jesus’ being a sin offering as the Lamb of God (John 1:29), which completely satisfied the wrath of God and provided forgiveness and reconciliation to those who trust in him. If he did not carry our sin on the cross, we are still lost and under God’s judgment. Isaiah 53:11-12 makes it clear that he did.

Having suffered, he will reflect on his work, he will be satisfied when he understands what he has done. “My servant will acquit many, for he carried (sabal) their sins. 12  So I will assign him a portion with the multitudes, he will divide the spoils of victory with the powerful, because he willingly submitted to death and was numbered with the rebels, when he lifted up (nasa) the sin of many and intervened on behalf of the rebels. Isaiah 53:11-12 (NET1)

Here we see above that the Hebrew verbs sabal and nasa, which are used to describe what Jesus did with our pains and sicknesses, are also used to show us what he did with our sins.

The logic is inescapable. If we are forgiven by his carrying our sins; then, we are healed by his carrying our sicknesses and pains.

If he did not carry our sicknesses and pains, he did not carry our sins. All Bible believing Christians unequivocally adhere to the latter; therefore, all should also believe in the former, whether or not we have personally experienced physical healing.

To prove that this is proper interpretation of the Hebrew, the Holy Spirit provided us with a confirmation in the gospel of Matthew.

That evening many demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. He cast out the evil spirits with a simple command, and he healed all the sick. 17  This fulfilled the word of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah, who said, “He took our sicknesses and removed our diseases.” Matthew 8:16-17 (NLT)

The reason many find it easier to believe in forgiveness than in physical healing is because forgiveness is for us a largely subjective experience, the reality of which will be confirmed experientially when we each stand before God in judgment. At that point, we will know beyond a shadow of a doubt whether or not the gospel is true and we were completely forgiven for our sins by what Christ did for us. Healing, on the other hand, requires us to experience it in the present, which tests our faith immediately, instead of putting it off until the indefinite future. We should not back away from the trial of faith that physical healing presents. Both forgiveness and healing are part of the atonement. Both are real. Both can be our experience.

In fact, healing confirms the truth of forgiveness, according to Jesus.

Is it easier to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up and walk’? 6  So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!” 7  And the man jumped up and went home! 8  Fear swept through the crowd as they saw this happen. And they praised God for sending a man with such great authority. Matthew 9:5-8 (NLT)

Isn’t it time for us to abandon our unbelief and embrace the truth of physical healing through the atonement? Isn’t it time for our experience to rise to the level of biblical truth instead of lowering the bar to match our experience? Yes, it is.

Click here to see all the articles in this series on healing.

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Defining Some Confusing Bible Terms

In this article, I will do my best to properly define some Bible terms that sometimes may confuse us. Have you ever noticed that we Christians, everyone in fact, often use words and concepts regarding which we have very little real understanding? We assume we know, but when pressed, we realize that we do not. In the church, we sometimes refer to the “danger” of speaking in “Christianese,” using terms with which we may be familiar, but have little or no meaning to those outside the church. Sadly, we may assume everyone who is listening to us understands our meaning, but often it is questionable if we do ourselves! This is especially true regarding the  words and phrases that I will cover in this article. I hope you will take the time to think through each of these terms. Growing in understanding will enlarge our appreciation of the gospel.

The “old man” – (Greek: palios anthropos)

When God created Adam, he formed his body out of the dirt and breathed life into his spirit.

Then the LORD God formed man (his body) of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath (Hebrew: breath, wind, spirit) of life; and man became a living being (literally: soul). Genesis 2:7 (NASB)

Adam became a living soul or being. I and many others define the soul as being the mind, will, and emotions – what we call the personality. Greek and Hebrew use three distinct words for spirit, soul, and body. In both languages, the word for spirit also means breath or wind. Paul acknowledges this three-part construction of humans in 1 Thessalonians 5:23.

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 (NASB)

God created us in his image. He is a Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), and so are we (spirit, soul, and body). Understanding how God’s great salvation affects each part is necessary to have an excellent understanding.

I have written in more detail about spirit, soul, and body in the linked three articles.

Before the Fall, Adam’s spirit, body, and the resultant soul were in complete harmony. Neither sin nor death had entered the world; nevertheless, Adam’s state of moral innocence was no match for the sinful allure of attempting to be independent from God and the manipulative accusation and deception of the enemy.

But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 2 Corinthians 11:3 (NKJV)

When Adam believed the lie and chose to disobey God’s clear command, his spirit became alienated from God, which is a form of death. Spiritually he died that very day; although, it did not take out his body for many years.

but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die." Genesis 2:17 (NASB)

This condition of spiritual death has been passed on to succeeding generations from Adam.

remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. Ephesians 2:12 (NASB)

Death permeated humanity spiritually, physically, and in the personality, or soul. In addition, the entire universe entered into a kind of death spiral, which Paul called “slavery to corruption.” (Romans 8:20-21)

This post-fall-of-man combination of a spirit alienated from God and a body programmed to die resulted in a new version of the soul that was in harmony with sin and deception and fully committed to forsake God and to live a self-directed life, instead of being in submission to and in partnership with God.

This fallen spirit-soul-body configuration I call the “old man.”

The “old man” we all inherit at conception is naturally inclined toward evil. The essential element of the “old man” is the alienated spirit. It is the driving force or generator behind sin.

People who have never been born again (the regeneration of the spirit) can only experience human life through the “old man.”

The “old man” is incapable of being reformed or rehabilitated, because the core problem is an alienated spirit. It has to be put to death and replaced with what the Bible calls  the “new man.” This is precisely what God did through Christ on the cross over 2000 years ago.

We know that our old man was crucified with him so that the body of sin would no longer dominate us, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. Romans 6:6 (NET1)
 
The “new man” – (Greek: kainos anthropos)

When a person is born again, God regenerates the spirit, the innermost part of our being, which previously had been alienated from God and spiritually dead.

"That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. John 3:6 (NASB)

He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, Titus 3:5 (NASB)

This supernatural rebirth causes people to become new creatures spiritually.

The driving force of the “old man,” the alienated spirit, is replaced with a regenerated, reborn spirit which is in complete harmony with God.

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NASB) 

and to put on the new man who has been created in God’s image — in righteousness and holiness that comes from truth. Ephesians 4:24 (NET1)

God’s Spirit becomes one with our spirit, fusing God’s life to ours in the innermost part of our being.

The “new spirit” or “new heart,” which was promised by the prophets, is the result of a supernatural union of the human and the divine in the spirit.

But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him. 1 Corinthians 6:17 (NASB)

"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. Galatians 2:20 (NASB) 

"Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. Ezekiel 36:26-27 (NASB) 

If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. Romans 8:10 (NASB)

The “new man,” as I understand the scriptures, is the combination of the recreated spirit (“inner man” – Greek: eso anthropos), which resides in every believer, with the pre-resurrection Adamic body (“members of my body”), which is still largely influenced by the fall of man.

The regenerated spirit’s desires are in complete harmony with God’s will, but the residual pull of sin, called the “flesh,” remains associated with the pre-resurrected body.

I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. 22  For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, 23  but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Romans 7:21-23 (NASB)

The “inner man” or recreated spirit is the source of the believer’s new identity in Christ.

Eventually, at his Second Coming, Jesus will raise our Adamic bodies from the dead, completing our salvation; but for now we only have the “down payment” of the new birth and our union with the indwelling Spirit, which serves as “earnest money” guaranteeing that God will eventually fulfill his promise to fully redeem us – spirit, soul, and body.

In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14  who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory. Ephesians 1:13-14 (NASB)

The soul in this “in between time” – the period between the new birth and the resurrection – is being transformed or sanctified (made holy or set apart to God) by the Spirit of grace on a daily basis as we choose to believe the truth (the renewing of the mind) and “walk in the Spirit” – live in dependence, harmony, and obedience to God’s Spirit who indwells us.

But you did not learn about Christ like this, 21  if indeed you heard about him and were taught in him, just as the truth is in Jesus. 22  You were taught with reference to your former way of life to lay aside the old man who is being corrupted in accordance with deceitful desires, 23  to be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24  and to put on the new man who has been created in God’s image — in righteousness and holiness that comes from truth. Ephesians 4:20-24 (NET1)

The challenge for us followers of Christ is to identify with Christ’s Spirit, who indwells and is in union with the “inner man,” and realize that the Holy Spirit empowers us to  live above the downward pull of the Adamic body of death, which is called the “flesh.”

 The “flesh” (Greek: sarx)

The flesh is the sinful pull still present in the born again person’s soul, which is connected to the old Adamic order through the body, which has not yet been fully redeemed through the resurrection.

Until then, we are “saved in hope,” which means we are still waiting confidently for the last installment of our great salvation.

For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. 23  And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. 24  For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? 25  But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it. Romans 8:22-25 (NASB)

As I wrote before, a born again person is the combination of a new justified spirit (the “inner man”) and a body, which is still linked to the old order of the first Adam.

Until the resurrection, when our bodies are renewed and fully redeemed, believers experience a bipolarity in our souls, a warfare between flesh and spirit.

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17  For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. Galatians 5:16-17 (NASB) 

For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. 15  For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. 16  But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. 17  So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. 18  For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. 19  For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. 20  But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. 21  I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. 22  For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, 23  but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Romans 7:14-23 (NASB)

Being “saved in hope” means we are completely and firmly confident (Greek: hope – elpis) that God will fulfill his promise to raise us from the dead, which will lift us out of our current conflicted state and make us whole again by transforming the Adamic body into something radically new and unaffected by sin and death.

in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53  For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54  But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory. 55 "O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?" 56  The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; 57  but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.1 Corinthians 15:52-57 (NASB)

After the resurrection, we will no longer have a struggle between that which is connected to Adam (the “flesh”) and that which is reborn by God, since there once again will be complete harmony between spirit and body, but this time oriented fully toward God.

In the present however, the “flesh” is the source of spiritual weakness.

I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification. Romans 6:19 (NASB)

Even though all believers have “flesh,” we are not ruled by it so that we must live “in the flesh,” which means under the domination of sin.

For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death. Romans 7:5 (NASB)

Walking in the Spirit means we set our minds on God’s truth – the things of the Spirit. When we do this, the power of God enables us to walk in freedom from the downward pull of sin.

Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3  For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, 4  so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5  For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6  For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, 7  because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, 8  and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Romans 8:1-8 (NASB)

Walking in the Spirit is called “putting on Christ,” an act of faith by which we choose to identify with the regenerated “inner man” and rely on the indwelling life of God’s Spirit to give us victory over sin.

But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. Romans 13:14 (NASB)

Even though, the old man (See above.)  has already been crucified with Christ, the flesh must be crucified or put to death by us on a daily basis. This is equivalent to what Jesus called denying ourselves.

Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25  If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Galatians 5:24-25 (NASB)

To conclude, our great salvation has past, present, and future components. Jesus accomplished our justification, making us perfectly right with God, when he died and rose again. This was a once for all past event. In the future, we confidently expect God to raise us from the dead, fulfilling his promise and completing our salvation. In the present, we are engaged in an ongoing process called sanctification or transformation, in which we cooperate with the Holy Spirit through belief of the truth and surrendered obedience.

God is changing us day by day into Christ’s image in how we think, speak, and act. Living in the present requires us to draw upon the eternal truth of justification and lock into the hope of the resurrection. It requires us to walk by faith in Christ’s finished work while dealing with the unfinished business of still living in a pre-resurrection Adamic body. It leaves us in a “conflicted” state that necessitates us to keep our eyes firmly upon Christ and his promises.

The “body of sin” – (Greek: soma tes hamartias)
We know that our old man was crucified with him so that the body of sin would no longer dominate us, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. Romans 6:6 (NET1)

This term is more or less synonymous with “flesh.” The body is not evil, but before the resurrection it is linked to Adam’s fall and is an instrument through which we sin.

We can say that the “flesh” is derived from the “body of sin,” since it will only be present as long as these fleshly bodies are still alive. Once the body dies and is resurrected, it will no longer be a “body of sin,” and the “flesh” will disappear.

The “body of sin” participated in Christ’s crucifixion in the sense that we were spiritually identified with (or “in”) Christ when he died and rose again. Obviously our human bodies were not crucified, only the spiritual component. What this accomplished was the nullification of sin’s power or right to enslave us.

We can still choose to sin, but those who died with Christ now have the authority and power to walk in the Spirit rather than in the flesh.

The “body of sin” or the related “flesh” was not annihilated at the cross. It was rendered ineffective in its power to rule us. We can let it dominate us, but we do not have to submit to it. In fact, now it is against our inmost being, nature, and identity in Christ to do so.

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body (Greek: thneto somati) that you obey its lusts, 13  and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14  For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace. Romans 6:12-14 (NASB)
 
The “body of death” – (Greek: somatos tou thanatou)

This term is synonymous with “body of sin,” but emphasizes the pre-resurrected body’s connection with death through Adam’s sin.

Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? 25  Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin. Romans 7:24-25 (NASB)
 
The “body of flesh” – (Greek: somatos tes sarkos)
and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; 12  having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. Colossians 2:11-12 (NASB)

This term is synonymous with “body of sin” and “body of death.”

Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2  Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3  For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4  When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. 5  Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. 6  For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, 7  and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. 8  But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. 9  Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, 10  and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him— 11  a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all. Colossians 3:1-11 (NASB)

By faith we understand that the power of the flesh, the sinful tug of the pre-resurrected Adamic body, has been stripped of its power to rule us. As long as we “walk in the Spirit” by faith in Christ’s finished work and in cooperation with the Spirit’s ever present power indwelling us, we are able to live above the downward pull of sin. This is a daily, even moment by moment, interaction with God’s grace.

Conclusion

My purpose in this article is to provide clarity to some potentially confusing terms. Some may disagree with my definitions, which are an attempt to better understand a mystery. Perhaps God has given you a better understanding than I have. In that case, I hope you will share your insights with me. The important thing is for us to believe what the Bible teaches. We never want to nullify the Word of God just because it has not yet been our experience or is difficult to comprehend. To the degree that what I have written helps our faith, I will consider that I have been helpful. Now we can move on to applying these marvelous truths.

Link to all the articles in this series.

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Sonship

Sonship is the last aspect of salvation in this series of articles. It follows propitiation, redemption, justification, and reconciliation.

I define sonship as the impartation through the new birth of all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities of being a child of God.

Identity

As sons we have a permanent place in the family of God.

A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. John 8:35 (NLT)

We are given our heavenly Father’s spiritual “DNA,” when we are born again by the operation of the Holy Spirit.

Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. John 3:6 (NLT)

It is important that we understand that we are not God’s “step children.” We are not limited to a legal standing as family members. We are God’s children by birth.

But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 13  They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. John 1:12-13 (NLT)

The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ himself, lives inside every born again child of God, enabling us to share Jesus’ own relationship with Father God.

For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" Romans 8:15 (NASB)
 
Access

Because of our identity as God’s children, we are able to come to him at any time for fellowship, encouragement, comfort, and strength.

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16 (ESV)

Access to our heavenly Father is not based on our recent performance, emotional state, or opinion of our worthiness. It is based solely on Christ’s own access to his Father. What belongs to him he gave to us as a free gift.

From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. 17  For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. 18  No one has ever seen God. But the one and only Son is himself God and is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us. John 1:16-18 (NLT)

Jesus shares his intimacy with his Abba Father with us. When we come to the Father in Christ’s name, depending solely on his right standing, we are always welcome.

Privilege

Because of our identity and access, we can ask for anything we need, and Father God will provide.

At that time you won’t need to ask me for anything. I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and he will grant your request because you use my name. 24  You haven’t done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy. John 16:23-24 (NLT)

Our heavenly Father does not resent when we ask for things. Instead, he is predisposed to bless us because he loves us so much. He is not stingy or limited in his means. This does not mean that he grants every request. As any good father, he gives us what is good for us and withholds anything that is destructive.

And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. 15  And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for. 1 John 5:14-15 (NLT)
Authority

Believers are privileged to use the authority associated with Christ’s name, which allows us to proclaim the gospel, prophesy, heal the sick, cast out demons, speak words of encouragement and correction, counsel, and to forgive sins.

Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. 8  Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received! Matthew 10:7-8 (NLT)

It is an enormous honor, privilege, and responsibility to speak in God’s name and use his authority.

The Holy Spirit backs up with power Christ’s authoritative word spoken by us.

Destiny

Our destiny as God’s children is to be in his presence and share his amazing glory, power, rule, and wealth in heaven.

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 2  Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. 3  For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. 4  And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. Colossians 3:1-4 (NLT)

We rule and reign with Christ now in a limited capacity, but in eternity we will co-rule with our Lord in an even greater way.

If we endure hardship, we will reign with him...2 Timothy 2:12a (NLT)

The privilege of permanent access to the presence and glory of God in heaven will be an indescribable joy.

Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began! John 17:24 (NLT)

 

Conclusion

Our destiny to be in God’s presence forever starts right here on earth. Paul made it his chief goal in life to know Christ.

I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. 8  Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ... Philippians 3:7-8 (NLT)

The purpose of studying and meditating upon these five salvation is to increase our awareness of what we have been given in Christ, to maximize our joy as God’s children, and to encourage our faith and boldness to grow as we represent our Lord to the world.

Knowing these things should motivate us, as it did Paul, to cast aside everything that distracts us from our grand calling as children of God and representatives of Christ because what awaits those who faithfully serve our Lord is so precious that it defies human evaluation. May we think about these things often and continually give thanks to our Lord Jesus the Messiah, to our heavenly Father, and to the glorious Holy Spirit.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I continue to be amazed that you chose to make us your beloved children and to share your life, glory, authority, and rule with us. What a privilege it is to be loved by you. Once again I consecrate myself to you and your kingdom. Please use me for your glory. Amen.

Series – The Five Pillars of Salvation
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Reconciliation

In this series of articles, I have written about forgiveness or propitiation, redemption, and justification so far. Propitiation, appeasing God’s wrath by making a blood sacrifice, releases us from owing God a sin debt we could never repay. Redemption sets us free from the bondage sin always produces. Justification declares that we are not guilty and have been given Christ’s own righteousness in God’s eyes.

The subject of this article is reconciliation, which describes God the Father restoring us to intimacy with himself.

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 9  And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. 10  For since our friendship with God [reconciliation] was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. 11  So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has [reconciled] made us friends of God. Romans 5:8-11 (NLT)

It could be said that everything that preceded reconciliation was done in order that God’s born-again children might be restored to intimacy with him.

Reconciliation means that we have been fully accepted into God’s family and can receive the full benefits of sonship. It is a restoration of trust and a commission of responsibility.

Trust, once it is shattered, is very difficult, sometimes impossible, to restore. We can make a decision to forgive people unconditionally, without their even requesting it or showing any signs of repentance or remorse. Trust, however, can only be repaired over time, with participation from both sides of the relationship. In a sense, it is earned. As the forgiven party proves faithful, the betrayed party may wish to bring that person close in a trust relationship. I have seen marriages restored in this way. It is a beautiful thing.

Our Father God reconciles us to himself unilaterally, based on the trustworthiness of his Son, not our own proven faithfulness. Reconciliation is a gift beyond all reasonable expectations, one we could never earn or possibly deserve.

Let me give you a practical example of the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation that may help. I hope that none of my readers or listeners will ever have to do this. A grieving relative may choose to visit a jail to offer forgiveness to the murderer of a family member. This releases the offender from any debt owed to that person. Forgiveness can be very freeing to both parties, but it does not mean that the murderer is innocent or should not suffer the consequences of his crime at the hands of the state. Our personal forgiveness does not release an offender from the verdict and judgment the judicial system may hand down. Neither does it release him or her from God’s justice. In addition, forgiving such a person does not necessarily translate into inviting them over for dinner. We can forgive a completely unrepentant and untrustworthy person, but, hopefully we would never invite such a human being into our home and expose our loved ones to him or her. Astoundingly, however, when God reconciles us to himself through his Son, he opens the door of his heart and welcomes us into his family.

Reconciliation enables us to experience the wonderful depths of Father God’s love for us.

When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, 15  the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. 16  I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17  Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18  And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19  May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Ephesians 3:14-19 (NLT)

Reconciliation is what gives us free access into God’s presence.

A king would not welcome an untrustworthy enemy into his throne room, but Father God welcomes us, his former enemies, into his presence.

So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. Hebrews 4:16 (NLT)

Paul even goes so far as to call the gospel the message of reconciliation.

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 18  And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19  For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20  So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 2 Corinthians 5:17-20 (NLT)

God’s willingness to reconcile with his former enemies is perhaps the most wonderful and amazing aspect of the gospel. It should make us eternally thankful and should never be taken for granted.

Being God’s friend and part of his family is the highest honor and greatest privilege imaginable.

Prayer

Father God, thank you for sending your son to die for me to release me from the debt of my sin, making it possible for me to reconciled to you. Thank you for including me in your eternal family and privileging me to freely enter your presence. I am forever grateful. Amen.

Series – The Five Pillars of Salvation
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Justification

Forgiveness is an amazing blessing, but justification may be even better.  Forgiveness might be the easiest to understand of the five aspects of our great salvation, but justification is probably the least understood. Many believers say they believe they are justified in God’s sight, but their manner of life betrays ignorance or unbelief. What is it about justification that lends itself to being misunderstood?

Justification is a legal word that might be best translated “made right with God.” In fact, the New Living Translation does this for us.

Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith [literally:justified], we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Romans 5:1 (NLT)

Justification is a judicial declaration of innocence before God at judgment, a reverberating “not guilty” verdict.

Through justification God the Father fully includes us in Christ’s right standing before him that was earned through a life of perfect obedience all the way to death on the cross.

Justification is the result of an exchange whereby our sins and guilt fell upon Christ and his perfect right standing with the Father was given to us.

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NASB)

The stark reality is that Jesus assumed the guilt and punishment for our sin to the degree that he actually “became” sin. For a short time, Jesus’ identify changed from being the Son in whom the Father was well pleased into sin itself. That is about the best I can understand this mystery.

Think of justification as a sort of witness protection program. God gives us a new identity in Christ.

Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2  Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3  For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4  When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. Colossians 3:1-4 (NASB)

Our old identity as a inveterate rebel and enemy of God was removed. Our new identify has no record of past sins, criminal activity, convictions, or punishment. Our new identity states that we have lived with unblemished obedience to God.

This is difficult for us to believe because we are well aware of our many faults, which continue to this day. We may find it believable that our past sins have been erased, but what about the ones I may commit today or tomorrow? Are they too expunged? Do I have a “free pass” to sin at will from now on? This is where many people stop believing in justification and slip back into a works mentality, thinking that past sins have been erased, but not current or future ones. In fact, during the Middle Ages, people would sometimes wait until being near death to be water baptized, thinking it would give them a clean slate when they faced God.

What most people have not considered is that God is not restricted by time. All our sins were in the future when Jesus died on the cross. His “once for all” sacrifice took care of the sin problem past, present, and future.

It reached back into time to provide forgiveness for those who died in faith under the Old Covenant, such as Abraham and King David. It also reaches far into the future to provide eternal forgiveness to those not yet even born.

For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time. 11  Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. 12  But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 13  There he waits until his enemies are humbled and made a footstool under his feet. 14  For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy. Hebrews 10:10-14 (NLT)

We do not need a new sacrifice for our new sins. Christ’s one death on the cross solved the sin problem forever. God saw all our sins before we ever committed one of them. Nothing we do surprises God. Nothing is outside the scope of Christ’s once for all time sacrifice.

Verse 14 distinguishes between justification and sanctification or transformation. Our faith in the finished work of Christ permanently justified us, but we are being transformed on a daily basis by the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit. In other words, those of us who have been declared not guilty and right with God still have areas that need to be changed. Our thought life and behavior are not perfect yet, even though we have been declared perfect before God. This is part of the reason why justification is misunderstood and rejected.

Our ongoing failure to live up to our new identity in Christ through the new birth does not nullify the truth of justification. Our imperfection reveals the need for God’s grace to transform us on a daily basis so that we can behave in alignment with our new identity.

Transformation will continue until we die or Jesus returns, at which time the sanctification process will conclude. The final installment of our great salvation will be glorification, when we receive new resurrection bodies. When that happens the old internal sin factory that fights against our spirit man will no longer exist, because nothing in us will have a link to the curse associated with Adam’s sin. In the meantime…

Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Romans 8:33 (ESV)

Some people say that to be justified is to be “just as if I’d” never sinned. This is a helpful mnemonic device, but it falls short.

Justification does not merely restore us to a place of innocence. Rather, it gives to us the righteousness of Christ, who was perfectly obedient unto death.

When Abba Father looks at us, he does not see a forgiven sinner; rather, he includes us in the perfect righteousness of his Son. We are “in Christ,” so whatever he has, we have.

The practical results of justification is that we are released from condemnation, shame, and guilt.

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1 (NLT)

Very few followers of Christ believe this verse, but it is corroborated by Jesus’ own words.

I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life. John 5:24 (NLT)

The reason some people do not fully accept justification is that it seems too good to be true.

Paul, who fully grasped the import of this doctrine, was accused of saying that it gave people a license to sin without fear of consequences. (Romans 3:8; 6:1,15)

The idea that justification gives us a pass to commit sin is based on the false assumption that justification is not accompanied by the new birth.

The new birth gives us a newly created spirit that is in perfect harmony with God’s will. Justified people do not want to sin at the spirit level of their being.

With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. 18  Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. 19  They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity. 20  But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. 21  Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, 22  throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. 23  Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24  Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. Ephesians 4:17-24 (NLT)

The battle is between the justified spirit and our residual “flesh,” which is still connected to the old creation through the unresurrected body. This is why we are in need of transformation as we await the resurrection.

While born again children of God will not be condemned for acquiescing to the old sinful man within, we can expect to be disciplined, as any good parent provides for disobedient children for their own good.

This is no light thing. In addition, our future reward in heaven will be tied to how we cooperate with the Spirit in the transformation process.

Justification is the secret to walking in the Spirit. When we understand that we already live in the Spirit, it gives us the faith that we are able to walk out our new identity as part of the transformation process.

If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Galatians 5:25 (ESV)

Justification releases us from the impossible task of trying to be perfect. It gives us the freedom to approach God in our current “imperfection” because we know that God sees us as being perfect in Christ.

When we sin, we know we are not condemned for it, even though we need to repent and turn away from it. Understanding and believing the truth of justification is a big key to experiencing a joyful life as a Christian. Far too many people miss out on it. How about you? Do you believe justification is real? Do you live in its glorious freedom?

Prayer

Father God, thank you for sending your Son to die for my sin and guilt. I accept his right standing with you as a free gift. Thank you that you love me as your child and I will never be condemned by you. Help me to live in the freedom and joy of that reality. Holy Spirit, I submit myself to you and the ongoing process you began in my life to make me more like Jesus. Help me to walk in obedience and dependence upon you every day. I thank you that your grace is sufficient for every challenge I will face. Amen.

Series – The Five Pillars of Salvation
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Redemption

Not only do we desperately need to be forgiven; we also need to be bought back and set free from what holds us captive, which is called redemption.

I have swept away your sins like a cloud. I have scattered your offenses like the morning mist. Oh, return to me, for I have paid the price to set you free.” 23  Sing, O heavens, for the LORD has done this wondrous thing. Shout for joy, O depths of the earth! Break into song, O mountains and forests and every tree! For the LORD has redeemed Jacob and is glorified in Israel. Isaiah 44:22-23 (NLT)

In the Bible, to redeem means to buy back from slavery in order to set free.

Sin was the means that Satan used to enslave us. He used our transgression against God to strip us of our legal rights and make us slaves. Thankfully, Christ used his authority and power to liberate us from bondage to sin and the devil. He is the great Liberator.

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, Luke 4:18 (ESV)

Sin is not only something we do; it is also a power within us that generates evil and rebellion against God.

I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22  I love God’s law with all my heart. 23  But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24  Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25  Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. Romans 7:21-25 (NLT)

Everyone comes into the world with a propensity to sin. It is what the Bible calls the “old man” because it is the inherited part of us connected to Adam and his fall from grace. The more God’s righteous Law prohibiting us from sinning, the stronger the urge in us becomes to violate that law. (Romans 7:8) The is called the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2) . Paul the apostle understood the power of sin very well. Anyone who seriously attempts to live in obedience to God’s commands will discover the same.

This is what Paul wrote from his own experience.

I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. Romans 7:21–25 (NLT)

When Jesus died and rose again, he broke the power of sin to rule our lives.

When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. 11  So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus. 12  Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. 13  Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. 14  Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace. Romans 6:10-14 (NLT)

The part of us that is drawn to sin was not annihilated, but it lost its power to rule us.

According to the Bible, every born again believer has been set free from all that enslaved us, whether or not he or she has yet to fully experience that reality.

Sin is a many-faceted oppressor. The wages of sin is death in all its forms, which appear as physical death, sickness, legalism, dead religious traditions, racism, demonic oppression, addictions, generational sins, etc. Christ paid the price to set us free from all these things.

With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever. Hebrews 9:12 (NLT)

After being forgiven, we enter into a process called “sanctification” or “transformation,” which lasts for the rest of our lives here on earth. The Holy Spirit works within each believer to transform us into Christ’s image.

God wants us to experience freedom from everything that holds us in bondage. He already paid the redemption price.

Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. 32  And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33  “But we are descendants of Abraham,” they said. “We have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean, ‘You will be set free’?” 34  Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. 35  A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. 36  So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free. John 8:31-36 (NLT)

There is much to say about how God sets us free. He wants us to be delivered to lies we believe that create internal bondage. He also wants us to learn how to live in cooperation with the Holy Spirit, rather than attempt to serve him in our own strength. The process of being set free and learning to live each day by grace takes a lifetime. If you want to read more about how God sets people free, click here.

Prayer

Jesus, thank you for redeeming me and setting me free. I want to experience this freedom in a greater way. I give you all the areas of my life in which I still need to experience this freedom. (List these things before the Lord.) Holy Spirit, guide me into freedom. Amen.

Series – The Five Pillars of Salvation
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Propitiation

Propitiation is the first aspect of our great salvation. A mountain range can be viewed from several vantage points, each one providing a unique view of the same group of mountains. What Jesus accomplished through his life, death, resurrection, ascension, and coming return is and will be so spectacular and comprehensive that it cannot be contained in a single Bible idea or word. Therefore, I have divided it into five aspects or parts. 

Under the New Covenant, we use the word “salvation” to describe in general what our Lord accomplished on our behalf, but the meaning of that word is so broad that important details can be lost. When my eyes were first opened to Christ’s lordship and I was born again, I did not understand all of what I will share in the following teachings in this series. We don’t have to understand everything in order to benefit from it. Our bodies’ immune systems work whether we understand how or not, but, when we gain understanding, it makes us appreciate God’s genius. If I were told that someone gave me a gift, I would be grateful, but if I later discovered that the gift was far more magnificent than I would have ever dreamed, then my appreciation would skyrocket. Over the years, as I have grown in understanding of what the Bible calls our “great salvation,” I have gained more and more appreciation for Jesus and what he did for us.

The teachings in this series are intended to increase our understanding, appreciation, and faith in what God accomplished on our behalf through Christ.

Propitiation or Atonement

Most people think of forgiveness as the essence of salvation. It is certainly the beginning, the first step toward the ultimate goal. Rather than settle for that familiar word, however, I choose to use another theological concept – propitiation. God’s is justly full of wrath because of our betrayal of him. He lovingly created us, provided everything we would ever need, sustains us every moment, and desires a relationship with him built on mutual trust. He designed us to be dependent upon him in the best sort of way. Satan spoiled everything by leading Adam and Eve to throw all of that away in pursuit of a godless self-directed life. Basically, the turned their backs on God and followed Satan, God’s worst enemy. Sin entered our lives, separating us from God and condemning us to an eternity outside of his love and presence. We were lost, without God, and without hope. In that situation, God sent his Son, our Lord Jesus the Messiah, to come as God’s Lamb to take our condemnation and punishment upon himself by dying for our sins. Once God’s righteous anger against our sin was satisfied, he was able to forgive us of our previously unpayable debt. This entire process is called propitiation.

Propitiation is the satisfaction of God’s wrath by making a blood sacrifice.

It is what Jesus did on the cross to appease the terrible wrath of God against sin. The result of Christ’s sacrifice is that all who place their trust in him are made right (or “at one” – at-one-ment) with God and forgiven.

For some moderns, this sounds barbaric and out of sync with current ideas of a loving God. Some attempt to make a distinction between the “angry,” “violent” God of the Old Testament and the “forgiving” God represented by Jesus. But this overlooks the violence and blood letting that took place on Good Friday.

God can only be merciful to us because Jesus absorbed God’s wrath by taking upon himself our guilt and punishment.

All the Old Covenant sacrifices painted a picture of what was to come and were a temporary means of delaying God’s wrath until the appointed day when God’s Lamb would be sacrificed.

For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, 26  for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus. Romans 3:25-26 (NLT)

Just as John the Baptist announced, Jesus was / is the Lamb of God who took / takes away the sins of the world through shedding his blood on our behalf. Without the shedding of blood, there can be no forgiveness.

...without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. Hebrews 9:22b (NASB95)

Those who discount or dismiss the concept of propitiation, show that they neither understand God’s holiness nor the horror of sin.

Sin is an affront to the character and being of God – a slap in his face. God has a holy and just wrath against sin and the blasphemous rebellion that began in the garden and continues to this day.

He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:2 (ESV)

Faith in his atoning death is our only means of escape from God’s just wrath. There is no other way to be restored to the Father (John 14:6), and no other way to be saved (Acts 4:12) By suffering as an innocent Lamb, Jesus propitiated (appeased) God’s wrath, the first step in allowing us to be restored to a right relationship with Him. Every other aspect of our salvation hinges upon Jesus’ obtaining forgiveness for us.

I have heard people say that God forgives us because that is “his job.” No it is not. God is just. He cannot simply forgive. A price has to be paid. Never take for granted the enormity of the cost for us to be forgiven!

I’ll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross… Here I am to Worship by Michael W. Smith

Prayer

Father God, I see now that I need to receive what Jesus did for me. Thank you, Lord, for laying down your life as a sacrifice for my sins. I joyfully accept that payment made in my behalf to wash away the stain and guilt of my sins. I surrender my life to you, knowing that such a loving Savior can be trusted in all things. Amen.

Series – The Five Pillars of Salvation
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The Cruel Husband

Once there was a very handsome and well-respected man who married a lovely woman with great hopes of having a family. After a few years, the woman was not able to conceive, which made the husband frustrated and angry. He began to accuse his wife of being barren and a great disappointment to him, which hurt her deeply. After several years of childlessness, his frustration turned to bitterness and rage. He began to beat his wife in addition to the verbal abuse and condemnation. She became extremely discouraged and was ready to give up when Jesus paid her a visit. She poured out her heart to him as he patiently listened. When she had finished, he explained that it was not really her fault that she was not able to conceive. Her husband was to blame because he was impotent and had no ability to father a child.

Now the woman was even more distraught. What was she to do? She truly wanted children, but now it seemed that she could never have any. Jesus explained to her that the only way out was through death, since marriage is for life. But her husband was in very good health; so, now she wondered if Jesus wanted her to kill her husband! Then he explained that she was the one who had to die! Well, now she was alarmed and confused. She would rather be alive and childless than dead and childless!

In Romans Chapter 7, Paul used the analogy of marriage to shed light on our relationship with the Law.

Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. Romans 7:4 (NASB)

Before our new birth, we were “married” to the Law. The Law is a demanding  and cruel husband, who is always right in pointing out our fruitlessness, but who has absolutely no ability to help us do better. His continual criticisms make life frustrating and painful.

When it comes to being fruitful toward God, the Law is absolutely impotent.

Because of our inherited sin nature, the Law can never produce anything good in us. It only highlights our sinfulness and actually goads us to become more sinful, because the more we try to be “perfect” by using our own resources, the more we fail. In addition, the more the law condemns us and goads us to try harder, the more discouraged and resentful we become, which propels us in a negative direction.

For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death. Romans 7:5 (NASB)

Our relationship with the husband called the Law can only produce frustration, discouragement, and death; yet, the Law continually condemns our fruitlessness toward God. It is like an impotent husband criticizing his wife for not bearing children to him. It simply cannot happen. That is why our heavenly Father united us with his Son in his death.

When Christ died, so did we, which liberated us from our marriage to the Law.

Before his death, our Lord perfectly satisfied the requirements of the Law. His death also satisfied God’s righteous judgment against us for breaking the Law. Since we were included in Christ’s death and resurrection, we benefit from his perfect righteousness and his perfect sacrifice for our sins.

Now that we have died with Christ, we can be spiritually “married” to Christ without violating God’s righteousness.

Jesus is the perfect “husband” through whom we can now bear fruit to God. This is because his Spirit lives in and through us, causing us both to desire and to do God’s will.

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13  for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Philippians 2:12-13 (NIV)

If we in frustration for our apparent lack of fruit toward God turn back to our own efforts to try to make it happen, we have fallen from grace and returned to an impotent husband. How foolish!

For the law never made anything perfect. But now we have confidence in a better hope, through which we draw near to God. Hebrews 7:19 (NLT)

Our faith-love relationship with our Lord Jesus via the indwelling Holy Spirit is the only way we will ever bear fruit to God. As we learn to fully trust and obey him, we will see what God can do in and through us.

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The Hidden Message in Jacob’s Deception

Most Christians who know anything about the Bible are probably familiar with the account in Genesis when Jacob stole his brother Esau’s blessing by deceiving his father. (Genesis 27 – I recommend you read this chapter to familiarize yourself with the details.) Jacob has always been one of my favorite characters, not because I think he was a great guy, but because, if God can love and use him, there is hope for us all. He was a deceiver, a conniver, and a schemer. He was not overly courageous, nor a man of great faith; yet, God loved him and made him part of the chain that began with Abraham that launched a nation and ushered in the Messiah and the New Covenant.

What can we learn from Jacob’s deception? Most of what happened was anything but recommended behavior. God had previously spoken to Rebecca (Genesis 25:23) that Jacob would rule over his elder brother, Esau, but Isaac loved Esau better for very human reasons and planned to give him the double portion blessing that ordinarily would go to the elder brother. Apparently Isaac did not highly regard the previous prophecy about Jacob having the rule, maybe because women were not regarded as highly then by many, or maybe Rebecca had not told him, or maybe he did not greatly fear the Lord in this matter, if he did know about it. He went with his natural instincts instead. Rebecca, however, did remember what God had said, and she preferred Jacob over Esau. Instead of quietly approaching her husband to remind him of what God had already spoken, she determined to deceive her husband instead. Perhaps she knew that Isaac would not change his mind. We left in the dark. Regardless, nowhere does the Bible suggest that Rebecca illustrated the kind of behavior we should imitate. Rather, what happened serves as a cautionary tale. The results of her actions split the family apart, but it did accomplish God’s will to bless Jacob. (Romans 8:28 – God works all things together for good.)

One can feel the tension in the air as Jacob brought the delicious meal to his father that his mother had prepared. Since Isaac was blind, he had to rely on his senses of smell, touch, and hearing. Apparently he did not rely heavily on spiritual discernment. The voice was Jacob’s but because he was wearing Esau’s clothing, the deception worked. Despite his misgivings, Isaac gave the younger son the elder brother’s blessing. When Esau found out what happened, he was enraged and determined to kill his brother. So Jacob was sent far away to find a bride and his destiny. He never saw his mother again, but his great adventure had begun. He would one day return a humbled, wealthy, and changed man. Esau got over his rage and they were later reconciled. The story ends well.

One of the basic principles for understanding Scripture is that everything points to Jesus. (Luke 24:27) Such a pivotal story as the one we just summarized tells us much about Jesus and how we receive the blessings of the New Covenant. But the beauty is hidden from plain sight. Paul tells us to “clothe” ourselves with Christ. (Romans 13:14, Ephesians 4:24) Isaiah prophesied that the New Covenant would allow us to don “garments of salvation.” (Isaiah 61:10) The New Covenant reveals that when we put our faith and allegiance in Christ, Father God “imputes” or gives Christ’s right relationship with himself to us. This is called justification. The Spirit of the Son (the Holy Spirit) unites with our spirits, giving us the same relationship with Abba that Jesus has, minus the divinity, or course. (Romans 8:15-16)

In other words, the new birth gives us Christ’s clothes, so to speak. To refer back to the Jacob story, we receive the elder brother’s blessing because we are wearing his clothes. But in our case, the Father is not deceived. It was his plan all along, and Jesus is not resentful, as was Esau. He gladly distributes his never ending blessing.

So the next time you read Genesis 27, keep in mind the rest of the story. And if you have never asked the Father to clothe you with Christ’s righteous clothing, do so now. Do not miss out on the blessing.

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