Scenes of Salvation
Scenes of Salvation
For the last two weeks we have been discussing the most life changing and powerful lessons I learned while at OCC. The first week we saw freedom from the petty tyrannies of ourselves and others as we looked into Romans chapter 14. Last week as we boldly explored Romans 9-11 we saw God’s eternal faithfulness proven by and demonstrated in the Church. Today we will peer through the theological lens of Romans 3:21-26 as we uncover what really happened at the cross.
Now many of you will be thinking, I know what happened at the cross, Jesus died for my sins. While that is correct, I want to know why it worked. Last week we discovered that all of God’s promises and predictions pointed toward and were dependent upon Jesus’ work on the cross.
What caused this tiny speck in the Palestinian landscape, this infinitesimal dot on history’s timeline, to erupt and send out shockwaves which have been felt over the entire globe, which have affected every era of history: past, present, and future?
The Apostle Paul had the unique privilege of viewing this scene through the spectacles of inspiration. This is what he writes:
Romans 3:21-26 (NKJV)
But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Paul explains the results of the cross using three powerful words Justification, Redemption, and Propitiation. To understand the story of the cross we must understand the words. Each of these words tells its own story. Each of these stories highlights a different aspect of God’s work through the cross. I want to take a look at these stories, but first we must set the stage.
The first actor in history’s drama is God. The first thing we notice about God is that he is Righteous—that is God is always in the right. He always does what is right. He is completely just in his actions, attitudes, and attributes.
The second thing we notice about God is that he is a God of law. This is seen in nature through the natural laws which God has put in place. This is seen in the moral laws which he imprinted upon every human conscience. This is seen in and through the Old Testament, where God directs his people through the royal law.
God is righteous and therefore he loves what is right. He delights over justice. He relishes kindness, love, and obedience. On the same token he also hates what is evil. Injustice infuriates him. Cruelty, hatred, and disobedience make his blood boil. God is righteous and therefore he does what justice demands—like saving and protecting the innocent, and condemning and punishing the guilty. God’s justice will not let an innocent man suffer, nor will it let a guilty man go free.
The second actor we find in history’s drama is humanity. The first thing that we notice about people is that we are created, and are therefore subject to our creator—God. Because we are subject to God, we are also subject to his laws. Our physical bodies are subject to his natural laws. Likewise our souls and spirits are subject to his moral and ethical laws. If we keep these laws than God will be just and he will save and guard our lives. If we break the laws and sin than God will be just and will condemn and punish us.
The second thing we notice about humanity is that we are all law breakers. This is what Paul was saying when he wrote:
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” Romans 3:23 (NKJV)
Each of us has sinned and each of our sins is a violation of God’s justice and an affront to his nature. Our sinful lives are offensive to his sense of justice. The cries of those we have wronged goes out ahead of us and reach the sympathetic ears of a God who is fed up with our sin and who delights in justice.
Now the stage has been set, the actors are ready, and the first word begins to tell its story.
The Court Room - Justification
As the first scene fades in we find ourselves sitting in a musty poorly lit room. In front of you there is a massive mahogany bench centered between two flags. A bailiff stands guard in front of an imposing wood door just to the right of judges bench. In front of the bench sits a thin pasty woman with a typewriter. She is busy fidgeting with her machine. Behind her and to her right is an elevated stand with a chair and a microphone. Across from it you see the jury box. This jury box is different though, it only has three seats. In one seat is a short frail man with long white hair and a beard. He looks as though his suit is made out of a potato sack. He looks at you and his little gray eyes seem to pierce you soul. Pinned the front of his burlap cloak is a name tag that reads “The Prophets.” Sitting next to him is a tall young man with thick black hair and strikingly blue eyes. He is dressed in what appears to be a black silk woven suit. On the front of his suit he also has a nametag. His reads, “The Law.” On the end is a blind, but very attractive young woman. Pinned to her blouse is a nametag which reads “Justice.” You find yourself behind a dull dark table sitting next to a nicely dressed man with kind eyes. Across from him is another nicely dressed man sitting at a table identical to yours. He glares at you and you quickly avert your eyes.
Papers are stacked in front of you. You try to grab them so that you can read what they say, but you can’t. Your hands are fastened behind your back. As you look down to see why you notice that you are wearing an orange jumpsuit with black letters across the front. Like the thunder that peals and crashes when you find yourself too close to a lightning strike, the realization thunders through your being—I am an inmate. The thought is so shocking that you must have said it aloud because the man sitting next to you assuredly replies “No you’re not. You are a defendant. You are not guilty until the Judge says you are.”
“Who are you?” you query.
“My name is, “Your Conscience” and I am your attorney.”
“What charges are being brought against me?” you ask.
Your attorney shrugs uncomfortably as he responds, “Capitol crimes, several of them.”
“What is our defense?”
“That you’ve lived a very good life. If that doesn’t work we will plead guilty but try to mitigate the charges by bringing up the fact that you have in fact lived a mostly moral life. I mean you have acted better than most people.”
“Do you think it will work?”
“Doubtful,” he responds looking away, “technically neither defense is admissible, but I’ve heard others say that they were going to use this defense, so I thought, hey, why not. We don’t have anything better.”
At this point you know that things are bad.
Just then the bailiff announces “All rise! The Honorable God of the universe now presides. This court is now in session.”
Your heart sinks as you rise to your feet. The door opens and BOOM! God appears dressed in a judge’s robe. He takes his seat at his bench, grabs his gavel and looks at you strait in the eyes. His are the eyes of an old friend whom you have just forgotten. His face is determined and firm. In that brief stare that seemed to last a lifetime, you could sense it. You could sense his love, his anger, his disappointment, his sorrow. You could tell that he both loved and hated his job, just as you could tell that he sincerely loved you but hated your actions. Looking at you he spoke in a voice that sounded like a roaring river in spring, “How does the defendant plead?”
Just before you responded your attorney butted in. “My client pleads not necessarily guilty.”
The judge disappointingly shakes his head mutters, “so be it, let the trial begin.” With that he slams down his gavel, and everyone takes their seat.
The judge then asked the prosecution to present their case. For several hours the prosecuting attorney vilifies you to the judge. Every bad thought, word, and action that you have ever made is brought into the light. Every sin you have ever committed, either knowingly or unintentionally is revealed. Witness after witness takes the stand. One by one every person you have ever wronged testifies against you. Finally at for a great climax the prosecuting attorney calls your attorney to the witness stand.
Your attorney takes the stand and is sworn to tell the whole truth. If he didn’t the judge would help him.
The prosecutor began, “state your name please”
“I am Conscience.”
“You are the defendants conscience, is that right?
“Yes that is what I said.”
“As his conscience is it or is it not your job to keep him from violating the law?”
“It is my job to advise him…”
The prosecutor cut him off, “Just a simple yes or no, please.”
“Yes.”
“Today we have seen irrefutable evidence that your client has repeatedly and habitually broken both God’s moral laws and his royal laws. Tell me Mr. Conscience were you negligent or did you purposefully lead your client into criminal activity?”
“Neither… and I object to your question!”
“Did you object when he was contemplating sin?”
“Of course I did!”
At this point you could tell that your attorney was getting rattled.
“So, you admit that he has sinned.”
“Nobody is denying that, but I object to your insinuation that I negligently let my client sin.”
“Really” the prosecutor pressed “Than how can you explain your clients repeated violations.”
“Listen Pal,” your attorney erupted, “he may have violated a few laws, but because of me he has lived better than most.”
“You didn’t answer my question Mr. Conscience. How can you explain you clients repeated violations?”
At this your attorney exploded “Do you want the truth!”
“That is all I’m asking for.”
“You can’t handle the truth.” Your attorney then turned and stared you in the eye. You could tell this is no good. “The truth is my client is a sinner to the core. Year after year, day after day, minute after minute I work my hind quarters off trying to keep my client in line. I’m pretty good, most of the time he listens. Sometimes he argues and finally…begrudgingly…he gives in and does what is right. But once in a while, he has his heart set on violating some law or another. I argue, I remind him of the cost, I do everything I can to stop him…but he just won’t stop. For this you accuse me of being negligent. If it weren’t for me he would have broken every law in every book! You ought to be thanking me; I am your first and last line of defense against this outlaw!”
At this the courtroom went eerily silent. You knew you were sunk. The prosecutor thanked and dismissed your attorney. He got up, handed the judge his bar card and exited the court room.
Scared and alone, you heard the satisfied Prosecutor rest his case. The Judge then turns to you and says “Would the accused like to present his case?”
You could feel the lump swelling in your throat as you stood to your feet. “Great Judge” you stammer out, shaking so badly that you could hardly stand. “I am without a defense. All the charges brought against me are true. All I ask is that you take notice of the good things I have done. I am not all bad.”
The Judge cut you off, “You are not on trial for all the legal things you have done. In fact as a citizen you are expected to do what is legal and right. Are you asking me to turn a blind eye to all of your crimes simply because you kept the law some of the time? How many crimes do you think you can commit before you become a criminal...1…10…1,000? Listen here, and listen well. The statue is very clear in the book of Romans Section 6 line 23 that “the wages of sin is death.”
“Since you have lost your council let me explain what that means. Every single violation of the law is a capitol offense. Occasional adherence to the law is not an effective defense because it doesn’t change the fact that a crime has been committed.
“Because of this your a defense will neither shield you from punishment not will it diminish your sentence. Either you have kept the law, and all of the charges brought against you today are bogus, or you have committed one or more of the crimes of which you are accused?
“With this in mind...How do you plead?”
Your eyes begin to sting, as you hang your head. Through hopeless sobs you manage to speak “I am undone. I cannot make an adequate defense against any, much less all of the charges brought against me. I am guilty.”
“The Judge lets out a sigh as he says “Very well, so be it.” He then turns to the three person jury and gives them their instructions. “If you find the defendant has committed one or more of these crimes than you are to return a verdict of ‘guilty.’ If you find the defendant innocent of all of the charges you are to return a verdict of ‘not guilty.’
The elder juror stands and says “we don’t need to deliberate we have already reached our verdict.”
“What say you?’ The judge inquires.
“We, the jury, find the defendant guilty on all counts of capitol crimes.”
The Judge thanks the jury and he turns to you. The bailiff announces “Will the defendant please rise to receive his sentence?”
You rise to your feet and the Judge begins. “After reviewing your case, hearing the arguments, and weighing the testimony the Jury has reamed a unanimous decision.” He then picks up the gavel and declares “because you have repeatedly violated the law, I have no choice but to declare you g ...”
Just then you remembered the rest of the statue the Judge had quoted to you as in a last ditch attempt you blurt out, “Your honor, hold your judgment, please!”
The judge looks at you quizzically and says, “I’m listening.
“Your honor, I am guilty and am deserving of death, but I have just remembered the second half of the Statute you quoted me. Romans 6:23 clearly states that the penalty for sin is death, but it continues to say that, “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” I know that you are a merciful God that is why you offer the gift of life. I also know that you are a just God and will not take that gift away from those who receive it. In John 3:16 and elsewhere you have promised to give that gift to any who ask for it. I now throw myself on the mercy of the court and ask for that gift. I know that you are a God of your word so I have faith that you will give it to me.”
The judge lowers his gavel as his eyes soften. “This changes everything,” he whispered. Peering straight into your eyes he questioned “Do you know what you are asking?”
Taken aback you stammer, “Yes...I mean, No…I mean, kind of.”
“What are you asking for?” he pressed.
“For you to save me from my sentence by granting me eternal life.”
“The judge smiled, and sat back in his chair, “Do you think I can do this?”
“Of course you can, you wouldn’t offer something unless you could do it.”
“What about your crimes,” he asks, “I can’t just let them go unpunished can I? That would be unjust.”
“No,” you respond “but neither can you go back on your word. That too would be unjust.”
The judge leans forward, “It appears that I have gotten myself into a quite a fix doesn’t it? How do you suppose that I will both punish your crimes and save you at the same time?”
At this the prosecutor chimed in. “Your honor, the only way for this man to go free is if someone else were willing to take his place.”
At this the Justice, the blind juror spoke up. “Is that legal?”
The nicely dressed Juror sitting next her, answered absolutely. It is done through a process called substitutionary atonement. Case president for this procedure is found as far back as Genesis 3, but it is described more fully through the sacrificial system described in Leviticus.”
Justice pondered “How does it work?”
To which The Law responded “the guilt of the criminal is legally imputed onto an innocent substitute. Once the guilt is removed from the criminal the innocence of the substitute is legally imputed onto criminal. In this way the guilty one becomes innocent, and the innocent one becomes guilty.”
“What happens to the substitute?”
“Well, the substitute becomes the guilty party and therefore suffers the just punishment of their crimes.”
“What happens to the criminal?”
“Since their crimes we removed they are legally innocent. Therefore they must be acquitted.”
“Who can be the substitute?”
“In the past animals were used, but only as an example. As Hebrews puts is “the blood of bulls and goats is powerless to take away sin.” The sacrificial system in the Old Testament was put in place so people would understand the work of the Messiah.
“Why can’t bulls and goats be substitutes?”
“Because people are created higher than animals. The law requires one human life for every sin. One human life is worth more than all the cows in the world.”
“So what about all of those law breakers in the old testament that God saved. How did he do that if the sacrifices were insufficient?”
“Because they received God’s promise of salvation on faith he saved them. The punishment for their crimes has been put on hold until a substitute comes and receives their sentence.”
Hearing this discussion you become concerned and ask “Who is qualified to be my substitute, and who will be the substitute for all of the faithful who have lived before me.”
The Judge shifted in His seat. He was clearly torn as he answered “There is only one who is qualified to serve your sentence and the sentences of all who accept my gift. His voice lowered to an almost whisper. The only suitable substitute is my son. He is not only innocent of all wrong; he is willing to take your place.”
“Your Honor, I don’t understand,” you babble, “I have sinned many times. My crimes reach to the sky. If the penalty for each sin is one life, how can he pay for all of my crimes as well as all the crimes committed by those who came before me?”
“Because he is more than a man. You have one life to give. You sin and that life is taken away and you are left with nothing. My son has infinite life. Anything subtracted from infinity is still infinity. He is more than able to not just pay for your sins, but also all the sins ever committed from beginning to the end. And even after he pays for them he will still have eternal live. Do you believe that he can do this?”
“Yes, I believe he can,” you respond “but why would he?”
“So that he can be both just in fulfilling the law’s requirements, and the justifier of those who place their faith in him for their salvation.”
Just then the prosecutor gets out from behind his table, crosses the room, and guides you to your feet. He looks at your face for a moment. You avert your eyes. Then he gently lifts your chin till you are looking at him in the face. Although you know that you have never seen him before, he looks strangely familiar. Then it clicks, he is the spitting image of the Judge.
“Do you accept my offer to be your substitute?” he asks.
At this your heart begins to quake. Here is one who knows everything you have ever done. Not long before, this man accurately exposed your every flaw. If anyone knew you at your worst it was this man. And now this man is willing to die in your place and not only your place, but also in place of all those who have trusted in him! The moist salty evidence of tears stain your cheeks as you manage to whisper “I accept your offer, I accept your life.”
At that the bailiff immediately releases you from your handcuffs. You unzip and step out of the orange jumpsuit. The prosecutor then takes off his shoes and watch and suit and hands them to you. “Put them on,” he says, “they will fit you rather nicely.”
As you are putting on the prosecutors cloths, he is climbing into the jumpsuit. You watch in horror as the bailiff handcuffs the prosecutor. By now you are completely dressed in his cloths, and he in your uniform. As you look at each other he mentions that in your right front pocket there are some keys; one is to your new Ferrari, the other is to your beach front mansion. In your wallet there is a debit card which is linked to an inexhaustible account. Attached to your belt there is a cell phone with which you can call the Judge directly at any time, for any purpose.
You feel for these items and find them.
Filled with gratitude you beg, “How can I thank you, I don’t even know your name?”
“My name is Jesus…It means God saves” Jesus then looks at you with a glace that speaks the sorrow of one hundred thousand deaths as he pleads, “Don’t squander this. It may cost you nothing, but it has cost me everything.”
The Judge turns to you and speaks. In his voice there is a kindness unlike you have ever heard. “My son, where are your accusers?” He then turns to the Jury and asks for their verdict.
“Not guilty your honor”
The judge turns back and addresses you. “This court finds no fault with you.” He then raises his gavel and declares “having been found not guilty of any crime this court is compelled to now pronounce that you are acquitted of all charges.” With that the gavel came down with a crash.
The judge then turned to Jesus and asked “how do you plead?”
“Guilty, your honor, of every crime committed by those who accept the offer of eternal life.”
“So be it,” barked the judge. He then raised his gavel and addressed Jesus “Having found you guilty of multiple capital crimes you have left this court no option but to sentence you to death!” Once again the gavel thundered on the bench.
You turned and saw the Jury get up and applaud. “Bravo!” they shouted “Well done!”
You were lead out the front doors to your new life in freedom. Jesus was lead out the back door to the execution which had been prepared for you.
The Slave Block – Redemption
As you stepped out the doors, the first scene faded and the second word-redemption- began to tell its story.
You find yourself bound and stripped nearly bare. You look around you. Judging from the foliage and the sticky hot air, you figure that you are somewhere in the deep south in the summer. You are in the middle of a town. The people are all dressed as if it were the early 1800’s. You see no cars, no walkmans, no signs of modern technology. All you see is a filthy sweaty mob surrounding you. They look you up and down like you were an animal. Some of the poke and prod you. One man grabs you by the jawbone and forces your mouth open.
“Lets take a look at your pearly whites, boy”
While he is examining your teeth another man grabs your arm and feels your muscle. “Yep, he’s not much better than a bag of bones, but I guess he’ll do.”
The poking and prodding goes on for a while till a short balding man wearing a cheap white suit climbed into the gazebo behind you and began to address the crowd.
“Gentleman and ladies, welcome to our little ol’ slave auction. We’ve got some quality meat that I think you’re gonna like. You’ve got my personal guarantee. And you can feel good about your purchase; none of these slaves was captured. Oh, no, no, no. Each one has sold him or herself into bondage. That’s right. So you just know that they are eager to serve you! Now, let the biding begin!”
With that the auctioneer hauled the first poor soul upon the gazebo platform. The bidding started low, but it quickly escalated as the bid volleyed between Mr. Hate and Ms. Lust. Ms. Lust eventually prevailed. The slave was lead off the stage and another one was brought up to take his spot.
All afternoon the auction dragged. Slave after slave after slave were sold off to the highest bidder. Some went to Mr. Anger and his son Murder. Others were sold to Mrs. Gossip, or Ms Greed. Col. Pride bought quite a few. Mr. Drunkenness bought one for his daughter Addiction. Sir Lies was also able to snag a few.
As the sun climbed higher into the sky your young began to stick to the roof of your mouth. In front of you there was a table with glasses of ice cold lemonade. You went to go get one, but when you bent down to grab one a burly man sucker punched you in the gut.
“Dog’s don’t drink from the table boy. Dog’s drink from the trough” He pointed with his nod behind you. Gasping for air, and struggling back onto your feet you turned around and saw a horse trough half filled with water. As you got closer, your stomach began to churn. Water wasn’t the only thing in this trough. Horses were drinking out of it and you could see their saliva floating on the surface. Flies and gnats were also in the mix. Some riding the waves, others caught beneath the meniscus fought a loosing battle against the inevitable.
Utterly disgusted by what you saw you returned to your spot in line. Several hours passed and the sun refused to relent. Finally, you were dragged up onto the auction block. Exhausted, thirsty, and weak from hunger you could barley stand. Your skin ached from the sun, the shade of the gazebo felt wonderful.
“How much can I get for this work horse” the Announcer shouted.
A toothless man in the back shouted “I’ll give you $100”
“I’ve got one, got one. Can I get two?
“Two hundred” shouted a finely dressed man in the front of the crowd. His voice sounded like Col. Pride. You knew this because you had heard it all day.
“I’ve got two, got two, got two. Can I hear Three? Do we have a Three? Three hundred?”
“I’ll give you Three hundred” shouted a voice somewhere out of the middle of the crowd.
And so the bidding continued. Your mind drifted away to the days of your youth, before all of this. “What happened?” You asked yourself “what lead me to sell myself into this bondage?”
Your ears perked up when you heard “$10,000! I’ll give you $10,000 for that slave.” A hush fell over the crowd. You had been there all day and had never heard a bid over $900. You looked at hard face of the man who had just bid. His eyes were cold and dark.
“That’s right boy, I’m gonna pay $10,000 for you, so I can take you home and use you as my own living fire wood. That is unless someone here wants to pay more than $10,000 for a $100 bag of flesh.”
The crowd chucked and a cold chill shot up your spine.
The Auctioneer grinned as he started back up. “I’ve got $10,000. $10,000 going once…going twice…” The auctioneer lifted his gavel
Just then a voice thundered over the crowd “I’ll give you $1,000,000,000 for that man and I’ll still be getting a deal!”
The auctioneer dropped both his jaw and his gavel.
The crowd turned back to see the man who bid. He was climbing out of his coach, and was clearly a northerner. The crown began to murmur “He’s not one of us, what is he doing here!” The man who had just bid $10,000 was furious and challenged “You ain’t got no $1,000,000,000”
“Oh, I’ve got a lot more than that” the man smirked. Just then two armored coaches pulled up filled to the top with gold bullion.
By this time the crowd was getting restless. The man made his way to the stage, stopping on his way at the lemonade stand. The crowd parted as he approached the stage.
The auctioneer regained his composer picked and up his gavel. “I got a trillion going once, twice, sold to the really rich stranger from the north.” By this time the man had reached the stage. He looked at you with Eyes of compassion and orderd that you be untied. Seeing your thirst he gave you his glass of lemonade.
“Come with me”, he said.
You followed him into his luxurious coach.
“Where are we going?” You asked.
“We are going to freedom!” he exclaimed “that is your new home.”
“Why did you buy me?”
“I redeemed you from slavery because people weren’t created to live as slaves to sin.”
“Why did you pay so much?”
“Because you are worth much!”
“How can I ever repay you?”
“I never asked you to repay me. Even if I did, you wouldn’t be able to. All I ask is for you to enjoy your freedom. Don’t waste your redemption by selling yourself back to sin. Rather, work for me and I will make you rich beyond your wildest dreams.”
The Street Fight - Propitiation
As the chariot rides off into the sunset the second scene fades and the third word propitiation tells its story.
Beneath the cold blue street lamp in a New York alleyway you find yourself Knife in hand. In front of you is a gorilla of a man, and he is mad! He’s got a right to be mad; you two have been enemies for quite some time.
It all started when you slashed his tiers. Then you broke into his deli and stole the cash out of his register. Later you set his house on fire and shot his dog. You don’t really know why you did all of these things, you just did. For some reason you just felt the need to hurt him. But come to think of it, he has never really retaliated. He has never really done anything to you.
Why did he set up to meet with you in this alley tonight? Does he want a final showdown? If so, you are ready.
From the other side of the alley he says “Hey, take it easy. I didn’t come here to fight. Put down your knife.”
Yeah right, you have heard that before. He’s just trying to get you to drop your knife so he can pound you. No, that’s not going to happen. You taunt him “Why don’t you come and take it form me.”
“You don’t want me to do that.” He warns. “Don’t make me come over there!”
“ Don’t worry,” you snap “I’ll just come to you.” With that you charge the man. When you are in close enough you jab the knife at his gut, but he blocks the knife and flips you over. The next thing you know he has you immobilized with your knife at your throat.
“I bet you didn’t know I was black belt” he chuckles. “In fact there are a lot of things that you don’t know about me.” His voice lowered as he got more serious “I could slit you throat right now if I wanted. You slashed my tiers. You stole my money. You torched my house. You killed my pooch. And just now you tried to kill me. What did I do to deserve your hate?”
You tried to wiggle free, but he had you just where he wanted you. Unable to defend yourself and at the mercy of an enemy who is justifiably angry you resign yourself to the fact that you are about to die.
The man reposes his question “What did I do to deserve your hate?”
“I don’t know”
“Alright then, give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you.”
You brain was racing, but you really couldn’t come up with one. After a long awkward silence, the man answered his own question. “I’ll tell you why I’m not going to kill you. I’m not going to kill you because you are more than you think that you are. You look in the mirror and see a punk, so you act like a punk. But you are not a punk. There is good in you, deep down in there somewhere, I am sure of it.
“I’m going to propitiate you; do you know what that means?”
“No.” You respond, hoping that it is not some weird judo move.
“To propitiate means to turn away wrath in exchange for favor. I’m really angry with you kid for everything you’ve done to me, but I’m not going to take it out on you. Do you know what I’m going to do with my anger?”
“Um…no”
“After we are done here I’m going to go down to the gym and beat the stuffing out of a punching bag. You can think of it as your very own sacrifice of atonement. Yeah, I’ll fell much better after pounding it for a while.
“Since I’ll be taking my entire wrath out on the punching bag, do you know what I am going to do with you?”
“Um…you are going to let me go?”
“No…I’m going to do something much better than that. If I just let you go, you would still be my enemy. I don’t want that. So here is what I’m going to do, I’m going to adopt you and make you my friend. Every body knows that you are an orphan, but not any longer. I am bringing you into my family. My business is now your business. My home is your home. My stuff is your stuff. Therefore if you hurt me, you will only be hurting yourself. Does that sound like a deal?”
You couldn’t believe your ears. “You quickly accept his offer.” Then it hits you: here is a man who has every right and opportunity to take your life, but instead he is offering you the life you never thought possible. You deserved his wrath, but he turned it away so you could enjoy his favor. You have been propitiated.
He removes the knife from your throat and lifts you to your feet. “I’m hungry, he says, lets go get some dinner.”
Conclusion
As the two of you walk out of that cold dark alley the third scene fades out. The lights go up as the credits flash across the screen. Now it is time to ask ourselves what did these words teach us about the cross.
The first lesson we learned is that we were justified at the cross. This means that we were acquitted of our sins before God. More that that, our acquittal was done in such a way that both the law and the promises of God were completely fulfilled. Therefore the law no longer has the power to condemn us, nor does sin have the power to steal our lives. The punishments for our sins have been carried out, and we are justified—innocent before God.
The second lesson we learned is that we were redeemed at the cross. This means that while we were once slaves to sin, God purchased our freedom back for us. Sin, guilt, and bad habits no longer have the right to dictate our actions. God is the one who owns the rights over our souls, and no one is rich enough to buy us out of his hands.
The third lesson we learned at the cross is that we have been propitiated. This means that God turned away his wrath so that we could receive his favor. Our unprovoked attacks on God are not unlike those of the street punk. Like the street punk God has us right where he wants us. And like the judo guy God is angry, and rightly so, when we do bad things. But also like the judo guy, God directed his wrath away from us so that we could enjoy his favor. While God’s wrath landed on the cross his favor allowed us to become his sons and daughters—royal heirs to the kingdom of heaven.
What happened at the cross? God saved and restored all who believe legally, practically, and emotionally. In this way God has proven him self to be both just and the justifier of those who are in Christ Jesus.
So now that we can see the cross for what is it, and now we understand what the cross has done for us, how shall we respond?
You have been justified, so live like it. You have been redeemed, so don’t live act like a slave. You have been propitiated, so enjoy the favor and fellowship of God.