Justification, Redemption, Propitiation

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There's only one medication against the virus of sin: JESUS.

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Introduction:
How many physicians have you met in your life? Unless you work in a hospital or something similar, you may meet physicians when you’re in trouble, or when you’re afraid you maybe.
So, may not meet a doctor unless you need one.
Same thing happens with the Gospel. You won’t get to meet Jesus unless you need a Savior.
So, do you think you need Jesus?
That’s what Paul is explaining when he writes his letter to the Romans. In its content we find the longest and most detailed description of the message of the Gospel.
You know this, but you need to listen.

1. Everybody has sinned.

Let’s read about it in Romans 3:
Romanos 3:9–18 ESV
What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Again, you won’t meet the Holy Physician unless you recognize you’re in trouble.
Our lives, our families, our society, we have all been affected by a pandemic. We know what Paul is talking about. There are just a couple of differences:
The pandemic of sin affects us all (the COVID-19 still didn’t), with no exception, not depending on the age, the color of the skin or the social position.
The pandemic of sin has one only result: death and eternal condemnation. Some of those who contract COVID-19 die, many get to recover.
But, we all know there’s a cure, right? Isn’t that a great relief?
This is something we all know. And we also know that this is an unpopular subject of conversation. Most of those around us want to minimize the problem of sin (just as some want to do with COVID).
Some people will say the pandemic of sin doesn’t exist. “It’s just ‘old stuff’ used to manipulate people”, some would say.
Most would argue that this is not so important. And sometimes, even Christians could fall into minimizing the problem.
How do we fall under the enemy’s lie about minimizing this big problem?
Satan has done this for a long time. He’s the one who told Eve: “You will not surely die...” (Gen. 3.4).
What do we call something we all do? We call it “NORMAL”. So, if everybody has sinned, then sin is normal. Usually, normal things are not ‘that’ bad. It’s just what everyone does.
When Paul wanted to make this point, he used several quotes from the Old Testament:
(Psalms 14.1-3, Psalms 53.1-3 (vers. 10)
Psalms 5.9; Jeremiah 5.16 (vers. 13)
Psalms 140.3 (vers. 13)
Psalms 10.7 (vers. 14)
Proverbs 1.16; Isaiah 7.8 (vers. 15-17)
Psalms 36.1 (vers. 18)
Please, don’t fall into the temptation of minimizing the problem of sin just ‘because is normal and everybody does it’!!!

2. Everybody is accountable.

Romanos 3:19–20 ESV
Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
So, what’s the big problem with sin? The problem is that everybody is accountable before God. (Yes, you too!)
2. “Every mouth may be stopped...”.
3. “The whole world may be held accountable to God”.
4. “…by works of the law no human being will be justified in God’s sight...”
5. “…Through the law comes knowledge of sin”.
6. If you have the knowledge but don’t live by your faith in Jesus, you may have just that, knowledge.

3. Anybody can be saved by faith in Jesus.

Romanos 3:21–26 ESV
But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Always remember this: there’s no salvation apart from Jesus.
There’s no distinction, we all sinned (Romans 3.22-23).
We’re justified by grace. Pay attention to this words:
Justification:
It’s mentioned 10 times in this two chapters.

The Greek noun for “justification,” dikaiōsis, is derived from the Greek verb dikaioō, meaning “to acquit” or “to declare righteous” (Rom. 4:2, 5; 5:1). It is a legal term used for a favorable verdict in a trial. The word depicts a courtroom setting, with God presiding as the Judge, determining the faithfulness of each person to the Law. In the first section of Romans, Paul makes it clear that no one can withstand God’s judgment (Rom. 3:9–20). The Law was not given to “justify” sinners, but to expose their sin. To remedy this deplorable situation, God sent His Son to die for our sins, in our place. When we believe in Jesus, He credits His righteousness to us, and we are declared righteous or “not guilty” before God. In this way, God demonstrates that He is both a righteous Judge and the One who declares us righteous, our Justifier (Rom. 3:26).

Redemption:

The English word “redemption” is derived from a Latin root, meaning “to buy back.” Thus, it means “the liberation of any possession, object, or person, usually by payment of a ransom.” In Greek, the root word means “to loose” and so “to free.” It is used to mean freeing from chains, slavery, or prison. Two cognate words in the New Testament, lutrōsis and apolutrōsis, are both typically translated “redemption” in various versions. Lutrōsis indicates the act of “freeing or releasing” by paying a ransom price; apolutrōsis indicates the act of “buying back” by paying a ransom price. Christ paid the ransom price with His own blood (1 Pet. 1:18–19) and thus freed us from the demands of the law, and its curse on sin, to become children of God (Gal. 3:13; 4:5). When payment seems to be the main point in a passage, the term “ransom” is a good English equivalent. When the point seems to be more related to buying something back—hence, recovering someone from sin—the word “redemption” is a better choice.

Jesus, the Son of man, came to give Himself as a ransom for many (Matt. 20:28; Mark 10:45). The work of the Messiah was vicarious and substitutionary. The same thought occurs especially in the writings of Paul where Christ is the sin offering to the Father (Rom. 3:25). In other words, Jesus purchased and redeemed us with His life (Acts 20:28; 2 Cor. 5:14–17). All who believe in Jesus Christ—by accepting His payment for us to the Father—are freed from the bondage of sin.

Propitiation:

“Propitiate” and “propitiation” are not commonly used in the English language. We must look to an age long gone in order to discern their meaning. In ancient times, many polytheists thought of their gods as unpredictable beings, liable to become angry with their worshipers for any trifle. When any misfortune occurred, it was believed that a god was angry and was therefore punishing his worshipers. The remedy was to offer the god a sacrifice to appease his anger. This process was called “propitiation.”

A few of the New Testament writers used exactly the same word, but the meaning was slightly different. Instead of seeing God as one whose mood needs to be appeased, “propitiation” focuses on the sacrifice of Jesus by death on the cross which brought the resultant peace between God and sinful humanity. The Greek term for “propitiation,” hilasmos, occurs in some important passages: Romans 3:25; Hebrews 2:17; 1 John 2:2; 4:10. The message we get from these passages is that propitiation (also called “expiation”) pertains to Christ’s sacrifice for sins in order to bring about a peaceful relationship between God and humanity.

Whenever God’s children sin, they provoke His anger. Of course, His anger is not an irrational lack of self-control, as it so often is with humans. His anger is the settled opposition of His holy nature to everything that is evil. Such opposition to sin cannot be dismissed with a wave of the hand. It requires something much more substantial, and the Bible states that it was only the cross that did this. Jesus is “the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2, KJV). This is not the only way of looking at the cross, but it is an important way. If God’s anger is real, then it must be taken into account in the way that sin, which caused that wrath, is dealt with. When the New Testament speaks of “propitiation,” it means that Jesus’ death on the cross for the sins of mankind appeased God’s wrath against His people once and for all. First John 4:10 states that God demonstrated His love to us by sending His Son to become “the propitiation for our sins.” Just as in the Old Testament God met with His people when the blood of the sin offering was sprinkled on the altar, so Christ’s death brings us into fellowship with God.

Conclusion:
Don’t play games with God. Don’t minimize the problem of sin.
Jesus paid the ransom for you when you had been kidnapped by sin and were facing an eternity without God and salvation. Enjoy! Be grateful!
Remember there’s people around you that don’t have the same hope. They’re going to hell if they don’t believe in Jesus. Be merciful and share the Gospel.
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