“Christ died for my sins on the cross.” These words roll off our lips with ease. Did you ever think about what salvation means, and how extensive it really is? I want to introduce four long Bible words that are packed with meaning, and that help us appreciate more powerfully what Christ accomplished when He died on the cross. Most of this material comes from the book, The Cross of Christ, by John R. Stott.
Propitiation (1 John 4:10)
We are sinners, but God is a holy God of righteousness and justice. This means He hates sin. So God, as a just Judge, has a righteous wrath ready to pour onto sinners. Before God can bless sinners in any way, this wrath needs to be appeased, or satisfied, or “propitiated.” You need to tame the roaring bear before you can safely move forward.
When the Son of God hung on the cross, God was pouring out His wrath on Himself as the Son, bearing the full brunt of it all, for all peoples. His wrath was fully spent, propitiation was made, and it cleared the way for the other aspects of salvation to move forward. Jesus died for us to save us from the wrath of God.
Many of us feel that God is after us. That God is deeply angry with us. Such thoughts are of the enemy to keep us from drawing near to the heart of God. This we can do as His children, for all His wrath was poured out on His Son, and He was satisfied (Isaiah 53:11).
Redemption (Col. 1:14)
To redeem is to release, or liberate and set free. Our hands and feet were shackled and on the slave block; our masters of sin and death held the whip. Christ spilled His own blood, taking the lashes Himself, paying a costly price for our ransom (Mark 10:45). When we believed in Him, the resurrected Son released us from the chains that held us in place that we may move toward God and belong to Him. Jesus died for us to deliver us from bondage to serve the true and living God.
When Christ died for our sins, He meant to free us from bondage to sin. You really can have hope of overcoming your sins. The devil will raise one reason after another to say why you have no chance. Not only do you have forgiveness of sins (1 John 1:9), you have power over sin (Romans 6:14). Hope causes us to press to find out how; depression says it’s no use.
Justification (Gal. 2:16)
God, a just judge, has pronounced all sinners guilty of sin. There was no way for us to make up for our sinful lives. There are no do-overs. The gavel has landed and the sentence has been leveled. Being found guilty, we are condemned.
We need that condemnation removed. We need the sentence of guilt revoked. But God can’t simply forgive wrongdoing or He would be unjust. Yet He found a way to forgive us by sending Christ to die in our place. As a sinless human being, Christ Jesus was made sin for us—something we cannot fathom—and He bore the sentence in Himself. He took our place; He was our substitute.
Adam brought the curse of condemnation and unrighteousness on us all when he sinned in the Garden of Eden; but Jesus reversed that curse to bring righteousness to those who place their faith in Him (Romans 5:18). Possessing that righteous standing by the free gift of God means that there is therefore “now no condemnation to those who are in Christ” (Romans 8:1).
Justification is the free gift of God where sinners are not only forgiven and pardoned, but granted a righteous standing, with all sins washed away by the blood of Christ. God does not deal with us according to our sins. Hebrews 10:17 tells us that this is part of the new covenant we have with Christ. Jesus died for us to justify us and save us from eternal condemnation.
Many of us remember our sins, and still feel guilty over what we’ve done. We wish we could take it back. God did more: He threw your sins far away. He sank them deep into the ocean. The devil will bring your sins to mind, but God never does. He intends for you to know that your sins, which were like scarlet, can be washed white as snow (Isaiah 1:18). God brings no more condemnation.
Reconciliation (Col. 1:21)
Due to God being holy and ourselves unholy, our sins have separated us from God. That gap between rebel mankind and righteous God needs to be closed, which means reconciliation needs to be made. Our bloody robes need to become white as snow. Christ Jesus suffered the pains of this separation on the cross when He cried out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46).
Coupled with Adoption, where we are placed in the family of God with Him as our Father, we who were far off have been made near. We were placed in Christ, and we are now as near to God as He is. We are no longer alienated from Him, but seated at His table. Jesus died for us that He may save us from eternal separation from God.
Let’s face it: we feel far from God at times. But we should never conclude that God our Father is too far away to reach. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you (James 4:8), even if you don’t feel it. This is a life of faith in Christ, so don’t let your feelings or sight or circumstances rule (2 Corinthians 5:7); let faith in His promises guide you. God is the ruler yet, and He isn’t finished with you.
These four words help us appreciate the majesty and genius of God’s work through the cross. May we appreciate how a life of faith in Christ blesses us, and how “being good” could not rescue us from the pains of sin. The crushing weight of sin has been rolled off of us with the death, burial, and resurrection of the Son of God, who gave Himself for us (Titus 2:14).
