Romans 3:25 (ESV)
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.
1 John 2:2 (NASB)
and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.
Within those two verses, we read the word "propitiation." Outside discussions on those verses, the word finds its way into few conversations. Nevertheless, the word (or, at least, the truth it communicates) is central to the Christian faith.
Merrill Unger (Unger Bible Dictionary) wrote -
God does not have to be asked to be propitious, because He has become so through the death of Christ. (page 894)
God, by His choice, favorably disposed Himself toward us while we were still sinners. (See Romans 5:8.)
In his book, The Cross of Christ, John Stott wrote -
God does not love us because Christ died for us, Christ died for us because God loves us. (page 174)
Jesus is the propitiation for my sin because God loves me. God loves you, too! He sent His son to this world, which He crafted, to restore all things to Himself. His son accepted the cross, thus taking upon Himself the penalty for our sins. That is the central act of propitiation and, therefore, the central focus of the Good News.
#ordinarylives
- If you must eat the pinks, don't wait very long after catching them to do so; or get them canned.
- Turn your nose up to dog.
- Dip for the reds, savor the silver, and don't forget your stamp for the kings.
Not long after my wife and I first moved to Alaska (20 years ago next month), I received such pointers. Around the same time, I met the first person I knew who worked in Prudhoe Bay. He told me that he worked "on the Slope" two weeks on and two weeks off. As a cheechako (one "wet behind the ears" as to Alaskan life), I thought he worked on the ski slopes.
Twenty years later, I know much more about this great state. I do, however, still get confused on which salmon is which.
As a Christian who "grew up in church" and whose Ordinary Life has always included the church, I can forget that many people who enter our church (or any church, for that matter) do not know their way with the language and lingo of the church. Some words are obviously less familiar to many ears.
Think - propitiation, justification, sanctification, and amanuensis
Other words seem more easily grasped.
Think - saved, redemption, grace, and sin
Nevertheless, the sourdoughs (old-time Alaskans) of faith need never assume (or expect) that their cheechako brothers and sisters hear what they mean when they speak in the language of "the churched."
Over the next several weeks, I will devote my Ordinary Life posts to the explanation of "church speak." Log on and learn a bit. Let me know if you have a request.
Growing with you,
Mark
#ordinarylives
Within the past month, my family members and I have, at times, encountered travel difficulties. Two cancelled flights, one delayed flight, an almost-too-brief layover (7 minutes before they closed the door), and a lost piece of luggage.
While frustration and anxiety fought patience and peace for dominance, the latter pair added an "L" for the former's column. For the sake of full disclosure, I confess that similar situations have added more than a healthy number of "Ws" to the pesty pair.
My Win/Loss columns remain healthy when I recall (and act upon) Jesus' words in His Sermon.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34 (NIV)
Can I get an "Amen!" to the last sentence? Now how about a hearty "OK" / "Right on" / "Roger" (your pick) to the first sentence?
Far more often than we like to confess, tomorrow's worries cripple our todays. Likewise, today's troubles habitually steal the joyous anticipation of tomorrow. When the worries and poor habits threaten, I try to focus on the good that occurs.
For example:
- While one of the cancelled flights stranded 20 plus of us in Florida, we were able to eat Chick-fil-A one more time and Alaska Air paid for it.
- Alaska Air, without being asked, also issued flight vouchers to each of us.
- The luggage will be found or paid for.
- I met a delightful person that I would not have met otherwise.
and most importantly
- We all arrived safely!
Leave the worrying to tomorrow; it will handle it better than you will.
#ordinarylives
