2 Corinthians 9:15 Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.
Three terms to be thankful for:
When we think of being thankful for this great salvation there are three Biblical terms that when we understand, we should become very thankful. Why did Jesus come in the flesh? To teach us? To heal us? Chiefly He came to die for our sins. There are three words that explain this great salvation bought for us by Christ -- propitiation, justification and redemption.
Propitiation:
The word propitiation is given to us in three passages – Rom 3:25; 1 Jn 2:2; 3:10. (This is a religious term). This is what Jesus did for us in relation to God the Father. It is a term that comes from the pagan world of religion. The pagans recognized that they sinned and that there was a judgment to come. If they did not appease the anger of the god(s) in some way the gods would get them. So in order to appease the gods, they would offer a sacrifice. If they did something really bad (murder) they would offer a big sacrifice but if it was little then a small sacrifice. This is what the word means – literally “to turn away the wrath of God”. In the pagan world the worshipper propitiates the gods – he brings a sacrifice to appease them. However, in Christianity the propitiating is accomplished by Jesus. Jesus turns away the wrath of God not the sinner. The pagans were smarter than people today – they knew they sinned but didn’t know how to accomplish it.
Redemption:
This term from the world of commerce and seems to make little sense in discussing religious matters. If we fall on hard times and we take an expensive item to the pawn shop and sell it then we can use the money to pay a debt. Then if we get on better footing in finances we can get money to go and buy back the item we pawned – we redeem it. But when we think that in the ancient world they bought and sold slaves, it has a more appropriate analogy for religion. Jesus bought us out of the slave market of sin by His death. Hosea gives an example of this in his prophecy Hos 3:2. Gomer was unfaithful to Hosea and eventually got into so much debt that she was being sold into slavery to pay the debt. God told Hosea to buy her back as an example of what He would do for Israel as well as the whole world. The world bids for us – all its currency, all you see on television. It bids fame, power, sex, excitement, etc. if you go the world’s way. Jesus enters and says I bid My blood and there is nothing more valuable than the blood of God (Rom 6:16-18). That’s why Peter says we are redeemed not with silver and gold but with Jesus’ blood (1 Pet 1:18-19).
Justification:
This comes from the world of law. As a judge condemns a person and says they stand in a wrong relationship to the law. If he justifies him he says that person stands in a right relationship with the law. This is what God does in His role as Judge, but he does it in respect to the propitiation of Jesus Christ. We are declared righteous on the merits of Jesus Christ – propitiation satisfies the justice of God and His righteous life is applied to our record.
Impute and impart:
Once God’s justice is satisfied and we are declared just before God’s judgment and considered to stand in right relationship with the law; God imputes Christ’s righteousness to our account (Psa 32:2; Rom 6:6). We go on to being imparted with the righteousness of God (Rom 5:19). God doesn’t just count us as righteous but He makes us righteous (Heb 12:10; 2 Pet 1:4; 2 Cor 5:17; Eph 4:24). We, then, have a choice to make – either yield to God and His Spirit or walk away from Him.
Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable Gift!