1. Man was created to express God in His righteousness, holiness and glory. But man fell and was lost in sin and in many things that were contrary to God’s righteousness, holiness, and glory. Man became sinful, offended God, and even became God’s enemy. Man by himself could never fulfill the requirements of God’s righteousness, holiness, and glory. Thank God, He did not give up man. Out of love, He came in His Son to accomplish an eternal redemption for man (Gal. 3:13; 1 Pet. 2:24; 3:18; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 9:12; 9:28). In His redemption, Christ firstly propitiates for our sins, secondly justifies us, and thirdly reconciles us back to God. Christ Himself even became righteousness, sanctification, and redemption to us from God (1 Cor. 1:30). Based upon His redemption, Christ has become our life and our hope of glory (Col. 1:27).

2. Redemption means to repossess at a cost. The word redeem means to purchase back something which originally was yours but which had become lost. We originally belonged to God. We were His possession. However, we were lost in sin. Nevertheless, God did not give us up. He paid the price to have us back, repossessing us at a great cost. This is redemption (Gal. 4:4-5). Owing to the fall, we were under a threefold demand, the demand of God’s righteousness, holiness, and glory. Many requirements were laid upon us, and it was impossible for us to fulfill them. The price was too great. Thank God, Christ paid the price for us, repossessing us at a tremendous cost. Christ died on the cross for us and shed His blood to accomplish an eternal redemption for us. His blood has obtained eternal redemption for us (Heb. 9:12, 14; 1 Pet. 1:18-19). (An Old Testament example of redemption is recorded in Exodus 13:13).

3. Forgiveness of sins is the first step of God’s redemption. Forgiveness of sins means the removal of the charges of sin against us before God that we may be delivered from the penalty of God’s righteousness (John 3:18; 5:24), and causes our sins to depart from us. Forgiveness of sins also means that God forgets our sins (Jer. 31:34; Heb. 8:12; 10:17). The Lord Jesus has accomplished on the cross all the work that enables God to forgive sinners and all the work that enables sinners to receive forgiveness from God. For us to receive God’s forgiveness, it is not required of us to do anything other than to repent and turn to God and to exercise our faith to receive it from God (Acts 10:43; 26:18).

4. Propitiation in Greek means to conciliate two parties and make them one. Suppose you have a problem with another person. You have either offended him or else you owed him something. Because of this problem or debt, he has a demand upon you, and unless his demand is satisfied, the problem between you and him cannot be resolved, nor can reconciliation be achieved. Thus, there is the need for propitiation. The problem that kept us from God, that made it impossible for us to fellowship with Him, that kept us away from God’s presence and hindered Him from coming to us is our sins. Therefore, we need propitiation to appease God’s demands.

   Thank God, the Lord Jesus offered Himself as the propitiatory sacrifice for our sins. He Himself is also the place of propitiation (called mercy seat) in the Old Testament. The Old Testament term for propitiation is atonement (i.e. at-one-ment), where we are brought back to God and are reconciled to Him, making us one with God.

5. Justification is God’s action in approving people according to the standard of His righteousness. The righteousness of God is what God is with respect to justice and righteousness, and is actually God Himself (Rom. 3:21-22; 1:17; 10:3; Phil. 3:9). We may justify ourselves according to our standard of righteousness, but that do not enable us to be justified by God according to His standard. We need justification by faith according to God’s righteousness. God can justify us because our justification is based upon the redemption of Christ. Thus, redemption is the basis of justification.

6. No one can be justified by his own works. Our justification consists of the objective aspect and the subjective aspect. We receive the objective justification freely by God’s grace, through the redemption in Christ Jesus, and by our faith (Rom. 3:24; 5:1). Faith is the way for us to be justified, and our faith comes from Christ, who is the source, the cause, of our faith (Heb. 12:2). When He enters into us to be our believing element and ability, this faith is reckoned to us as righteousness by God. When we are justified by God, we receive God’s righteousness; that is we receive Christ Himself as our righteousness so that we are righteous before God and are justified by God just as Christ is. The evidences of our justification are the resurrection and ascension of Christ. He has risen from among the dead and has ascended to the right hand of God. This proves that His redeeming death has been fully accepted by God and has completely satisfied God; God can fully justify us through His death.

   We are justified subjectively by the divine life, by Christ in resurrection, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit (Rom. 4:25; 5:18; 1 Cor. 6:11). Since the resurrected Christ is the Spirit, when we call upon Him, we have an organic union with Him. Thus, we are able to participate in and enjoy Him as our life that we may live out righteousness by Him and thereby be justified subjectively.

7. Reconciliation to God is the last step of God’s redemption. Romans 5 tells us that before we were saved, we not only sinned against God, we were at enmity with God in our mind, disapproved of holding God in our knowledge, hated God and blasphemed God; we were also sons of disobedience, children of wrath, and enemies of God. Enmity is the greatest problem between man and God. It is sufficient for God’s forgiveness on account of man’s sins. However, as fallen sinners have become God’s enemies, they need to be reconciled to God by having a thorough turn back to God. Therefore, we need Christ’s redemption: forgiveness of sins, propitiation, justification, and reconciliation, to have the peace towards God (Rom. 5:1), to stand in the grace of God, and boast in hope of the glory of God. Furthermore, by enjoying His salvation in life (Rom. 5:10) we are able to reign in life by the abundance of grace and the abundance of the gift of righteousness (Rom. 5:17). Redemption is a procedure for our salvation in life towards the goal of our reigning in life through Jesus Christ. Ultimately, we will reign with grace over all things in the New Jerusalem.

QUESTIONS:

1. What are the four steps of God’s redemption?

2. What is forgiveness of sins?

3. What is propitiation?

4. What is justification?

5. Why does man need to be reconciled to God?

6. Why do we need Christ’s redemption: forgiveness of sins, propitiation, justification and reconciliation?

7. What is the goal of redemption?