| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"So!" |
| Date: |
05 Aug 2007 07:56:47 AM |
| Object: |
PROPITIATION!. |
PROPITIATION!
A Topical Study of Romans 3:23-25
Part I.
A man in Texas had the urge for a midnight snack. So he rolled out of bed
and walked down the hallway toward the kitchen. Passing the nursery, he
noticed his three-month-old son's bassinet toppled on the floor. Racing
back into the bedroom, he woke his wife to see if she had taken the baby
from the bassinet, but his wife was sound asleep and knew nothing of the
matter. Panic filled his heart as he ran down the hall, down the stairs,
and into the living room, where, much to his horror and shock, he saw his
twelve-foot pet python with a large lump in its center. He knew
immediately what happened to his baby. In anger and outrage, he went to
the back porch, grabbed a splitting maul, chopped up the snake, and ran
out of the front door screaming. He was later committed to a mental
institution.
This true story haunts me and is helpful to me in understanding a biblical
concept often misunderstood by people who wrestle with theology. You see,
although people do not have a problem when we talk about the love of God,
the wrath and judgment of God are things with which people struggle. Yet
if the man in Texas was justified in smashing that snake, how much more is
God justified in dealing with snakelike people who have devoured others
mindlessly and heartlessly.
I think of what happened in Somalia. Tens of thousands of babies starved.
Why? Because war lords were fighting for territory geographically,
jockeying for position politically, and preventing food from reaching kids
who were dying needlessly.
I think of what happened in Bosnia Herzegovina-where women were raped and
men slaughtered by the thousands, all in the name of ethnic cleansing.
I think of Medford, Oregon, where the school board forbids the
distribution of Bibles on school campuses as well as the use of any school
buildings to be rented to any church group for any reason. I think,
wonder, and ponder how it can be that a society that distributes condoms
refuses to allow the distribution of Scripture.
Why does God allow this insanity? Why does He, who sees not only the
tragedy of Bosnia and Somalia, but the utter depravity of even the most
seemingly together person, put up with a world so bent on
self-destruction?
The answer is very simple: Because God made man in His image, He gave him
the ability to choose. And when man chose to listen to the hissing of
Satan rather than to the Word of God, he unknowingly handed dominion of
the planet over to Satan. That's why Jesus called Satan the prince of this
world (John 14:30) and why Paul called him the god of this world (2
Corinthians 4:4). In the Garden of Eden, man turned this planet over to
Satan. That's why there are diseases and rape, war, death, and sadness on
our planet. It's not a matter of God allowing these things. It's a matter
of man giving Satan the authority to cause them.
Meanwhile, God looks down from heaven, and, as He was in Noah's day, is
filled with righteous indignation (Genesis 6:5-7). Yet even in Noah's day,
man found grace in the eyes of the Lord (Genesis 6:8). God looked at Noah,
had grace on Noah, and did a work through Noah. So, too, He will again
pour out His wrath in the period called the Tribulation.
Until then, however, what's the solution for the very genuine wrath God
feels concerning snakelike creatures like you and me? The answer is
propitiation. Why such a big word? Because no smaller word would suffice.
The Greek word translated "propitiation" is hilasterion, which means "to
appease the wrath of." We often say, "God hates the sin but loves the
sinner." While that is true, it is at best a shallow understanding because
the distinction between sin and sinner is not so easily made. You see, I
am not only the baby devoured by the python. I am the python. I am a
victim of sin, yes-but I am also its perpetrator.
Sin hurts people. It destroys mankind. It's cruel, vicious, and wrong. And
my own sin is no less devastating. Thus, God is understandably filled with
righteous indignation, which can only be appeased through propitiation.
The people of Israel, having been delivered from Egypt, were on their way
to the land promised to them-a land flowing with milk and honey and
wonderful blessings. But en route, they started murmuring and complaining
(Numbers 21:5). The sin of complaining led to suffering in verse 6 as the
people were bitten by poisonous snakes. Suffering led to sorrow in verse
7. Sorrow led to salvation in verses 8, 9, when those who looked upon the
brass serpent were healed. Who was the Brass Serpent? Jesus (John
3:14-16).
Propitiation is God wielding a splitting maul upon the snake, the Brass
Serpent, Jesus Christ-instead of upon me. Am I calling Jesus Christ the
snake? Yes, because He who knew no sin became sin for us (2 Corinthians
5:21) in order that the wrath of the Father over the sin of the world
would be appeased. Instead of smashing a world that is snakelike and
bestial, He turned to His innocent Son and laid upon Him the iniquity of
us all.
Jesus understood this. That's why in the Garden of Gethsemane, He prayed
with such intensity, "Father, if possible, don't let Me drink of this cup"
(see Matthew 26:39). Socrates took the cup of hemlock and drank it
bravely. Was Jesus less than Socrates? No. It wasn't physical death Jesus
feared; it was the wrath of His Father that caused Him to break out in a
bloody sweat (Luke 22:44). Jesus knew what it meant to be the
propitiation, the satisfaction, the appeasement of wrath.
"The Father pouring out His anger upon His innocent Son is a form of child
abuse," you say. Wait a minute. What is the name of the Son? Almighty God,
Everlasting Father (Isaiah 9:6). You see, God Himself became a Man and
absorbed the wrath of His own indignation. The mystery of the Trinity, the
mystery of propitiation is that God actually wielded the splitting maul
upon Himself.
Hilasterion, or "propitiation"-the word we don't hear much today-is used
only five times in the entire New Testament: Romans 3:25; 1 John 2:1-2; 1
John 4:10; and Hebrews 9 are four of them. The Hebrews reference, I
believe, is a real key to unlocking this understanding, for in describing
the mercy seat, the author of Hebrews uses the word hilasterion. The mercy
seat, or hilasterion, covered the ark of the covenant. The ark of the
covenant contained the law. Therefore, through the mercy seat, God says,
"I know you've broken the law. I know you deserve to be consumed because
of it. But I'm going to put a lid on it through the sacrifice of My Son.
He is the helasmos, the mercy seat, the propitiation. It's not something
He gives. It's who He is, for He has come between you and the broken law.
The wrath that I should vent on you was instead placed upon My Son, who
died in your place."
The fifth use of the word "propitiation" is found in Luke 18. If you feel
offended that I would liken you to a baby-eating python, if you are
repulsed by a God who would became a Man and slaughter Himself to
propitiate His righteous indignation, Luke 18:10-14 is the passage for
you. It is a brief vignette, concerning the prayers of a Pharisee and a
tax collector. Look at verse 13: "God, be merciful to me a sinner." It
begins with "God" and ends with "sinner." The middle phrase, "be
merciful"-the verb form of hilasterion-stands between God and sin. Every
one of us is in one of two categories. You're either the self-righteous
Pharisee, or you're the tax collector, grateful that Jesus is standing
between God and your sin.
What does a correct understanding of the concept of propitiation do?
Propitiation blows my mind. Propitiation adds an entirely different
dimension to what Paul calls "so great salvation" (Hebrews 2:3). It's not
just the Father saying, "I'm going to settle mankind's problem
judicially." No, He deals with it personally.
Propitiation warms my heart. That God would love me so much He would
actually become the object of His own wrath touches my heart in a profound
way.
Propitiation weakens my knees. Considering the righteous wrath of a
powerful God makes me realize that sin is serious. The Bible says the
beginning of wisdom is to fear God (Proverbs 1:7). And it goes on to say
that to fear God is to hate sin (Proverbs 8:13). The concept of
propitiation makes me question my own view of sin. How do I react when I
see things on the screen or hear unkind words come from my own mouth? If
you're knowingly sinning today in what you're doing, or where you're
going, I encourage you to think through propitiation.
Propitiation tickles my toes. Jacob was in a place he called Luz, or
"separation" After tricking his brother Esau out of his birthright and
blessing, he was in the wilderness running for his life. That night, as he
laid his head on a rock and tried to sleep, God revealed Himself to him,
pouring out a blessing upon him and giving a promise to him. Jacob woke up
and said, "Surely I am in the presence of God and I knew it not." And he
changed the name of the location from Luz to "Bethel," or "house of God."
Then, as we read in Genesis 29:1, Jacob "went on his journey." Translated
literally this phrase reads, "Jacob had happy feet."
"I'm a creep. I'm a crook. I'm a criminal," he said, "but the Lord met me,
has a plan for me, and is going to travel with me. Now I have happy feet."
So, too, I say, "Oh, Lord, I know I'm a sinner. But because You absorbed
the anger that should have been poured out upon me, I leave here today
with tickled toes, weakened knees, a warmed heart, and a blown mind!"
May God continue to give us a comprehension of His love through an
understanding of propitiation.
In Jesus' Name.
[1]
(Romans 3:23-25 NASB)
23 for all ?1??a?have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24 being justified as a gift ?a?by His grace through ?b?the
redemption which is in Christ Jesus;
25 whom God displayed publicly as ?a?a ?1?propitiation ?2??b?in
His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness,
?3?because in the ?c?forbearance of God He ?d?passed over the sins
previously committed;
[2]
3:25 God set forth Christ Jesus as a propitiation. A propitiation is a
means by which justice is satisfied, God's wrath is averted, and mercy can
be shown on the basis of an acceptable sacrifice.
Three times in the ?NT? Christ is spoken of as a propitiation. Here in
Romans 3:25 we learn that those who put their faith in Christ find mercy
by virtue of His shed blood. In 1 John 2:2 Christ is described as the
propitiation for our sins, and for those of the whole world. His work is
sufficient for the whole world but is only effective for those who put
their trust in Him. Finally, in 1 John 4:10, God's love was manifested in
sending His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
The prayer of the publican in Luke 18:13 was literally "God be propitious
to me, the sinner." He was asking God to show mercy to him by not
requiring him to pay the penalty of his aggravated guilt.
The word propitiation also occurs in Hebrews 2:17: "Therefore, in all
things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful
and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation
for the sins of the people." Here the expression "to make propitiation"
means to put away by paying the penalty.
The ?OT? equivalent of the word propitiation is mercy-seat. The mercy-seat
was the lid of the ark. On the Day of Atonement the high priest sprinkled
the mercy-seat with the blood of a sacrificial victim. By this means
errors of the high priest and of the people were atoned for or covered.
When Christ made propitiation for our sins, He went much further. He not
only covered them but did away with them completely.
Now Paul tells us in 3:25 that God set Christ forth as a propitiation by
His blood, through faith. We are not told to put our faith in His blood;
Christ Himself is the object of our faith. It is only a resurrected and
living Christ Jesus who can save. He is the propitiation. Faith in Him is
the condition by which we avail ourselves of the propitiation. His blood
is the price that was paid.
The finished work of Christ declares God's righteousness for the remission
of sins that are past. This refers to sins committed before the death of
Christ. From Adam to Christ, God saved those who put their faith in Him on
the basis of whatever revelation He gave them. Abraham, for example,
believed God, and it was reckoned to him for righteousness (Gen. 15:6).
But how could God do this righteously? A sinless Substitute had not been
slain. The blood of a perfect Sacrifice had not been shed. In a word,
Christ had not died. The debt had not been paid. God's righteous claims
had not been met. How then could God save believing sinners in the OT
period?
The answer is that although Christ had not yet died, God knew that He
would die, and He saved men on the basis of the still-future work of
Christ. Even if ?OT? saints didn't know about Calvary, God knew about it,
and He put all the value of Christ's work to their account when they
believed God. In a very real sense, ?OT? believers were saved on credit.
They were saved on the basis of a price still to be paid. They looked
forward to Calvary; we look back to it.
That is what Paul means when he says that the propitiation of Christ
declares God's righteousness because He had passed over the sins that were
previously committed. He is not speaking, as some wrongly think, of sins
which an individual person has committed before his conversion. This might
suggest that the work of Christ took care of sins before the new birth,
but that a man is on his own after that. No, he is dealing with the
seeming leniency of God in apparently overlooking the sins of those who
were saved before the cross. It might seem that God excused those sins or
pretended not to see them. Not so, says Paul. The Lord knew that Christ
would make full expiation, and so He saved men on that basis.
So the ?OT? period was a time of the forbearance of God. For at least 4000
years He held back His judgment on sin. Then in the fullness of time He
sent His Son to be the Sin-bearer. When the Lord Jesus took our sins upon
Himself, God unleashed the full fury of His righteous, holy wrath on the
Son of His love.
[3]
Part II.
Propitiation
Now we are coming to another wonderful word: propitiation, and
propitiation is toward God. It occurs seven times in the Greek text of the
New Testament. The reason it may not occur all seven times in your Bible
is because in several places it's not translated correctly into the same
English word propitiation. For instance:
Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He
might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God,
to make propitiation [reconciliation in some English translations] for the
sins of the people. (Hebrews 2:17)
It should be propitiation here, for it is that in the Greek.
First of all, let me say that the word propitiation is absolutely void of
any pagan meaning. If you have read any Greek mythology or read anything
concerning the pagan religions, or if you've read any of the stories of
the Greeks, you will recall that even Agamemnon had to make a human
sacrifice to appease the gods on Mount Olympus. They were perceived to be
angry, therefore a sacrifice had to be made, and that was called a
propitiation. In fact, the Greeks used it like that.
Well, may I say to you that the word as used in the Scripture does not
even hint of being used to appease a deity. It doesn't convey the idea
that God is angry and you've got to do something to win Him over. It
doesn't have that thought at all.
Therefore, I want to turn to several passages where this word occurs, and
let's look at them. First,
.. being justified freely [that is, without a cause] by His grace through
the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a
propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His
righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins
that were previously committed. (Romans 3:24-25)
The word propitiation actually means "?place of propitiation.?" I want us
to see something in Hebrews, where we'll find again this word in the Greek
text. It is not translated propitiation here but with another word, a very
vivid word. I'll move back and quote a few verses before the occurrence of
this word since the writer to the Hebrews is describing the tabernacle. He
says:
.. behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the
Holiest of All, which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant
overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the
manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; and above
it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat [here is our
word propitiation].. (Hebrews 9:3-5)
Propitiation means "?to be a mercy seat.?" That's the picture. Notice
again the passage in Romans for just a moment:
.. whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to
demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed
over the sins that were previously committed. (Romans 3:25)
This is the tabernacle. Outside was the laver and also the brazen altar.
The Holy Place. The entrance faced east. Inside there was the golden
lampstand on the left (south), and over on the right (north) the table of
showbread, and then before the veil was the golden altar, which speaks of
prayer.
The Golden Altar. It is interesting that the writer to the Hebrews puts
the golden altar inside the Holiest of All. The Old Testament places it in
front of the veil, so why did the writer to the Hebrews put it inside
where the ark is? Because when we come to the New Testament the veil which
represented the body of Christ is torn in two, opening the way into the
presence of God, and Christ has gone up to heaven. This altar of prayer is
where the priest went to pray. And that's where our Lord is now. He is in
heaven, making intercession for us. Properly, the altar of prayer belongs
there now.
The Holiest of All. Behind the veil was the ark. And inside the ark there
were three things-the tables of stone on which the Ten Commandments were
written, a pot of manna, and Aaron's rod that budded. On top of the ark,
which was shaped like a box, there was this very highly ornamented cover
with two cherubim of gold over-shadowing it. Once a year the high priest
went inside, and we are told that the Shekinah Glory was there, indicating
that God dwelt there. This is where they were to meet with Him, and the
high priest went there once a year and sprinkled blood on the ark's cover
between the cherubim. And this is the throne of God where the presence of
the holy God is. Now it is a mercy seat. It's where God can extend mercy
to His people. That which was a throne of judgment before has become a
mercy seat now.
Let's refer again to Romans 3:25. The apostle Paul, speaking of Christ,
wrote, "?Whom God set forth as a propitiation [mercy seat].?" Christ on
the cross served as our mercy seat. We know that as He hung on the cross,
blood was running down His face from that thorny crown, blood was coming
from the nails in His hands and in His feet. It is John who mentions the
propitiation, by the way. He and Paul are the only two writers who do
that. John tells us at the time of the crucifixion:
One of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood
and water came out. And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony
is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may
believe. (John 19:34-35)
We know that this made a tremendous impression on John because, when he
wrote his first epistle, he made this statement again. He didn't forget
about this incident:
This is He who came by water and blood-Jesus Christ; not only by water,
but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because
the Spirit is truth. (1 John 5:6)
Without going into detail, we will skip verse 7 since it is not in our
better manuscripts:
And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and
the blood; and these three agree as one. (1 John 5:8)
John was present at the crucifixion. Remember it was there at the cross
that the Lord said to him, "?Behold your mother!?" In other words, "?You
take care of My mother,?" and John says, "?When I was there I watched, and
I was very close.?" It seems that at the trial of Jesus, John got in
closer than anyone else. And he's also closer at the crucifixion than
anyone else. He said in effect, "?While I was watching, blood was coming
from His head, blood was coming from His hands and His feet. Finally, this
soldier came up to make sure He was dead, and he ran a spear into His
side.?" John says, "?Out of that side there came water and blood.?" May I
say that John is going to tell us that our Lord was the propitiatory
sacrifice for our sins. It was Christ, Paul says, "?whom God set forth as
a propitiation by His blood, through faith?" (Romans 3:25). Jesus Christ
on the cross shed His blood. I think that every drop of blood went out of
His body and that His whole body was covered with His blood. That, my
friend, is the mercy seat for you and me. Because He shed His blood,
taking your place and my place, a holy God now is able to extend mercy to
us. And that's the meaning of propitiation. It means simply that Christ is
our mercy seat.
Now I want to follow through on what John has said. Let's look at that for
just a moment:
And He Himself [Jesus Christ] is the propitiation for our sins. (1 John
2:2)
John is the one who says, "?I was there and I saw that soldier put the
spear in His side, and there came out blood and water.?" And he adds,
"?These three bear witness on earth and they agree.?" The Spirit and the
water and the blood-and that blood speaks of the fact that He shed His
blood that He might be the propitiation for your sins and my sins. This is
tremendous! "?He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for
ours only but also for the whole world.?"
Notice something here which is very important: John said this: "?My little
children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin.?" Well,
John, I wish I could say I didn't sin, but I do. Now what shall I do?
And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the
righteous. (1 John 2:1)
And after all, John says, "?He Himself is the propitiation for our sins,?"
referring to our sins as Christians. I need a mercy seat every day, don't
you? I don't want justice from God. I don't want Him to treat me on the
basis of legality because I would come off a loser. I want mercy from God.
That's the thing I want from Him-mercy. And that is the thing both you and
I need. He is the propitiation for our sins.
John doesn't stop there:
.. and not for ours only but also for the whole world. (1 John 2:2)
There is a mercy seat today for every person on topside of this earth. And
people are not lost because of the fact they are so bad and cannot do
enough to gain God's forgiveness. That's not the reason. They are lost
because they won't go to the mercy seat. There's mercy for every person.
God is merciful today. And the reason He is merciful is not because He's
just bighearted and sort of sentimental. No, He is not that. God is holy
and righteous. And He loves. God loved long before He did anything about
it-but God is not only love, God is holy. And though He might love a
sinner, He cannot take the sin into heaven. But then Christ died and was
covered with blood. So He is the mercy seat. A holy God now can extend
mercy because Christ paid the ultimate penalty for our sin.
And that's not all. He wants to mention it again to us: "?In this is love,
not that we loved God, but that He loved us.?" He loved us, and what did
He do? Did He fling open the door of heaven and say, "?Everybody, come
in?"? No, He cannot do that because He is holy.
In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His
Son to be the propitiation [to be the mercy seat] for our sins. (1 John
4:10)
And so today a holy God is prepared to extend mercy down here to lost men
and lost women.
For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their
lawless deeds I will remember no more. (Hebrews 8:12)
God says, "?I will be merciful to their unrighteousness.?" How can a holy
God do that? Because there is Christ on the cross, covered with blood, His
precious blood is poured out, and there is a mercy seat. The throne of
God, where a holy God would judge you and judge me-that very throne at
this moment extends mercy to us.
Oh, my friend, God is not a police officer waiting around the corner to
give you a ticket or to find fault with your conduct. God is not
demanding. He is saying to the world tonight, "?I have My arms
outstretched toward you, and I am prepared to extend mercy to you because
Christ died. There is a mercy seat for you.?"
Now let's see that in action. Turn with me to the eighteenth chapter of
Luke's Gospel, starting with verse 9, our Lord
spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were
righteous, and despised others: "?Two men went up to the temple to pray,
one a Pharisee, and the other a tax collector [a publican]. The Pharisee
stood and prayed thus with himself..?"
It's sort of like Hamlet's soliloquy. In Shakespeare's play, Hamlet goes
out and talks to no one but himself:
To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing, end them? To die, to sleep-
No more, and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to; 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep-
To sleep, perchance to dream-ay, there's the rub,
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come..
And so on. He's just talking to himself. And when a soliloquy is done by a
fine actor, with expression, it's tremendous! But may I say that the
Pharisee's prayer was a soliloquy. Our Lord says, "?He prayed thus with
himself.?" He didn't pray it to God. He had a big time patting himself on
the back and, in essence, said, "?What a fine actor I am!?" And an actor
was what he was.
The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, "?God [although he
addresses God, he is not really talking to Him], I thank You that I am not
like other men-extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax
collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.?"
(Luke 18:11-12)
Now that's what a lot of people brag about today. But, you see, that kind
of talk didn't get anywhere, didn't get out of the rafters, and it did not
get to God. My friend, you never get to God when you go to Him and tell
Him how good you are and all that you're doing for others. No one gets to
our holy God that way.
Then will you notice, a publican, a despised tax collector, was there.
And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his
eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, "?God, be merciful to me a
sinner!?" (Luke 18:13)
The only thing is, he didn't actually say, "?God, be merciful to me a
sinner.?" Literally, he said, "?O God, if there was only a mercy seat for
me to go to!?" You see, the Pharisee was the fundamentalist of that day,
and he was quite separated. Well, listen to him, and know that everything
he said was true. He said, "?I do this,?" and he did do it, friend. And he
said, "?I'm not like this publican,?" and he wasn't. But he sure was
proud, and he was depending on his works. He was depending on himself, not
recognizing he needed to have mercy from God. As you know, most
people-your neighbors and my neighbors-don't think they need mercy from
God. Oh, my friend, we all need mercy from Him. He is the propitiation for
our sins. For those of us who are Christians, He is the mercy seat for our
sins. And He is the mercy seat for the sins of the whole world.
But this publican stands way off and he beats his breast. He won't even
look up. He says, "?God, I'm a poor publican. I have no access to that
mercy seat yonder in the temple. If there was only a mercy seat for me to
go to!?" Why did he say that? Because when he became a publican he denied
his people. When he denied his people, he denied his God and his religion,
and he no longer had any access to the mercy seat in the temple of that
day. Therefore when he went to the temple to pray, he couldn't claim mercy
there. He was pleading, "?O God, if there was only a mercy seat for a
publican to go to.?" And the Lord Jesus Christ said, "?That fellow went
down justified.?" Why? Because the Lord Jesus right there and then was on
His way to make a mercy seat for him.
And our Lord has made a mercy seat for you and me. Today we don't need to
ask God to be merciful. My friend, He is already merciful! What can you do
to make Him merciful? Do you think you can shed a few little tears and win
Him over? Do you think you could promise to do some good little thing to
persuade Him? My friend, what do you want Him to do? He gave His Son to
die for you. Don't you know that when Christ died on the cross He paid the
penalty for your sins? You can't add anything to that. He is holding out
His arms to you. Don't ask God to be merciful-claim it, my friend! Claim
it!
That's the way I stay in fellowship with Him. Bad as I am, I have to go to
Him constantly and say, "?Lord, I need mercy. Oh, I need mercy.?" He
hasn't run out of it yet, and He has enough for you. In fact, He has
enough for the whole world. Jesus Christ is the mercy seat for the sins of
the whole world. Oh, how we need to get to that mercy seat! Have you been
there recently?
[4]
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[1]Courson, J. (2003). Jon Courson's Application Commentary (894).
Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
1 Or sinned
a Rom 3:9
a Rom 4:4f, 16; Eph 2:8
b 1 Cor 1:30; Eph 1:7; Col 1:14; Heb 9:15
a 1 John 2:2; 4:10
1 Or a propitiatory sacrifice
2 Or by
b 1 Cor 5:7; Heb 9:14, 28; 1 Pet 1:19; Rev 1:5
3 Lit because of the passing over of the sins previously committed in the
forbearance of God
c Rom 2:4
d Acts 14:16; 17:30
[2]New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Ro 3:23). LaHabra, CA:
The Lockman Foundation.
NT New Testament
OT Old Testament
[3]MacDonald, W., & Farstad, A. (1997, c1995). Believer's Bible Commentary
: Old and New Testaments (Ro 3:25). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[4]McGee, J. V. (2000, c1996). Doctrine for difficult days (electronic
ed.) (148). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
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