The Journey: Part 3 - Imputation and Propitiation, The Work of God's Love

Start here at the Introduction: The Journey Begins

The Journey: Part 3 - Imputation and Propitiation, The Work of God's Love

The gospel of grace that was communicated to you, and that you chose to put your trust in, provides you with all you need to know about who Jesus Christ is and what He freely did for you (1 Cor.15:1-4). Furthermore, it settles with surety and finality, that through Jesus' death on the cross, and the blood He shed for you, you have complete forgiveness of sins, and by His subsequent burial, and glorious resurrection from the dead, you are absolutely and utterly justified before God and sealed in Christ for that glorious day of redemption, (Rom.4:25).

The gospel message, by its very nature, provides one with a vivid picture of the sacrifice of Christ. The tangible things like the cross, the blood, His suffering, and death, are all expressly portrayed in the verbal or written message, and since these things are earthly and fleshly concepts, it is easy to understand these details, as we relate to these things. However, there is a certain aspect to the gospel message that is not easily related to, nor easily understood, as it has its grounding in the Spirit. It is only later, once you become more in tune with spiritual details of salvation, that these seemingly archaic words, namely, propitiation, and imputation, are learned and fully appreciated. These two concepts are an important part of this journey towards spiritual maturity and the adoption of sons of God. Learning the deeper concepts of what Jesus did on the cross, and what it achieved on a spiritual level, in regard to your redemption, infuses your spirit with a joy and appreciation that goes far deeper that just thanks and admiration. To put it very plainly, it just blows one's mind what God has truly done for you!

So, what exactly do these two terms mean? In a way, one can think of them as transactional. Definitions for these two words as provided in a dictionary are as follows,

• Propitiation: to win or regain the favour of someone by doing something that pleases them, thus incurring favor or avoiding retribution. (Typically used in context with divinity).
• Imputation: to designate any action, word, or thing, as credited to another person's account. In the context of theology, we can consider the action or process of ascribing guilt, or righteousness, etc. to someone by virtue of that quality in another.

With this in mind. let's now focus on what they mean from a spiritual perspective, and in connection with our salvation.

Propitiation

What God did by His love to appease His justice and righteous wrath from destroying us for what we deserve.

The wrath of God in the Bible is the expression of his holiness in the face of our sin. Wrath is what our sin and rebellion justly deserve. Even though God is a God of infinite love, he does not show mercy at the expense of his justice, so propitiation is the way that God, by His love, shows us mercy in justice. In the Bible, propitiation is not something that we provide to God to get right with Him; it is something that God provides to us that we may be justly and mercifully forgiven and accepted, and He does this at His own expense through the loving gift of his Son, Jesus Christ.

Rom.3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. (See also 1 John 4:10)

Notice, we did not put forward Jesus to God to turn away his wrath. God put forward Jesus to provide a propitiation. Our sins deserved God’s wrath, but he gave His only Son, Jesus, to be that propitiation, a sacrifice turning away his wrath and appeasing his just indignation. Can you even fathom the depth of this love and commitment. Ask yourself, what does God even see in us that He was able to go ahead with this course of action? There must be something invaluable and indescribable connected to saving us that God would offer such a high price to redeem us back to Him. Well, let me tell you that there is! 

The Bible tells us of the plans of God and what He, in His great wisdom, is working towards. This is a subject that we will deal with later in our journey, but as for now, let us simply consider the depth of God's love and the greatness of His plans, and delight in His Word that reveals this truth to us.

Imputation

What God did through the sacrifice of His only Son to take what is vile and unrighteous, you and I, and make us pure and perfect for His purposes.

The actions of Adam, as our natural federal head, caused every person after him to be born into a fallen condition or sinful state. This effect of Adam's sin is known as original sin and is often referred to as inherited sin, (Rom.5:12-14). In addition to receiving a fallen nature, all people who came after Adam have been credited with the guilt of Adam's sin (Romans 5:18). That is the meaning of imputed sin. The apostle Paul teaches us how God remedied this situation. God imputes or accredits the righteousness and suffering of Jesus to those who believe in Him and are saved in Him and, conversely, imputes the sins of the redeemed to Christ. The message that he writes to the Corinthians reads as follows: "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2 Cor. 5:21). God makes Christ sin in the same manner that we become the righteousness of God, namely, through imputation.

Imputation is already achieved by what God has predestined and already done in Christ. Like propitiation, it is a transactional reality at the heart of our salvation. All that is required for us to gain from this arrangement is to believe in the source of it, Jesus Christ, and to trust that He's obedience and sacrifice has satisfied the conditions and value of this transaction fully. Paul reminds us that we cannot and should not add anything to this work of Christ that is already altogether sufficient and final according to God's conditions. Paul authenticates this by writing, "Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. 5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." (Rom.4:4-5).

Ask most Christians today to define these two words and you might get a blank stare back from them. Knowing these two words is not essential to salvation, as that is tied up in a simple knowledge and trust in the cross-work of Christ. However, one will certainly come across these two words if one chooses to study the Word of God, in which you will learn the language of the Bible, and to gain in knowledge and understanding of what God has done for you through Christ and His love. As you grow in the Word and increase in understanding, these words will grab at your heart and give you a deeper and more meaningful view into the will of God, His power to save you and His purpose in placing you in the Body of Christ so as to glorify His Son through you. There are treasures of richness in words, and these two are perfect examples of what the Word of God can bless you with.

I trust that you will continue to journey with me, seeking out the truths in God's Word, and doing so, to grow up and gain maturity in the knowledge of Christ and in the will of God.

God bless.