Five Words Every Christian Ought To Know

29 May 2006

Five Words Every Christian Ought to Know

WORDS

1. Forgiveness (Eph. 1:7).

2. Substitution (Is. 53:6.).

3. Justification (Rom. 5:1).

4. Atonement (Rom. 5:11).

5. Propitiation (I John 2:2).

FORGIVENESS

"In Whom we have redemption through His Blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace" (Eph. 1:7).

There are many wrong ideas concerning the forgiveness of sins.

Many seem to imagine that when God forgives a sinner, He merely "gets sorry," and says: "Never mind, it's too—we'll let it pass."

This conception is all wrong.

The only one who can forgive a sin is the one against whom the sin is committed.

It would be impossible for me, as an outside party, to forgive John Jones for murdering John Smith.

The government in reality cannot forgive a murderer for his crime.

However, the Parole Board may recommend to the government that a pardon be granted.

When the murderer is pardoned, he’s acquitted, as far as the law is concerned.

There is only one man that can forgive a murderer, and that is the dead man, who was murdered.

The dead man alone could say to the murderer: "That’s all right, Mark, you killed me, but I’ll not hold it against you.”

If John owed Frank fifty dollars for groceries, Sam couldn’t step up and say "Don’t worry about it, you don’t need to pay Frank anything.”

But Sam could go to Frank and pay the account in full; then the grocer would be satisfied.

All sin is, primarily, against God.

Under David's orders Uriah was killed.

When he realized the terrible nature of his sin, David broke down.

He pleaded with God for forgiveness.

In this prayer he said (vs. 4), "Against Thee, Thee only have I sinned and done this evil in Thy sight."

We know that God forgave David, because Nathan the Prophet said to him, "The Lord hath put away thy sin" (II Sam. 12:13).

God can forgive sins, because all sin is against God; but God doesn’t forgive sin by merely getting sorry, and overlooking the sin.

Our God is a just God, and He can’t forgive the guilty, until His justice is satisfied.

And, Justice can only be satisfied by a full and complete punishment for sin.

This was accomplished in the Blood of the Cross.

Our Key Verse says, "Through His Blood we have the forgiveness of sins."

Jesus Christ satisfied the Law that was broken, and at Calvary's Cross provided a basis on which God could forgive the sinner.

However, the unsaved can’t rightfully confess any given sin and receive God's forgiveness, even though he pleads the Blood of Christ.

What use is it then for an unsaved person to focus on any one particular sin and seek forgiveness, when he’s guilty of a large number of other sins?

First, he must have forgiveness not from one sin, but from all of his sins by receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior.

This forgiveness is based on the Cross.

Believers should confess their sins as soon as they are aware of them.

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins" (I John 1:9).

As far as hell is concerned the believer's sins are forgiven.

A Christian is saved, from all sins, past, present and future; but sin, while it doesn’t cost us our salvation, breaks our fellowship with the Lord, and fellowship can only be re-stored when the sin is confessed, and the cleansing ac-accomplished.

This is all done for us through the Blood of Jesus Christ.

SUBSTITUTION

"And the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Is. 53:6).

The doctrine of SUBSTITUTION is taught in many passages throughout the Word of God.

The 53d chapter of Isaiah, however, is probably the best known substitutionary chapter.

It would be good, to know how many times Christ is described in this chapter as taking our place when He died upon the Cross, so let’s count the number of times.

Verse 4, "He hath borne our griefs."

Verse 4, "He hath carried our sorrows."

Verse 5, "He was wounded for our transgressions,"

Verse 5, "He was bruised for our iniquities."

Verse 5, "The chastisement of our peace was upon Him."

Verse 5, "With His stripes we are healed."

Verse 6, "The Lord hath laid on Him, the iniquity of us all."

Verse 8, "For the transgression of My people was He stricken."

Verse 10, "Thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin."

Verse 11, "He shall bear their iniquities."

Verse 12, "He bare the sin of many."

Eleven times in one short chapter, of twelve verses, Christ is described as doing His substitutionary work.

The same chapter describes Christ as "despised and rejected of men," and "oppressed and afflicted."