Baptist Christian Church

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John 8:32-36

We invite you to join us for worship each Sunday morning at 9:30. You can also download our service at Baptist-Christian at iTtunes. Like many doctrines of Scripture reconciliation is bigger than just what we are studying now. Like a banquet, this is only one “dish” in the meal. When we allow God to show us through personal experience that He is working in our lives, it affects our hearts so we want to learn more of God, Who He is, and how He works in and through us as His children. The more we learn the more we are compelled to share our great salvation with those around us who are lost and dead in sin. Let’s consider

I. THE EXPLANATION OF REDEMPTION. Redemption focuses on the lost or unsaved. It teaches that sin is slavery, and the sinner is the slave. There are four word groups that speak of redemption. 1= ransom which means the price to buy a slave at the slave market – as in Matt. 20:28; Mark 10:45. 2= to buy for oneself by a price, as in Rev. 5:9. 3= to buy from a slave market never to return again to the market as a slave as in Gal. 3:13. 4= the full deliverance of the soul from sin, and the body from the grave, as in Rom. 3:24; 8:31. Here’s the application: as Paul teaches through Rom. 5:8 Christ paid the ransom price for us, and He did it with the intention we should never return as slaves to sin again. Our redemption means that we are now able and free to choose to live as God wants us to live.

II. THE ILLUSTRATION OF REDEMPTION. There are three major pictures of redemption presented in the OT. 1= Israel coming out of Egypt as slaves and being formed into a nation (Ex. 6:6). One animal can be used as a sacrifice for another (Ex. 13:13). 3= a lost estate can be purchased by a kinsman redeemer (Lev 25:25). Our salvation becomes even more dynamic as we see how Christ met all the requirements to be our Kinsman Redeemer; He was a close relative when He became one of us as dwelt among us as a man- (John 1:1-12). He was able to pay the price demanded with His sinless blood (Lev. 17:11; 1 Peter 1:18, 19). He was willing, not forced, to redeem us (Heb. 10:1-4). And He was not guilty of sin and didn’t need to redeem Himself (2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15). The truth that He was a close relative and had the ability to pay the price speaks to His humanity; His willingness and His sinlessness speaks to His Deity! Finally note,

III. THE REALIZATION OF REDEMPTION. Our redemption come into reality and is realized in the NT because 1= the human race needed to be redeemed (Rom 3:23; 8:1). 2=Redemption demanded bloodshed on a voluntary basis, allowing a substitute to die in the sinner’s place. Christ volunteered to die in your place while you were still His enemy! 3. Once the price of redemption is paid the slave does not have to return to the slave market as a slave. The Redeemer maintains the slaves freedom (The whole book of Galatians)! 4= The nature of our redemption is such that we aren’t even slaves of Christ, unless we choose to be bondslaves! When God changed (reconciled) us from being His enemies to being His adopted children, He did it through the redeeming work of Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection! We are completely redeemed, therefore, we are also completely reconciled!

If we can help you with this or any other spiritual question call us at (574) 643-9419.

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Romans 5:12-21

We invite you to join us for worship each Sunday morning at 9:30. You can also download our service at Baptist-Christian at iTunes. Continued from last week: when God reconciles us, He changes us to a new standard which is Christ’s righteousness. Understanding the changes that come with our reconciliation is paramount to a proper daily life before God. We have a

1. A NEW POSITION! (V.17) In a very general way God sees all people as either in the world, spiritually dead and condemned to hell; or in Christ without condemnation and spiritually alive. That is the tone of our passage today. Now go to 2 Cor. 5:17-21. In this “companion” passage we find an explanation of our new position that shows us three vital truths. First – we are in Christ. This is not merely an eschatological truth or spiritual illusion. It’s as much reality as our salvation. God sees The Holy Spirit living in us as our identification (Eph. 4:13, 14) mark that we are in Christ. Second, we are new creations. This is also a present reality. There are three reasons we don’t see ourselves as new: 1- God has not yet given us new exteriors to go with the new interior. Our bodies are still subject to the ravages of sin. The new models are coming! 2- we are still vulnerable to Satanic attack. God has chosen to allow us to be confronted with evil. It has something to do with free choice, or voluntarily choosing to serve God, not self! 3- We still have the memories of sin and sinfulness! When we are attacked we sometimes choose to revert to the old ways and in so doing we sin against God, which in turn causes us to doubt His work of reconciliation in us. To “get it” we must rely on God’s truth that we are new creations with new hearts that have a new desire to serve God.
2. WE HAVE A NEW RELATIONSHIP! (V. 19) This great doctrine of reconciliation has two applications here. 1^st it provides a complete change of relationship to God from being His enemy, to becoming His adopted child. 2^nd it is a progressive change throughout our lives. It is interesting that because the second is true, the first is often hard to believe. Our relationship in salvation carries the potential to experience “all the power of the Godhead” in our personal lives. Because it is progressive and we are vulnerable to Satanic attack, we sometimes doubt that God’s reconciliation is actually working for us, even though it is working for others. The exciting part is that our relationship to God is truth, and therefore, so is the reality that reconciliation is working for us.
3. WE HAVE A NEW ATTITUDE! (V. 20) This is also truth, but not always reality! Phil 1:21 explains Paul’s attitude because of his salvation. 2 Cor. 6:1; Eph. 6:20 tell us Paul saw himself as Christ’s ambassador (in chains). His attitude is a good model for us. He realized that because of the change in his position before God, his only possible choice in life was total dedication, service, submission, and ministry. It wasn’t nearly enough, for Paul, to thank God for saving Paul from an eternal separation from God in hell! So what’s your attitude in response to your new position and relationship to God?  You know, don’t you! So does God!

If we can help you with your spiritual questions, call us at (574) 643-9419.

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2 Corinthians 5:16-21

We invite you to join us for worship each Sunday morning at 9:30. You can also download our service at Baptist-Christian at iTunes. It would be very easy to spend the rest of the year studying this one passage and the Biblical doctrine of reconciliation. We will only be here until Easter. Paul spent his entire life studying the Scriptures. After His salvation, God completely reconciled/changed his theology by completely changing Paul’s heart to agree with God’s Law. An understanding of this amazing doctrine is not only necessary for a Christian’s daily living, but it also opens our eyes to help us see how much God loves us and what He has done to save us. Reconciliation means “someone or something is completely changed to a new standard.” Let’s begin with a basic overview of this wonderful doctrine. 

1. THE CONCEPT OF RECONCILIATION! Reconciliation is always an act of God, something HE does for man because He is the highest Standard. Scripture teaches that reconciliation allows 1 = God to take man back into fellowship with Himself. Sin broke our relationship and our fellowship with God. It “changed” us from being His friends, to being His enemies. Reconciliation means God is able to restore us to a place where we can fellowship with God. Scripture also teaches 2 = God restores His relationship to us, not just as friends, but as children. Christ’s righteousness is imputed/given to us allowing God to reestablish His relationship and fellowship with us.
2. RECONCILIATION IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. Leviticus 8:15 addresses atonement. It is interesting to note the very basic meaning of the word means “to smear with pitch or tar.” Interesting isn’t it? Later, in sacrifice, the word carried more of the idea of atonement, meaning to cover or pacify wrath, or cover transgression. It never means complete satisfaction for sin, because all the OT relation to salvation was only a picture of the work of Christ. See Heb. 4:10. Reconciliation became reality for all the OT saints at Calvary. We must also consider
3. RECONCILIATION FOR THE WHOLE WORLD. In Romans 5:6-11 we find Paul’s commentary on the necessity of the whole world being reconciled. This part of the doctrine is one of the most misunderstood because people think everyone is automatically saved, because Christ died for the whole world. Although salvation extends a universal invitation, it is still necessary for EACH individual to see their desperate need of a Savior and ask to be saved! Paul uses four words that help us see this truth. 1^st = we are weak. Our sinful nature has no power whatsoever to meet God’s standards of holiness and righteousness to save us. 2^nd = Sin also makes us ungodly against BOTH God an others. Ungodly means “hostile toward God, deliberately acting contrary to both tables of the Law. 3^rd = we are sinners. This form of the word is well defined as “one who forfeits a correct relationship with God by his hostile attitude toward God’s Law, living in conscious opposition to it.” And 4^th = we are God’s enemies, which is the attitude of the unsaved toward God. All this is more information, but here is the beginning of the application: what are you willing to do/give personally so all this isn’t wasted? Do you want the same level of relationship/fellowship with God as He does with you?

If we can help you with answers to your spiritual questions call us at (574) 643-9419.

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Jim Gabhart, Missionary Speaker

John 8:12, John 14:6

1. ENSURE for eternity (John 8:12)
2. ENLIST in His service (Matthew 4:19-20)
3. ENGAGE in tolerance (John 21:21-22)
4. ESCAPE from the world (Luke 9:23-24)