This is the fifth or sixth time that we have used these verses as our text. I hope that this doesn’t bother you, because it doesn’t bother me at all. It would be to our eternal benefit if we read these words so often that they were permanently burned into our minds and hearts. There is simply a wealth of material and important information here. We can study these words as deeply or as shallowly as we want and still be blessed. All the Word of God is divine gold – some is 18 carat, some is 24 carat, and some is 36 carat gold. This passage is definitely a large nugget of the finest divine gold.
Since few of you have had your afternoon nap, and you are thinking about taking it right now, I’m going to try to keep this message short. I intend only to shine a light down on this nugget, turning it ever so slightly so that you can see it from four different angles. I’m using a question in my title for this message – “Synonyms, Divisions or Characteristics?”
On one of the shelves in my study behind my head there is a row of general theology books. I have several dozen books dealing with specific doctrines scattered throughout my library, but this row is dedicated to general theology. Most of those books are Baptist, but there are some exceptions. For example someone gave be a two volume set of Calvin’s Institutes, but I don’t believe that I have ever opened them, other than to put my name on the fly-leaf. There are several single volume works, which express the elementary principles in theology. But then there is A.H. Strong’s huge Systematic theology in type so small it nearly requires a magnifying glass to read. There are the standard Baptist works of T.P. Simmons and J.P. Boyce – not the modern James Boyce, but the Boyce of a 125 years ago. The largest set that still sits up there is an eight volume set by Lewis Sperry Chaffer. Chaffer studied under C.I. Scofield, of the Scofield Bible fame. He was a Presbyterian, and founder of the Dallas Theological Seminary. Obviously, he had some problems with Eschatology & Ecclesiology, but he did have some things right. I’m planning on keeping my set of Chaffer for the time being, but if anyone would like to give up a couple of dollars to have Calvin, I could probably let him go.
The last volume of Caffer is dedicated completely to indexes, which makes his work a more valuable that most. And the 7th volume is rather unique. It is a collection of more concise theological definitions of doctrine in alphabetical order. It repeats what he teaches elsewhere in the set, but in this seventh volume it’s kept as simple as an outline.
Under “Salvation” Chaffer says – “The Greek for salvation “soteria” (so-tay-ree’-ah) is used about 50 times in the New Testament. It refers to the estate of one who has been made whole.” The article then lists seven points – the Scope, the Work of God, Three Tenses, the Condition of Faith, Dispensational aspects, Relationships and Duration. I won’t read all of these, but under Duration Chaffer says – “There is no salvation offered under grace which stops short of being eternal in its character. This is due to the fact that it proves to be altogether a work of God, and His purpose and power never fail (Philippians 1:6).” Under Work of God Chaffer says – “Two Old Testament passages indicate that “salvation belongeth unto the Lord” (Psalm 3:8), “salvation is of the Lord” (Jonah 2:9. Any system which tends to combine human responsibility with this divine undertaking is wrong. Ephesians 2:8-10 relates good works to salvation wrought by grace as an effect thereof, and not a cause.” I was still in Canada working with Ken Johnson when I first bought this set. Bro. Johnson was a little shocked that I was reading it and tried to tell me that Chaffer did not believe in sovereign grace, but it was easy to show him that this was not the case.
Now, listen as I read one more section of that larger article on Salvation. “Scope – The general doctrine of salvation includes the following lesser dogmas: substitution, redemption, reconciliation, propitiation, conviction, calling, election, predestination, sovereignty, free will, grace, repentance, faith, regeneration, forgiveness, justification, sanctification, preservation and glorification.” I hate to quarrel with the late Dr. Chaffer, but he missed at least one term in this list – “REMISSION.” Of course, if I didn’t have Paul to support me in this, I’d probably not criticize the learned Doctor at all.
Chaffer, with Paul’s help, lists 20 things which are either synonyms, divisions or characteristics of salvation. Could we say that our Saviour made sure that every aspect of our salvation was fully covered? Could it be that to thwart the accusations of the Devil, the Lord specifically and thoroughly dealt with every aspect of our spiritual needs? Actually, it would be more correct to say that God, looked at the Law and Himself and developed salvation to meet every requirement of His own heart.
We looked at JUSTIFICATION a just a week ago. In the printing industry, justification refers to the way that copy or text is laid out on a page. It is the aligning of the material either to the right, left or center. Or it is making both ends of a line of type to be even and straight. Spiritual justification is quite similar. Justification is the work of God whereby sinners are declared to be righteous. Despite their sins, their ragged corners, and their many spiritual short-falls, some sinners are declared to be acceptable in the sight of God. And if the Lord says that a sinner is straight or righteous, then that is the case. Justification is a key and essential part of our salvation, and through it we can stand before our holy God. Some people look at justification as the legal aspect of salvation – it deals with the law against us.
REDEMPTION is a most beautiful and emotional aspect of salvation as far as the saint is concerned. I’ll not go into great detail, because we’ll come to it again. All that I want to do this afternoon is give you an outline of some of the aspects of our salvation. The Bible teaches that there is a sense in which sinners are all slaves. Romans 6:16 – “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Redemption is the act of buying those sinners out of the slave market. In some ways it might be said that the payment was made to sin, or to the Devil. But actually the payment was paid to the Lord and to the law against us. The price for that purchase was extremely high – the life and death of a Substitute. And the only substitute with enough value in Himself was the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” And Paul reiterated that thought – Christ Jesus “gave himself a ransom…” Upon the purchase of our souls, we once again, and in a special way, became the property of God. “Ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” We have been bought by the Lord, to become the Lord’s people, and we will never, never, never become the property of the Devil, sin, or the law again. Christ “gave himself for us, that he might REDEEM us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people.” The word “peculiar” in Greek isn’t talking about strange or weird, it is speaking of personal property. By the death of Christ we became the property and people of God.
Paul’s third word – a very theological word – is PROPITIATION. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a PROPITIATION through faith in his blood.” Don’t be frightened by this big, strange word, just learn it, add it to your vocabulary, use it, and move on. According to the English dictionary the word means – to be conciliatory, it is to appease, to reconcile. I like to say that propitiation refers to “satisfaction.” Christ Jesus died on the cross to save our souls; He was set forth to be “a satisfaction.” God’s holy law says that sinners must die – there can be no exception. But when God’s Son died in my place, the demand of the law was satisfied, appeased and pacified, making reconciliation possible.
If you’ll remember, on the Day of Atonement, a number of sacrifices were offered by the Jewish High Priest. The highest point of the day came, when the blood of one of the goats was brought behind the veil into the Holy of Holies. The priests in the Holy place listened with bated breath for the tinkling of the bells on the hem of the High Priest’s robe, as he sprinkled that blood on the Mercy Seat behind the veil. With that covering of blood, the sins of the people were atoned and covered for another year. The Greek word “hilasterion” (hil-as-tay’-ree-on) is found only twice in the Bible and only once is it translated “propitiation.” On the other occasion Paul is clearly talking about the mercyseat. When the blood of the atonement was sprinkled on the mercy-seat, there was made a satisfaction toward the law, and the people were once again reconciled to God. And for us, Jesus is our mercy-seat – He satisfied the law against us & is the means of our access to God.
The last term that Paul introduces here, relating to our salvation is REMISSION. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 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.” Remission is the act of God whereby we are released from the responsibility that our sins created. We are no longer under the condemnation of the second death, because that debt has been paid. Our sins have been remitted.
So the saint of God has been declared righteous, because our debt has been paid, the law has been satisfied, and our souls have been bought and paid for through the death of the Lord Jesus. There are many who say that Jesus did these things for whole world, whether they are saved or not. The Bible teaches that Jesus did these things for those whom He specifically chose – believers.
SUBSTITUTION is the word which describes the fact that Jesus took the sinner’s place in death. Christ Jesus “bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” I cannot understand how some people can teach that Jesus was the vicarious substitute for people who are now in Hell. I don’t see how Christ bore the sins of people who still died in their sins. No, sir, He was the actual substitute for those whom He actually saved.
RECONCILIATION is the word we use to describe the sinner’s welcomed return to his Creator. “When we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” “And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled.”
REGENERATION, or the new birth, is the act of the Holy Spirit, whereby those who are spiritually dead are quickened or made alive. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
FORGIVENESS is something which I think that we can all understand. “Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins.” In Christ Jesus “we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.”
SANCTIFICATION is the act of God whereby the sinner is set apart from the rest of humanity – set apart to God. It’s in sanctification that sinners become “saints.” Saints are “elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.”
As to the other things that Chaffer mentions which are a different kind of means to our salvation – conviction, calling, election, predestination, faith and repentance – we’ll leave them to other messages. And to the relationship of God’s sovereignty and man’s will – those, too, we’ll have to leave until we have more time and mental alertness. But I hope that you can see that the Lord has made sure that every aspect of our salvation has been completely and adequately covered.