Salvation (continued)

4. RECONCILIATION ... I WAS AND CAN BE CHANGED. This is a change directed toward man. It makes man acceptable to God. Reconciliation brings two into harmony ... makes them compatible again. God did not change. He does not need to change. Man needs to be changed. At the cross, mankind was changed ... made savable. We are changed individually when we believe. Then we are given the ministry and word of reconciliation ... to share the Gospel with the lost people of our world.

"For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life." Romans 5:10

"Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God." 2 Corinthians 5:18-20

5. IMPUTATION ... DOUBLE TRANSFER. Upon belief in Christ, all of our sin is transferred to Him ... and all of His righteousness is transferred to us. The sinless Christ became sin on our behalf ... and we, the unrighteous ones, were given His righteousness.

"He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."  2 Corinthians 5:21

"And He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed." 1 Peter 2:24

6. JUSTIFICATION ... GOD DECLARED ME RIGHTEOUS. Justification is a declaration of righteousness. It is God's pronouncement that we are right in our standing before Him. The cross makes us righteous. Justification declares that we are righteous. As a part of our salvation, we are justified by Christ's work on the cross. After we have been saved, our resultant good works justify us ... they declare our salvation, James 2:24.

"Being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus." Romans 3:24

"Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 5:1

"So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, so even through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous." Romans 5:18-19

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Disciplemaking 1, copyright 2003, is available free from www.MyDisciplemaker.org where you can study online or print free copies. You may copy this course, any any part of it, for free or at-cost distribution ... without change to the content ... and with this copyright policy attached. Published by www.ActsOneEight.org. Bible Quotations are from the NASB unless noted.