Basics Series. Soteriology, part 15.

The Doctrine of Soteriology
(Salvation)

pay the penalty for sin.

remove the guilt of sin.

satisfy the justice of God.

end the enmity and restore peace.

The blood of Christ - His substitutionary spiritual death on the cross - provided redemption, expiation, propitiation, and reconciliation for every man.

PROPITIATION = SATISFACTION. The justice of God is completely satisfied with the Person and Work of Christ. It is the GODWARD side of the cross.

RECONCILIATION = the removal of the barrier between God and man. Man is restored to PEACE with God. It is the MAN AS ENEMY side of the cross.

JUSTIFICATION = It is the legal act of God whereby He declares the ungodly believer RIGHTEOUS because He has imputed to the believer His perfect righteousness.
It means VINDICATION.

DEFINITION
AND DESCRIPTION

Reconciliation is God’s peace treaty with the entire human race.

Reconciliation is the removal of the barrier that separated God from man and prevented man from approaching God.

The doctrine of reconciliation explains the removal of the barrier between God and mankind through the salvation work of our Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross.

It is a complete and thorough change accomplished by the actual removal of the cause of enmity, so making reconciliation. [Chafer]

Man is reconciled to God, not vice versa.
God is NEVER said to be reconciled to mankind.

2CO 5:18
Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,

Reconciliation flows directly out of propitiation.

The propitiation, the place of the acceptable, pleasing sacrifice, which is the body of Christ, becomes the place of reconciliation, where God will meet with His children.

ROM 3:25-26 says that Jesus Christ was
publicly displayed as the mercy seat, the place of the propitiation (or satisfaction) of
God’s justice.

The place where we are to meet with God is through the Person of Jesus Christ, our Mercy Seat. He is the Mediator between God and man (1TI 2:5).

Reconciliation (in relation to the world): the removal of the barrier between God and man, replacing enmity with PEACE.

Reconciliation means a change of relationship from hostility to peace between two parties.

DOCUMENTATION

There is a key passage in Romans, and it focuses on reconciliation from the perspective of what happened at the cross.

The passage in 2 Corinthians looks at reconciliation from the point of view of its results including the resultant ministry of reconciliation.

The passage in Ephesians looks at reconciliation from the standpoint of the body of Christ: how it brings the church into being.

The passage in Colossians talks about reconciliation in view of the ultimate glorification of Christ the Son of God and King of Kings.