The Finished Work Of Christ Examined

Feature 2 – April 2010 – Grace & Truth Magazine

The Finished Work Of Christ
EXAMINED

Many Christians shy away from a systematic study of the doctrines of the Bible. After all, just the mention of words like theology, Christology, pneumatology, anthropology, soteriology, ecclesiology, eschatology and other tongue-twisters are enough to scare anyone away. Surely a simple “What a Friend we have in Jesus” faith is all that any believer really needs. Why get hung up with all that heavy doctrine anyway? For one very good reason! Doctrine, by definition, is what the Bible teaches, and knowing what the Bible teaches is extremely important for the growing Christian.

To know the Lord Jesus as our Savior and Friend is wonderful, but there is much more to learn about our new life in Christ. God wants us to know what He has revealed about such things as the Church, angels, heaven, hell, future events, marriage, the family and many other things. That’s why the Bible is a lot bigger than a pamphlet! Big words shouldn’t scare us! They are only a formal way of categorizing what the Bible teaches about God (theology), Christ (Christology), the Holy Spirit (pneumatology), man (anthropology), salvation (soteriology), the Church (ecclesiology), the future (eschatology), etc.

It’s true that the study of doctrine can get pretty heavy. But coming to understand more of what God has revealed in Holy Scripture means coming to know more of God Himself.

An Important Doctrine
For instance, the finished work of Christ is an area of doctrine that is often misunderstood or only partially understood by many Christians. Formally, this subject falls under the category of soteriology, that is, what the Bible teaches about salvation. Briefly it is that the salvation of mankind from the consequences of sin is both free and costly at the same time. On the one hand, salvation is a free gift to anyone who entrusts himself by faith to the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Savior. But on the other hand, salvation is costly because it required the sacrificial death of the Son of God.

It is this aspect of salvation that is referred to as “the finished work of Christ” (Jn. 19:30). It is not the miraculous birth of Christ or His perfect life that is chiefly in view in this phrase. The finished work of Christ refers primarily to His death on the cross. That is where the judgment of God against our sin was endured by Christ, who became our substitute in order to become our Savior. He was not our Savior until He suffered and died for our sins on the cross.

The New Testament uses three key words to describe the finished work of Christ: propitiation, redemption and reconciliation. Try reciting a definition of each of these words to see if you thoroughly understand what the Bible teaches about the finished work of Christ. Not that easy, right?

Propitiation
Let’s start with propitiation. Some references in the New Testament where this word is used are Romans 3:25, Hebrews 2:17, 1 John 2:2 and 4:10. The word “propitiation” comes from the Greek (the original language of the New Testament) word which basically means “to satisfy wrath by sacrifice.” The ancient pagan Greeks used this word when they spoke of appeasing their gods or doing something to obtain the favor of the gods. However, these ideas are not found in the Bible. God is not a bloodthirsty god who needs to be appeased. The idea of placating a vengeful god is totally foreign to Scripture. The Bible teaches that God is love and desires to have fellowship with man. But God is also holy and righteous. Therefore He cannot just sweep sin under the rug and say, “Boys will be boys!” In fact, the Bible teaches that God’s wrath is directed against sin (Rom. 1:18). And the righteous laws of God in this moral universe which He has created demand that the “penalty of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). Before God’s mercy could be extended to man, something had to be done to remove the blockade of sin as well as satisfy the righteous claims of God’s wrath against sin.

Of course, man is helpless at this point. There is nothing that he can do by himself to win the favor of God. The pagan idea of doing something religious to gain the favor of the gods is not even hinted at in the New Testament. God already favors man, as John 3:16 clearly states. But the question of God’s wrath and judgment against sin must be settled and the barrier of man’s sin taken away before the free benefits of salvation can be offered to him. This is precisely where Christ is the propitiation for our sins. Because He sacrificially suffered the righteous judgment of God against sin, Christ not only died to take away man’s sin, but He thus satisfied (propitiated) God’s wrath against sin.

Redemption
Redemption is another aspect of the “In Him finished work of we have Christ. Read the following New Testament verses which deal with redemption: Galatians 3:13, 4:5, Ephesians 1:7, Titus 2:14, 1 Peter 1:18-19. There are several Greek words translated as “redeem.” In New Testament times these words referred particularly to slavery. Together these words give us the concept of redemption. To redeem means “to buy out of and remove from the market in order to set free.” In the context of salvation, redemption refers to the finished work of Christ in setting us free from the bondage of slavery to sin with all its awful connections and consequences.

In redemption not only have we been bought back and set free from the slave-market of sin, but we have been placed as sons into the family of God. This is certainly a step further than emancipation. The word “adoption” in Galatians 4:5 does not refer to adoption as we know it today, but rather to the Roman adoption ceremony whereby a true son was recognized as having all the rights, privileges and dignity of a son who had come of age. As redeemed sinners, this is our present position in God’s family. How about that for grace!

Although we did not pay silver or gold (1 Pet. 1:18), we must remember that the cost of our redemption was high. The ransom price was the precious blood of Christ. There is no teaching in the Bible that the ransom was paid to Satan, as some have suggested. This notion is pushing the background of the slave-market too far. The ransom price was simply what the righteous government of God demanded for our release from the effects of sin (Heb. 9:22). Have you ever thanked Jesus for the ransom He was willing to pay for you?

Reconciliation
Reconciliation completes the three-part definition of the finished work of Christ. Propitiation, which deals with the wrath of God, is the “God-ward” aspect of the work. Redemption is concerned with our enslavement and entrapment by sin, and is thus the “sin-ward” aspect of Christ’s work. Reconciliation is the “man-ward” aspect of the finished work of Christ because it directly relates to our fellowship with God. The word “reconciliation” is used in Romans 5:10, 2 Corinthians 5:18-20 and Colossians 1:20-22. The basic meaning of the word as determined from the Greek language is “to change completely.” In reference to salvation, reconciliation is the act by which God brings man into a completely changed relationship with Himself – from enmity, hostility and alienation, to friendship, harmony and fellowship. Notice that reconciliation is a one-way act of God towards man and does not involve the idea of mutual concession between God and man. There is no “He gives a little and we give a little,” as in marriage reconciliation. Remember that God does not need to change His attitude towards us or meet us halfway. We are the guilty party – unloving, self-willed and hostile (Col. 1:21). We need to be changed completely, not God.

A wonderful illustration of reconciliation is seen in our Lord’s story of the lost son in Luke 15:11-32. When the son repented and acknowledged his guilt to the father, he was brought back into a happy and harmonious fellowship with the father. He was not just forgiven and allowed back on the property; he was welcomed back into the family with open arms and celebration!

The finished work of Christ is universal in its scope. Look closely at 1 John 2:2 and 2 Corinthians 5:19 and you will see that Christ’s death was sufficient to take care of all the sins of the whole world – unlimited in its coverage and provision. But that does not mean that everyone is automatically saved. The finished work of Christ is only in effect for those who believe. Think of the United States Military “GI Bill” as an illustration. Unlimited government funds were available so that all qualified military personnel could get a college education at government expense. But payments were only effective for those who actually signed up and went to school. It was sufficient and provided for all, but only in effect for those who claimed it!

Appreciation
A greater appreciation for the finished work of Christ will result as we come to a fuller understanding of propitiation, redemption and reconciliation. And what blessing for the growing Christian to first realize, and then rest in Christ!

By David R. Reid