Understand and Believe

Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. - 1 John 4:10

I had a pastor once who said that when he came to a word in the Bible that was difficult to pronounce he would just say "big word" rather than say it incorrectly. Funny, yes, but some words just cannot be avoided.

Paul wrote that, "He (God, the Father) made the One (Jesus, the Son) who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21)." John used another word "hilasmon (English = propitiation)" to describe, in part, what Christ has done for those who believe. It's a "big word," but an important one to understand.

To put it simply, Jesus died in our place. He became sin personified and justifiably took all of God's wrath upon Himself. Indeed, by His wounds we are healed. Christ accomplished the impossible. He did that which only an omnipotent God could do. God's justice was accomplished and the way of salvation secured. Your trust in Christ and His sacrifice places you in Him and allows His sacrifice to be your very own.

Is salvation in Christ a free gift to all who believe? Yes, but understand that this gift was earned (paid for) by Someone greater than any of us. Understand and believe.

Nothing is more common than for men to think that because they are familiar with words they understand the ideas they stand for. - John Henry Newman