Series: The Judged
Message: Guilty Go Free
Preacher: Elia King
Reflection: Elia King
Live Wonder: Jessyka Albert
Live Adventure: Jessyka Albert
Live Purpose: Japhet De Oliveira
Editor: Becky De Oliveira

Refresh: Begin with prayer. Ask for the Holy Spirit to open your heart to new understanding and for God’s character to be revealed.

Read: Romans 3:21-31 in the New International Version (NIV). Note 1–3 insights or questions. 

Reflect: Have you ever wondered how the whole salvation thing works? There are lots of different theories, each with its own merits and challenges. Some seem fairly logical, while others seem really far-fetched. For example, why did Jesus have to die in order to satisfy the wrath of God? Couldn’t God have set up the universe in such a way that no one had to die just because we didn’t follow the rules? These kinds of questions fall into a special kind of category with others like “Could God create a rock so heavy He couldn’t lift it?” This is not because they are not questions worth pursuing, but because working out the answers might very well take the course of an entire lifetime (and for some, it has). And for today, anyway, we have only a few paragraphs in which to provide possible answers.

For many of us, understanding the complexity of the plan of salvation might be like my own understanding (and please forgive the rather simple example) of how the engine in my car operates. There are people who could explain it from many different angles and who understand the mechanics of it all. But in the end, what is vitally important to me is not how it works but that it works.

Now before you are tempted to think that I am preaching heresy, or that I am suggesting that doctrine is not important, let me suggest that I might be in good company by way of a story that the Gospel writer John once told about a blind man who was healed. A common theory at the time was that physical disability was the result of sin. Maybe it was something you did wrong. Maybe you were being punished for your parents’ offenses. After the man was healed, the leaders of the religious community—who also conveniently had to certify that he was indeed healed, and hence forgiven—were trying to determine what had caused his disability. Was it his fault? Were his parents to blame? And how did this Jesus guy get away with healing, and by extension, forgiving him?

In the middle of their debate, the man’s statement seems a little . . . well, simple, really. “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see” (John 9:25, ESV).

There are many more educated people than I who seem to agree that whatever the mechanics of the cross, no matter how it all works behind the scenes, Paul’s letter to the church in Rome is a clear summation of the Gospel, and a reminder that we are not saved by our own works, but by the gracious gift of God in the blood of Jesus Christ. None of us deserves it, but somehow we are all eligible to receive it.

Recalibrate: What is one area in your life where the same rules don’t seem to apply to everyone? Do you think that is by God’s design or the result of the world in which we live?

Respond: Pray today for the ability to rest in the gift of the cross of Jesus, and to extend the same kind of grace to those around you.

Research: Look into how various cultures have explained disabilities and illnesses throughout history.

Remember: “God makes people right with himself through their faith in Jesus Christ. This is true for all who believe in Christ, because all people are the same” (Romans 3:22, NCV). 

Elia King is a singer, songwriter, designer, and guitarist, who has been leading music in worship settings around the world for more than two decades. He owns Trail Ridge Printing, a screen printing company in Estes Park, CO, and is worship leader at Boulder Adventist Church. Elia graduated with a BA in religion from Andrews University in 2004. He is married to Dena, owner of The Grey House—a mountain boutique—and they have two children, Ellie and Anderson.

If the weather is nice, go outside with your child and pick some flowers, grass, or leaves to make a bouquet. Ask which way is the best way to present a bouquet of flowers. To the side? Upside down? Or right side up? All separated laying on the ground? Turn the flowers every which way. Talk to your child about how sin caused us to be upside down and have flowers sticking out all over the place, but Jesus brings us all back together and turns us upright into a beautiful bouquet of flowers.

Let’s make a snack! We’re going to make apple slices that look like donuts! Write down this recipe: bananas, orange juice, and goldfish. Does that sound right? Do you think our recipe is going to get us the snack we want to make? No way! Just like God makes us right with Him, let’s make this recipe right. You’ll need apples cut into circles or rings, peanut butter or frosting, and sprinkles or some kind of cut-up candy or fruit as a topping! Isn’t the snack much better now that we got the recipe right?

Propitiation is a hard word to process for some. You might want to look it up in the dictionary and see what it means. I am saddened by that definition, as it really goes against everything I know of the character of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. I really hope you do not believe that you need to appease God—that any member of the Godhead is so upset that they need you to calm them down. God is love. This message is evident on every page of the Bible. God is patient. God is kind. God wants nothing more than to be able to restore us and this planet to the original creation plan. He wants to see death and pain come to an end.

So what is going on here and what does it mean for us today? The Greek word that has been translated as propitiation is hilasterion (you can pronounce it pretty much the way you see it). It means a place of reconciliation. It is what brings us together. Do you remember stories from the First Testament about the sacrificial system at the temples? The blood that was poured on the altars was a symbol. Check out how Paul connects all the dots for us. For thousands of years, the Hebrew people understand that blood was the symbol of redemption. When they were “redeemed” from Egypt in that huge Exodus story, they sprinkled blood on their doorposts and ate the Passover meal. Jesus came to earth and at the Passover meal, He told the disciples that the covenant justice agreement with Abraham was still on. “You know this meal we are eating?” He asked. “Well, I am the living reality you have been waiting for. I am Daniel 9 and Isaiah 53 in reality.” Paul tells us that it all happens in Jesus and through Jesus. What was the place in the First Testament that they all knew—where it all came together? It was called the Mercy Seat on the Ark of the Covenant. So you could say that mercy is based on the relationship promise of Jesus. I know that is a lot to take in. Drop me a line if you want to explore this more, or ask your elders or pastors for some help. Here is what you need to think about: What do you want to be rescued from?