Propitiation, Redemption and Righteousness

Here is a summary of Particular Reconciliation and General Reconciliation

Particular Reconciliation:
(1) God preselected folks for salvation before creation
(2) Christ came and died for those folks - limited atonement
(3) God gives those folks faith in Christ, then accepts their faith and places them in Christ.

General Reconciliation
(1) God selected Christ to redeem mankind before creation. Therefore those chosen and placed in Christ during their lifetime through belief in the truth were corporately chosen as the target group of His redemption plan before the foundation of the world.
(2) Christ came and died for mankind in general but not specifically for each individual.
(3) God chooses folks and places them in Christ after accepting their faith and reckoning it as righteousness.

The first point of difference centers on the meaning of Ephesians 1:4 which says we (born again believers) were chosen in Him before the foundation of the world. Particular Reconciliation maintains that being chosen in Him means being chosen as foreseen individuals. General Reconciliation maintains that being chosen in Him means Christ was chosen to be the Lamb of God before the foundation of the world and anyone subsequently redeemed by the Lamb was corporately chosen when He was chosen individually, because you do not choose a Redeemer without a plan to redeem, thus everyone to be redeemed was corporately chosen when His Redeemer was chosen.

The second point of difference centers on the meaning of 1 John 2:2 which says He is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the whole world. Particular Reconciliation maintains that Jesus is the propitiation not only for elect Jews but also for elect Gentiles. General Reconciliation maintains that Christ is the propitiation not only for believers, but also for everybody else, the whole world. Propitiation means that God’s acceptance of Christ’s sacrifice provides the means of salvation, the mechanism of reconciliation. When God puts a believer spiritually in Christ they “receive” the reconciliation provided by Christ’s sacrifice.

The third point of difference centers on the meaning of Romans 4:5 which says but to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness. Particular Reconciliation maintains the “his faith” was supernaturally given to him by God because the unregenerate are spiritually unable to trust in Christ. General Reconciliation maintains “his faith” is the individual’s trust in Christ, because if it were God’s gift of faith, it would not need to be reckoned as righteousness.

 

Redemption for salvation from the wrath of God is accomplished by transferring an individual from the realm of darkness into Christ's spiritual body where they undergo the washing of regeneration. Thus it is the divine act of salvation, solely the action of God without any contribution from the chosen individual.

Many different words are used to indicate the divine action to relocate a person's spirit out of being "in Adam" and into being "in Christ." People are baptized into Christ, Romans 6:3. They are transferred in the Beloved Son's kingdom, Colossians 1:13. They are chosen through the sanctification by the Spirit, 2 Thessalonians 2:13 or chosen by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, 1 Peter 1:1-2. They are called into the marvelous light, 1 Peter 2:9. John refers to this action with the phrase "believes in Him" (John 3:16, John 3:18 and John 6:40) or believes in the Son, John 3:36, or "believes in Me," John 6:35, John 7:38, John 11:25, John 11:26, John 12:44, John 12:46, and John 14:12.

Anytime we see "in Him," or "in Christ," or "in the Beloved," referring to our spiritual location, redemption has already occurred.

 

John 6:37 NET
Everyone whom the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will never send away.

Once again we see redemption clothed in the phrase "gives Me." Note that in the next phrase, will come to Me, uses a word best translated as "arrives," thus everyone the Father gives to Me will arrive at or within Me referring to the goal of the action.

And the "one who comes to Me," might indicate the "one who enters into fellowship with Me." And of course those given and placed within Christ will never be cast out, requiring the "one" entered Christ locationally, in order to not be cast out.

Once redeemed, always redeemed!