Reconciliation Only by Satisfaction

The necessity.
1. Reconciliation implies a friendship existed, then destroyed, and then restored.
2. God can bestow favor ONLY on those who have satisfied His justice.
  1. If man is to have God's favor, it can only be in accordance with God's perfect justice (Ex. 23:7b; 34:7; Isa. 1:27).
  2. Salvation requires paying the full penalty for past sins AND by rendering perfect love each moment.
  3. Just the payment for sins demands death/blood (Heb. 9:22).
The satisfaction of God's justice is impossible for us.
1. Our old man by nature constantly wants to find ways to earn the favor of God.
2. But it is utterly hopeless for each sinner.
  1. First, our debt cannot be paid (even spending an eternity in hell for each sin).
  2. Second, even if hell paid for sin, it would not earn favor. It only fulfills an obligation (like paying a bill).
  3. Third, our "good works" of man are really not good and cannot satisfy God's justice for past sins and past guilt.
3. Also, no mere man could qualify as a proper substitute for us.
4. Nor can satisfaction be made for us by another creature (Nahum 1:6).
5. It is truly hopeless to look to man for the possibility of reconciliation between God and man.
God Himself provides the only possibility (Eph. 2:4,5).
1. The only kind of Mediator must meet three requirements (Matthew 1:23): very man, perfectly righteous, and very God.
2. God does everything necessary for us, including satisfying His own justice.
3. Application.