Beginner’s Guide to the New Testament’s “-TION” Words
by Michael J. Penfold
In the New Testament epistles, numerous lengthy theological terms are employed to convey what happens to a person when they become a Christian. Of course, most of us had no clue about the meaning of these terms the moment we were saved. And that’s natural: all I knew when I was born again was, “I am a guilty sinner but Jesus died for me”. But as new Christians begin to read the New Testament, they discover a whole host of things happened to them at conversion. In fact, so much happened that it is difficult to take it all in and come to a clear understanding of it all. To get you started, here is a list of 7 actions that the Lord performed simultaneously the moment you repented and believed the gospel.
- Justification. You, a guilty sinner. were declared righteous.
- Regeneration. You, a dead sinner, were made alive.
- Redemption. You, an enslaved sinner, were set free.
- Salvation. You, a lost sinner, were rescued and delivered.
- Reconciliation. You, an alienated sinner, were brought near to God.
- Sanctification. You, an unclean sinner, were made set apart by and for God.
- Adoption. You, a sinner who was an outsider, was made a son of God and a joint heir with Christ.
Here’s that list again, highlighting some further distinguishing features:
- Justification deals with my guilt, and establishes a change of legal status.
- Regeneration deals with my deadness in sin, and establishes a change of nature.
- Redemption deals with my slavery to sin, and establishes a change of ownership.
- Salvation deals with my lostness, and establishes a change of situation.
- Reconciliation deals with my alienation from God, and establishes a change of position.
- Sanctification deals with my uncleanness, and establishes a change of fitness.
- Adoption deals with my exclusion from God’s family, and establishes a change of relationship.
The one important “-tion” word missing from the lists above is ‘propitiation’. It’s not included because it is fundamentally different in this respect. While it is me who is justified, and regenerated, and redeemed, and saved, and reconciled, and sanctified and adopted, I am not the one who is propitiated. It is God who is propitiated. How and when was God propitiated? At the cross, when the Lord Jesus gave His life as a perfect sacrifice for my sins. That sacrifice appeased God’s wrath and satisfied His righteousness; which is what propitiation is. So, while propitiation is fundamentally different to justification, regeneration, redemption etc. it forms the very basis for all those actions to take place.
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