In Scripture, is the restoration of harmony between two persons at variance, by the removal of existing obstacles. In the far more important matter of peace with God, to make human salvation possible, a just God must be reconciled to the sinner, and the rebellious sinner be reconciled to God. This reconciliation is effected by the blood of the Spirit.

Romans 5:10 "For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!"

The word creation is not always used in the same sense in the Bible. In the strict sense of the word it denotes that work of God by which He producers the world and all that is in it, partly without the use of pre-existent materials, and partly out of material that is by its nature unfit, for the manifestation of His glory. It is represented as a work of the triune God, Gen. 1:2; Job 26:13; 38:4; Ps. 33:6; Isa. 40:12, 13; John 1:3; I Cor. 8:6; Col. 1:15-17. Over against Pantheism we must maintain that it was a free act of God. He did not need the world. Eph. 1:11; Rev. 4:11. And over against Deism, that He created the world so that it always remains dependent on Him. He must uphold it from day to day, Acts 17:28; Heb. 1:3.

A forensic term, opposed to condemnation. As regards its nature, it is the judicial act of God, by which he pardons all the sins of those who believe in Christ, and accounts, accepts, and treats them as righteous in the eye of the law, i.e., as conformed to all its demands. In addition to the pardon (q.v.) of sin, justification declares that all the claims of the law are satisfied in respect of the justified. It is the act of a judge and not of a sovereign. The law is not relaxed or set aside, but is declared to be fulfilled in the strictest sense; and so the person justified is declared to be entitled to all the advantages and rewards arising from perfect obedience to the law (Romans 5:1-10).

Christ is "the propitiation," because by his becoming our substitute and assuming our obligations he expiated our guilt, covered it, by the vicarious punishment which he endured.

1 John 4:7-11 "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. "

Imputed righteousness is the Protestant solution to a "divine predicament." On the one hand, God is infinitely merciful, "not wishing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9). On the other, God is infinitely holy and just, which means that he cannot approve of or even look upon evil (Hab. 1:13), neither can he justify a wicked person (Prov. 17:15). Because the Bible describes all men as sinners and says that there are none who are righteous (Rom. 3:23, 10), these two "competing" traits in God's nature appear to put him in a dilemma. To use the words of the apostle Paul, how can God be "just and the justifier of those who believe (Rom. 3:26)?" Through this argument God cannot ignore or in any way overlook sin.

Protestants' answer to this dilemma is the imputed righteousness. First of all, they note that the New Testament describes the method of man's salvation as the "righteousness of God" (Rom. 3:21, 22; 10:3; Phil. 3:9). They then note that this "righteousness" is more particularly that of the second member of the Trinity, Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Cor. 1:30). When they refer to the "imputed righteousness of Christ," they are referring to his life of sinlessness and perfect obedience to God's law on this earth. The need for a human life of perfect obedience to God's law was the reason, they claim, that Christ had to live as a human being for a certain period of time. Paul's statement in Rom. 4:6, that God "imputes righteousness apart from works," bolsters the fourth step in their argument that this righteousness of Christ is imputed to our accounts. By this terminology they mean that God legally credits the believer with the righteous acts that Christ performed while on this earth. This is not a "legal fiction," they argue just as adoption is not a legal fiction. Adoption legally constitutes a child the son or daughter of a person that is not that child's birth parent. Similarly, in marriage the married partners are considered one entity legally. When a sinner believes in Christ, they are spiritually united with Christ, and that union makes it possible for God to credit believers with the righteousness of Christ without engaging in "legal fiction."

This is of fundamental importance in Christianity, both historically and doctrinally. As a fact indisputable proved, it was the crowning demonstration of the truth of all Christ’s claims, 1 Corinthians 15:14-18. He had repeatedly foretold it; and his enemies were careful to ascertain that he was actually dead, and to guard his tomb for additional security. Yet he rose from the dead on the third day, and appeared on eleven different occasions to numerous witnesses, convincing even those who were the most doubtful, and after forty days ascended to heaven from the mount of Olives. To this all-important fact the apostles gave great prominence in their preaching.

Acts 1:22 2:24-32 4:33 10:40,41. In its relation to Christian doctrine it stands as a rock of strength, assuring us of God’s acceptance of the expiatory Sacrifice, of Christ’s triumphant accomplishment of the work of redemption, and of his raising to immortal life the souls and bodies of his people. He was buried under the load of our offences; but he rose again, almighty to justify and save us. His dying proved the greatness of his love; his rising again shows that his love had secured its object.

Total depravity does not mean, however, that people are as bad as possible. Rather, it means that even the good which a person may intend is faulty in its premise, false in its motive, and weak in its implementation; and there is no mere refinement of natural capacities that can correct this condition. Although total depravity is easily confused with philosophical cynicism, the doctrine teaches optimism concerning God's love for what he has made and God's ability to accomplish the ultimate good that he intends for his creation.

Romans 3:10-11 "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God."