📖 Biblical Definition
In biblical theology, appropriation is the act of personally receiving and making one's own the benefits of Christ's atonement through faith. Salvation is not merely an objective fact — it must be subjectively appropriated. "To all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12). Paul speaks of "the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). The gospel must be personally appropriated — received, believed, and lived — not merely acknowledged.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
The act of setting apart or assigning to a particular use or person; application to a special use or purpose.
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APPROPRIA'TION, n. 1. The act of setting apart or assigning to a particular use or person, in exclusion of all others. 2. Application to a special use or purpose; as, an appropriation of revenue to the support of schools. Note: Webster understood appropriation as the legitimate act of designating something for a specific purpose. The modern pejorative "cultural appropriation" did not exist.
📖 Key Scripture
• John 1:12 — "To all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God."
• Galatians 2:20 — "The life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
• Romans 10:9-10 — "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart... you will be saved."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
"Cultural appropriation" has become a weapon to police cultural exchange and fragment the unity Christ creates.
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The modern concept of "cultural appropriation" treats cultures as proprietary systems that can be "stolen" by outsiders who adopt their practices, dress, food, or art. This framework is antithetical to the gospel, which breaks down cultural walls and creates a new humanity from every tribe and tongue. When Paul became "all things to all people" (1 Corinthians 9:22), he was practicing the opposite of cultural gatekeeping. The gospel appropriates — it takes the riches of Christ and applies them to every culture, transforming them from within. The "cultural appropriation" framework is tribal thinking that fragments what Christ unifies.
Usage
• "Biblical appropriation is the act of personally receiving Christ's salvation by faith — making His righteousness your own through belief."
• "The gospel is the ultimate act of appropriation — God takes sinners from every culture and makes them His own people, united in Christ."