This world is found 3 times in the scripture. Rom. 3:25, I Jn. 2:2, 4:10
Romans 3:25 – Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
1 John 2:2 – And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
1 John 4:10 – Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
This doctrine should not be taken lightly, it should make a perfect sense to a believer. It is a powerful truth in the Scripture and a powerful doctrine about salvation and exactly how we get it.
This little word has a special significance, and God is trying to teach us something very important.
The Meaning of Propitiation
Propitiation means to satisfy the demands for justice. Propitiation teaches us that man is a sinner and that God hates sin because God is righteous and holy. Therefore, sin must be judged and judgment was assigned to the sinners. The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men (Romans 1:18).
However, Jesus Christ stood between the sinner and the wrath of God. Jesus Christ took that wrath upon himself, paid the price of our judgment, and satisfied the holy demands of God. It means Jesus Christ completely satisfied God’s demand for the righteous judgment of our sin. He appeased the exploding wrath of God upon sin.
The Need for Propitiation
If there is no real propitiation God would be offended by our sin and would demand that we pay the penalty for it. But the problem is that there is nothing and nobody can satisfy God’s wrath and judgment for sin.
1. Because of the sinfulness of man.
In all of the places where propitiation is mentioned, the context is dealing with sin (Romans 3:25; 1 John 2:2; 4:10). The trouble is that man is under the three-fold sentence of sin:
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Man is a sinner by Nature – needs imputed righteousness
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Man is a sinner by Practice – needs forgiveness
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Man is a sinner by divine judicial sentence (Gal. 3:22) – needs justification
So sin must be dealt with. Sin must be punished. Sin must be judged (Romans 5:12,18; 6:23). So we see that propitiation takes care and deals with our sins.
2. Because of the Absolute Holiness of God.
In Isaiah 6:3, the seraphim cried out “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of host.” “Whose name is Holy” (Isa. 57:15).
Holiness means that God has no blemish, or wickedness, or sin. To God, everything is pure, holy, and righteous. He shines with a brilliant light that would strike and destroy us the very second we saw Him (Hab. 1:13; Job 25:4-6).
Even the stars are not pure in God’s sight; the heavens are not clean in His sight (Job 15:15). How can man be pure in his sight? “how much less man, that is a worm” (Job 25:6). Even the very righteousness of man is as filthy rags (Isa. 64:6), compare to the extreme holiness of God.
3. Because of God’s righteous demand for justice.
God demands that sin must be fully judged. The payment for sin must be made. He cannot “just forgive” without serving His justice because His own righteousness is at stake.
God is absolutely righteous. As such, God demands the sinful actions be paid for by righteous judgment. Righteousness must be satisfied, and one of the demands of righteousness is justice –Psalm 9:7-8; 19:9; 97:2; 119:137; Hebrews 1:9.
So the only way God can be consistent with Himself is to fully execute all judgment and justice in a righteous way. He cannot just overlook our sins.
4. Because there is no sacrifice and offering that could appease God forever.
There was no real propitiation in the animal sacrifices (Hebrews 10:1-6). Those sacrifices could not take away sins. They could only cover it (Heb. 9, 10). They had to be offered continually because there was no offering yet available which could take the sins away. He established them to show man that he is a sinner, that sin requires payment (death), and that the payment could be paid by a substitute (Hebrews 10:5-8). These sacrifices continued for hundreds of years, yet the thousands of animals offered could not permanently satisfy God’s wrath. They were to prepare mankind for the one to come who could (Romans 3:20; Galatians 3:24).
The Provision of Propitiation
When the fullness of time had come (Gal. 4:4), God sent to earth the only person in the universe who could propitiate His wrath for eternity. It was His only begotten son (John 1:18). He came to shed His sinless blood and die a substitutionary death to take away the sins of the world (John 1:29). Jesus took the place of the world, and God poured the entire wrath He had towards the world out on Him. His one sacrifice fully made amends for all its sins (Romans 3:25; Hebrews 9:12, 26, 10:12).
God, through Jesus Christ, appeased his own wrath against the sinner by paying the penalty His justice demanded Himself. God, foreseeing the cross, is declared righteous in forgiving sins in the Old Testament period as well as in justifying sinners under the new testament (Rom. 3:25, 26). Propitiation is not just appeasing of a vengeful God but also satisfying the righteousness of a holy God, thereby making it possible for Him to show mercy without compromising His righteousness or justice.
1. Propitiation is Universal (1 John 2:2).
It is offered to all men. When Jesus Christ died on the cross, he tasted death for every man (Heb. 2:9). He offered Himself as a sacrifice to satisfy the wrath and justice of God against every man (1 Tim. 4:10; 2:4-6; 2 Cor. 5:14-15).
2. God’s Propitiation is offered because of Love (1 John 4:10).
This propitiatory work of Christ is motivated by his great love for us (Eph. 2:4; 5:2; Titus 3:4-6; Romans 5:8; Gal. 2:20; 1 John 3:16). His great love for us initiated redemptive plan. There have never been any instances in the history of mankind where man loved God before God loved man, The only reason we love God is because He loved us first (1 John 4:19).
3. Propitiation is offered by the shed blood of Christ (Romans 3:25).
It is the shed blood of Christ that God set forth to be the propitiation. It is through faith in His blood that we received the gift of propitiation. The sinner must believe that the blood of Christ satisfied God against our sins and trust in that blood payment. It is now the sole basis of God’s acceptance for sinners.
4. Propitiation satisfied the wrath of God against sin (Isa. 53:3-11).
Appeasing God’s wrath requires the pouring out of the wrath of God upon sin. God’s own Son was not spared (Romans 8:32), He took our place, and was made sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21). Christ experienced the awful judgment of God upon sin when he took our sins in Himself (1 Peter 3:18).
Because of propitiation God is now free (without restraint) to forgive, to accept, to pardon, to reconcile, and to justify anybody who trust Christ without compromising His holiness, righteousness, and justice.
Because of propitiation, sin is forever banished, and God is forever satisfied! The judgment and wrath of God against sin is no longer an issue.
And now, there is nothing apart from Christ that God could accept a sinner unto Himself. For the propitiatory work of Christ done at the cross is the sole basis that God can receive sinful men.
Though Jesus died for the whole world, the whole world will not be saved (Matthew 7:13-14). Each individual must personally put his faith on Christ’s propitiatory sacrifice for His atonement to apply to him (Eph. 1:13). Under the law God showed mercy at the mercy seat. Now, Jesus Christ is the mercy seat—the place of atonement. The only way a person can receive atonement for his sins is to go to the mercy seat (Christ) and accept His work in his behalf. The believer will never experience God’s wrath; the sacrifice of his indwelling substitute (Christ) has eternally satisfied the Lord and His law’s curse against him (Galatians 3:13).
Evangelist Rodgie Quirante
The Workman’s Treasure Study Series