Articles
Jesus, Our Propitiation
On occasion, English translations of the Bible struggle to convey the thought of the original languages. This oftentimes results in the use of certain ecumenical lingo that leads to confusion and misunderstanding. Consequently, the proper comprehension of certain concepts in the Bible proves crucial to anyone espousing true faith in Christ. One of the areas in which we can prove ourselves diligent students of His Word is in studying the language used to describe what exactly Jesus performed in His life, death, resurrection, and ascension.
In the New Testament Jesus is described as being a “propitiation” for sins. “Whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins…” (Rom. 3:25). “Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people” (Heb. 2:17). “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10).
As we do not often use this word in pedestrian conversation, we must define what the word means in order to grasp how Jesus is our propitiation. To the Greeks, propitiation meant the appeasing of the gods in an effort to earn their good will. As Christians, we must recognize that we cannot appease God through our works. We are sinners and that prevents us from earning His good favor. So how then is Jesus our propitiation? Vine’s explains thus: “It is God who is propitiated by the vindication of His holy and righteous character, whereby, through the provision He has made in the vicarious and expiatory sacrifice of Christ, He has so dealt with sin that He can shew mercy to the believing sinner in the removal of his guilt and the remission of his sins” (223).
Jesus serves as our propitiation because He appeases the wrath of God on our behalf. Our sins bring upon us the wrath of God, but He appeases that fury when we appeal to Him. Remember to thank Him for that service! Moreover, remember what John stated, “And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world” (1 John 2:2). May we prove righteous by delivering that Good News imitating our Savior by seeking out those still under God’s wrath!
