Articles
Propitiation
There are a number of words and related concepts in the new testament that give meaning to the death of Jesus: redemption, forgiveness, justification, reconciliation, etc. But one word that may be especially challenging is propitiation (pro-pih-she-ay-shun). The word is found four times; let’s note what each passage says about this idea:
1) Romans 3:25 – “Whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed …”.
Vine notes on the Gk. word hilasterion: “It is used of Christ Himself; the RV text and punctuation in this verse are important: ‘whom God set forth to be a propitiation, through faith, by His blood.’ … Christ, through His expiatory death, is the Personal means by whom God shows the mercy of His justifying grace to the sinner who believes. His ‘blood’ stands for the voluntary giving up of His life, by the shedding of His blood in expiatory sacrifice, under Divine judgment righteously due to us as sinners, faith being the sole condition on man’s part.”
Paul’s whole flow of thought thus far in Romans is to convict all men – Jew, Gentile, moralist, rank heathen – of sin and thus subject to the judicial wrath of God (Rom 1:18, 32; 2:1-11, 17-24; 3:9-18, 23). Having established the need for a remedy for sin, he now introduces Christ as that solution (3:24). The gospel – “good news” – is that God has provided a pathway out of divine, eternal wrath. It is a way that He made available; it is not the result of our scheme, ingenuity or merit-based proposals or offering to Him. Rather, Jesus is the one “whom God set forth.” The Gk. word protithemi suggests both purpose and the public display of something. In this case Jesus’ sacrifice was the eternal purpose of God and the public notification, via the cross itself and the indestructible word of God that portrays it to the world, of the redemptive price for the sinner paid by God.
Takeaway: We desperately need what God offers to us in Jesus. We stand condemned in our sins, and if we die without availing ourselves of Jesus’ atoning blood, we face eternal banishment from God in hell.
2) Hebrews 2:17 – “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.”
The emphasis in Hebrews is different from Romans. The major thrust of Hebrews is the role that Jesus alone plays as the high priest for all mankind in securing our forgiveness before God. The author stresses the superiority of Christ to the Levitical priesthood, tying His priesthood to that of Melchizedek rather than Levi and, by extension, the whole Mosaic system. The change of priesthood, he argues, indicates an entire change of covenant (cf. Heb 7:11-19), one in which the true, effective sacrifice was made for our sins by the very One who serves us as high priest.
Of special note is the phrase, “He had to be made like His brethren.” High priests were human representatives of sinful people: “Every high priest taken from among men is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. He can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also beset by weakness” (Heb 5:1-2). Following this pattern, Jesus had to share human nature, but with one major difference: While He knew temptation, He did not know transgression. But he understands our plight.
Takeaway: There is no other religious system, including the Law of Moses, that can offer man what he most desperately needs: “But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore, He is able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He ever lives to make intercession for them” (7:24-25). We must not be deceived in chasing the false promises of bogus religious movements.
3) 1 John 2:2 – “And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.”
In the preceding verse John introduces another aspect of Jesus’ redemptive work on our behalf: “And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (2:1). Vine on the Gk. parakletos: “Lit. ‘called to one’s side,’ i.e., to one’s aid … suggests the capability or adaptability for giving aid. It was used in a court of justice to denote a legal assistant, counsel for the defense, an advocate; then, generally, one who pleads another’s cause, an intercessor …”. Again, Jesus wears more than one hat: High Priest, Advocate, sacrifice all in one. How could we stand alone before the eternal Creator-God, whose power and purity are so perfect and infinite that sinners are disallowed in His presence? We can’t, unless we have effective representation that gives us standing. And we do – Jesus Christ “the righteous.” We have no right to appear before God for anything, but in Jesus we can approach without fear: “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus … let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith …” (Heb 10:19-21).
Takeaway: Let us not take this great gift lightly thinking that no matter what we do Jesus will cover it. Again, John said in 1 Jn 2:1, “My little children, these things I write to you, that you may not sin. And if anyone sins …”. We need to accept that in our weak constitution we will sin, but that does not mitigate the heinousness and deadliness of sin. Sin is to be avoided, but if it overtakes us we have a remedy.
4) 1 John 4:10 – “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.”
It is truly difficult to wrap our heads around the concept of God’s love. In fact, it sometimes challenges our rational thought so as to create ambivalence. On the one hand, we intellectually know God loves us, for so Scripture declares. But on the other hand, why should he love someone like me?! Our self-loathing and insecurity often clash with desperation for hope in a God from whom we deserve nothing but death and punishment.
Takeaway: The word “propitiation” is used to address this very conundrum. We will never understand the full sense of God’s love for us, but we can understand the historical reality of Jesus’ incarnation and death. In other words, we can understand what God did easier than we can understand what He said. Propitiation is a word we need to know and treasure.
