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Introduction
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In any study of a Biblical
doctrine with practical
expectations in this earthly
sojourn, a number of
questions need to be asked: |
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a) |
What does “propitiation”
mean? |
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b) |
Why is it necessary, or why
do I need it? |
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c) |
What are the qualifications
of the One who provided
propitiation? |
What Does Propitiation Mean?
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Propitiation is the term
used to
describe
God’s perfect justice being
met and God completely
satisfied. Redemption and
justification are blessings
we receive through Christ.
Propitiation is the
satisfaction God receives
through the work of Christ. |
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a) |
Redemption deals with man’s
enslavement to sin and Satan
from which he needs to be
freed to serve the Lord. |
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b) |
Justification deals with
man’s criminal record from
which he needs to be cleared
by the resurrection of the
Lord and live a
just/righteous life. |
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c) |
Propitiation deals with
God’s righteous wrath
against the sinner which
needs removed in order to
have peace and
live in the conscious peace
of God. Summarized,
propitiation is the
righteous judgment of God
which has been fully
executed by the expiating
work of Christ at Calvary,
and thereby bringing the
individual into harmony with
God. |
Why Is It Necessary, or Why Do I
Need It?
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There are two basic reasons
why propitiation is
necessary and why I need
propitiation
provided by another: |
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1) |
In my natural spiritual
state I am under the
condemnation and wrath of
God. |
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a) |
The
Scriptures
plainly teach, “God is angry
with the wicked every day” (Psa.
7:11). That wrath is
accumulating every day (Rom.
2:5) until the sinner
accepts God’s way of
salvation or dies and enters
Hell for all eternity. |
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b) |
All humanity, in their
natural born state, are
under the wrath of God,
condemned already (Jn.
3:18). This is clear when
God’s summarization of the
self blinding godless
individual (Rom. 1:18-31),
the self righteous moralist
(Rom. 2:1-16) and religious
adherent (Rom. 2:17-29) is
guilty before God.
“What then? Are we better
than they? No, in no wise:
for we have before proved
both Jews and Gentiles, that
they are all under sin; As
it is written, There is none
righteous, no, not
one: There is none that
understandeth, there is none
that seeketh after God. They
are all gone out of the way,
they are together become
unprofitable; there is none
that doeth good, no, not
one. Their throat is an open
sepulchre; with their
tongues they have used
deceit; the poison of asps
is under their lips: Whose
mouth is full of cursing and
bitterness: Their feet are
swift to shed
blood: Destruction and
misery are in their ways:
And the way of peace have
they not known: There is no
fear of God before their
eyes” (Rom 3: 9-18).
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c) |
A. Pink wrote: “The wrath of
God is His eternal
detestation of all
unrighteousness. It is the
displeasure and indignation
of Divine equity against
evil. It is the holiness of
God stirred into activity
against sin. It is the
moving cause of that just
sentence which He passes
upon evil-doers. God is
angry against sin because it
is a rebelling against His
authority, a wrong done to
His inviolable sovereignty.
Insurrectionists against God’s
government shall be made to
know that God is the Lord.
They shall be made to feel
how great that Majesty is
which they despise, and how
dreadful is that threatened
wrath which they so little
regarded. (The attributes of
God)”. |
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d) |
The unsaved stand condemned
under the wrath of God which
is: |
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i) |
A wrath that is the total
eternal forsakening by God
for that is what the Lord
endured (Mk. 15:34) |
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ii) |
A wrath that is personal (Jn.
3:36) |
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iii) |
A wrath that is proportional
for it will be according to
works (Rev. 20:12, 13) |
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iv) |
A wrath that is inescapable
(Rev. 20:11, 13) |
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2) |
The second reason why I need
propitiation provided by
another is sinful man can
never appease God’s
righteous anger against the
sinner, neither can sinful
man redeem his brother,
“None of them can by any
means redeem his brother,
nor give to God a ransom for
him” (Psa. 49:7). The
reason no natural man can
please God is, “they that
are in the flesh (an unsaved
individual) cannot please
God” (Rom. 8:8). Man cannot
change the spiritual
condition into which he was
born, just as I cannot
change my being Irish. If I
wanted to be an Italian, I
could learn Italian dress
like an Italian but all the
outward changes in the world
would never make me
Italian. Likewise,
neither by
baptism, confirmation or any
religious activity can the
condition of being under the
domination of Satan and the
wrath of God. |
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a) |
To the pagans, gods were
aspects of creation, they
saw them as angry and would
fall on them without mercy
if they did not appease
(propitiate) him. It was a
matter of diverting his
anger by offering flowers,
land, children to atone for
their wrongs. In the
doctrine
of Biblical propitiation man
never propitiates God!
Sinful humanity could never
offer to God a sacrifice
that could remove the guilt
of sins committed nor
provide forgiveness.
Biblical expiation (word not
found in the scriptures but
its truth is taught) is the
foundation for God to be
propitiated. It was a work
entirely dependent on the
Son of God at Calvary
whereby God’s justice and
righteousness is perfectly
satisfied. Through His work
on the cross Christ is our
Propitiation. I put this
another way, propitiation is
not man appeasing God. God
has provided the way by
which His wrath is appeased
righteously. By the work of
Christ on the cross He is
our Propitiation (the One
who by His sufferings
righteously stilled and
abolished the anger of God
to the entire satisfaction
of God). |
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b) |
Such is the fullness of the
eternal
efficacy
of the sacrifice of the Lord
that even those who sinned
in the Old
Testament,
i.e. David with Bathsheba,
Solomon with his
multiple
wives and idolatry, Isaiah
who acknowledged his sin as
did Job, or Moses when he
spoke inadvisably and smote
the rock a second time, all
their sins are forgiven
through the propitiatory
work of Christ. “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”
(Rom.
3:25). |
What Are The Qualifications of The
One Who Provided Propitiation?
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Man needs a “Propitiation”
and therefore a
“Propitiator” because
nothing he can do can
eradicate the fury of God
against him. How could I,
if I broke the law by
stealing,
eradicate
the guilt of that which I
had done? If while driving
foolishly I failed to watch
carefully and kill a child,
how could the damage done be
rectified? When I behave
as a rebel against God,
making God out to tell lies
and belittle the work of His
Son at Calvary, how could I
have the guilt and
disobedient actions
removed and the
God who is rebelled against
have His just anger removed? |
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a) |
That which is needed is a
human being: |
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i) |
Who was not only born holy
and sinless but lived in a
world of spiritual
defilement which
contaminated everyone else? |
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ii) |
Whose moral integrity was
beyond question and endorsed
by God from Heaven? |
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iii) |
Whose sacrifice would not be
coerced but willingly offer
Himself to have the
execution of God’s wrath
executed on Himself for the
removal of my guilt and
sins? |
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iv) |
Who would be able to present
a
sacrifice
to God that would be so
perfect, and because not a
sin was overlooked and
God’s justice and
righteousness would be
perfectly satisfied? |
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v) |
By whose sacrifice God could
make me His child,
delighting in me and that
for all eternity? |
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b) |
In the grace, mercy and love
of God such a one was
provided for me in the
Person of the Lord Jesus,
the Son of God. That
amazing and wonderful man
was not born under sin and
Satanic dominion, was never
by birth under the wrath of
God, was never because of
sin in his life ever a
candidate
for eternal damnation. |
Concluding Thoughts
Well might we sing the wondrous
truths of Charles Wesley:
And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Saviour’s
blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain—
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldest die for
me?
Refrain:
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for
me?
’Tis
myst’ry
all: thee
immortal dies:
Who can explore His strange design?
In vain the firstborn seraph tries
To sound the depths of love divine.
’Tis
mercy all! Let earth adore,
Let angel minds inquire no more.
No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in Him, is mine;
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach th’
eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ
my own.
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