Topic #25 The Third Claim – The Amazing Cure – Part 3

1 John 2:2

and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours alone [believers], but also for the sins of the entire world [of unbelieving humanity].

Review

As we continue with the verses that demonstrate God's cure for sin, propitiation becomes our next subject, "And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins." There are a number of features in the Doctrine of Propitiation; however, in this lesson, we will seek only a brief definition. For a more extensive study, see the Doctrine section of openthewordoftruth.com. We recommend:

The Doctrine of Propitiation [ click here ] and the companion exegetical studies on critical references in the doctrine -the exegetical studies of Romans 3:25,26 [ click here ] and Hebrews 2:16,17 [ click here] .

I. The Definition of Propitiation

At the heart of the doctrine of propitiation is the idea of satisfaction. Dr. Seume writes:

Propitiation is concerned with the satisfaction of the righteous and holy demands of an infinite God with respect to sin. ¹

Righteousness Must Be Satisfied

Propitiation focuses not on man or sin, but God’s character. Paul teaches that propitiation is a “demonstration of His [The Father’s] righteousness, Romans 3:25,26.

Romans 3:25, 26

whom [Christ Jesus] God the Father displayed publicly [on the cross] for Himself as a propitiation, in His blood, through faith, for the purpose of demonstrating His righteousness, because in the passing over of previously committed sins, (26) because of the delay in Judgment from God, for the purpose of demonstrating that He is righteous, at this present time, so that He keeps on being Just even when He justifies Him, by believing in Jesus. Expanded Translation ²

He repeats this phrase twice, showing it to be a significant declaration. The righteousness of God reveals His character as being perfect. Our heavenly Father always acts in complete harmony with His divine essence. As the Scripture says,

Psalm 145:17a

The Lord is righteous in all His ways.

This refrain is repeated many times in the Word of God; our God is righteous in His attitudes, actions, and standards:

Deuteronomy 32:4

“The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He.

Psalm 97:2

Clouds and thick darkness surround Him; Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.

Psalm 119:137

Righteous are You, O Lord, And upright are Your judgments.

Daniel 9:14

“Therefore, the Lord has kept the calamity in store and brought it on us; for the Lord our God is righteous with respect to all His deeds which He has done, but we have not obeyed His voice.

Revelation 19:2

because His judgments are true and righteous; for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality, and He has avenged the blood of His bond-servants on her.”

What does this have to do with our study? Everything! When it comes to sin, God's response is always the same; He condemns it. Sin is anything, unlike God in character and conduct. It is abhorrent and repulsive to His perfect righteousness. Because He is absolute righteousness God, cannot overlook sin, ignore sin, condone it or rationalize it, or blame it on something else. This is how we respond to sin, but for our amazing Father in heaven, wherever sin is discovered, His righteousness is violated. We will never understand propitiation until we grasp the seriousness of sin and how God reacts to it. Dr. Chafer, explaining the finished work of Christ on the cross, says:

Redemption is an act of God by which He Himself pays as a ransom the price of human sin which the outraged holiness and government of God requires. Redemption undertakes the solution of the problem of sin, as reconciliation undertakes the solution of the problem of the sinner, and propitiation undertakes the problem of an offended God (my underline). ³

Here is the principle: Whenever sin is discovered, the righteousness of God is violated.

Same conclusion Dr. Newell reached:

God's righteousness, therefore, is demonstrated at the cross, because there, in Christ's death, it is made once for all apparent that He does not palter with sin; the doom of sin falls by His appointment on the Redeemer. 4

Justice Must Be Satisfied

When righteousness is violated, the Justice of God is activated. In our key New Testament text, Paul writes, “He (God the Father) is Just, “Romans 3:26. Sin must be judged. Indeed, it was judged “by means of His blood,” a reference to the spiritual death of Christ on the cross, Romans 3:25. Justice was activated that day exactly as Isaiah predicted:

Isaiah 53:5

But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed [reconciled].

While Christ was on the cross, the Father poured out our sins upon Him and judged Him, “but not only for our sins, but for the sins of the entire world of unsaved humanity.” Christ dying on the cross as our sin-bearer and as our substitute was the only payment that could be made by the only Person who could have made it. Once justice was satisfied, by our Lord laying down His own life, the love of God was free to offer salvation to anyone who believed in Christ, John 3:16.

Here is the principle: Whenever righteousness is violated, Justice is activated.

Summary

Propitiation tells the story of how Jesus Christ, by His substitutionary death on the cross, is the satisfaction for our sins. This satisfaction involved two divine attributes. First, His sinless and impeccable life manifested His worthiness to be the Saviour. So, in this, He satisfied the righteous demands of God, and then, His spiritual death on the cross satisfied the justice of God.

Propitiation is a part of the inner counsel and deliberations of the Godhead. Anticipating the Fall of Man and the problem that the sinful nature would bring, He found a perfect method to save us without compromising any divine attribute. First, logically speaking, His righteousness would be violated in the Fall, and His justice would be activated. Indeed, it did. God said to Adam the consequences of your disobedience would be “dying, you shall die.” Adam ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and the effects of his sin were calamitous. It not only destroyed his relationship with God, but he passed on to all of us a fallen nature-- a nature prone to sin, Romans 5:12.

However, our magnanimous God, motivated by His unfailing love, provided a grace way to save man before the foundation of the world. The work of Christ on the cross propitiated both the righteousness and justice of God, setting the stage for Christ’s work on the cross in reconciliation, redemption, imputation, and justification.

ENDNOTES

¹ Seume, R. H. (1943). Divine Propitiation. Bibliotheca Sacra, 100, 291. [Dr. Seume was a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary. He became the first chaplain for the seminary in 1970 and served until 1985].

² See Exegesis of Romans 3:25,26. Click Here

³ Chafer, L. S. (1993). Systematic theology (Vol. 3, p. 88). Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications.

⁴ Nicoll, W. R. (n.d.). The Expositor's Greek Testament: Commentary (Vol. 2, p. 613). New York: George H. Doran Company.