Christ our Propitiation

Outside of 1 John, the word “propitiation” shows up two more times in the New Testament. The first is in  Romans 3:23-25 where Paul writes, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. The second is in Hebrews 2:17 where we are told that Christ “had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.”

The sacrifice of Christ on the cross is our propitiation for sin. It is the single sacrifice which alone has satisfied God’s holy wrath against sin. Because Jesus took this punishment for us, now all who receive this gift by faith no longer live under God’s wrath. Our acceptance by God is not based on good works. Our identity is now grounded in Christ, for we are new creatures in him. Shame and guilt and condemnation and sinfulness no longer have power over us, for all these came upon Christ when he died for us. When our faith is in him as our propitiation, God looks upon us with the same love and acceptance that he has for his own Son, a love and acceptance that never fades or diminishes, despite our many failings and struggles and trials. May we never cease to be thankful to the Lord that his love toward us is not based on how good or bad we’re doing, but on the completed propitiation of his Son on our behalf.