Monday's word of the week.

What is Propitiation?

Wow, is this a bible word. Yes it is, and I'll explain where and how in just a minute. The dictionary definition does this word some justice. 1. the act of propitiating; conciliation: the propitiation of the wrathful gods.
2. something that propitiates. But, it doesn't complete the true definition. The noun form of this word sends us to the verb form "propitiates". Propitiates means: To conciliate (an offended power); appease: propitiate the gods with a sacrifice. Now we are getting somewhere. I have always known the word as a satisfaction term. Something that satisfied a god.

Let's look at what Blue Letter Bible says about this word. The actual Greek word used here is Hilasterion.

1) relating to an appeasing or expiating, having placating or expiating force, expiatory; a means of appeasing or expiating, a propitiation

a) used of the cover of the ark of the covenant in the Holy of Holies, which was sprinkled with the blood of the expiatory victim on the annual day of atonement (this rite signifying that the life of the people, the loss of which they had merited by their sins, was offered to God in the blood as the life of the victim, and that God by this ceremony was appeased and their sins expiated); hence the lid of expiation, the propitiatory

b) an expiatory sacrifice

c) a expiatory victim


Now, this is a dangerous word for me, because it has the ability to take me into Doctrine and Theology that I haven't been able to study. But to be an expiatory sacrifice means in essence to be able to make atonement or make reparation for wrongs committed. Now if we look at this from an Old Testament thought, we will see our believers trying to make atonement to God by giving blood sacrifices from unblemished animals. Now in this light we can understand the context in how Paul and John use the word, we can hopefully understand the reason for the word, and what it means.

In Roman's 3:25 Paul says "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,". Prior to this sentence we are in verses 23 and 24 we are talking about Jesus Christ, and so then Jesus Christ is the subject or the Propitiation for our sins. Looking at our Old Testament example of blood from an unblemished animal meeting our needs, He is what satisfies our God and thus meeting our needs for atonement. He is our atonement, and His blood pleases or satisfies God. Look how John portrays it in 1 John 2:2 "And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not ours only but also for the whole world", and 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". Do you see this? He is the atoning sacrificial blood for our sin, he covers us. He literally took the wrath / punishment from our God and put it upon Himself on that cross on the day he was crucified. Not only is Jesus our atonement for our sins, but God Himself sent him to do it, and this is proof of his love for us.

When we see this word for what it truly means, we can hopefully understand why Jesus Christ had to die on the cross for us. Something or someone needed to make atonement for our sins. God needed appeasement for wrongs / sins committed against him. In this light you can see the metaphor between the unblemished animal and the sinless Christ. If Christ wasn't sinless, then he would be blemished, much like you and me. In that case he could not and would not be a sacrifice for mankind, he couldn't please God. Using that mindset, we can see that we were in trouble. We can't possible make atonement for our sins ourselves. We needed a sacrifice, and lo and behold, God sent his only begotten (perfect) son to save us. What an honor and Blessing. May we honor him always and always? Now, I hope you have a better understanding of this wonderful word.