Propitiation
“Mercy seat, place of propitiation, propitiatory sacrifice”
Summary
Propitiation refers to that aspect of Christ's atoning sacrifice by which God's righteous wrath against sin is satisfied, enabling Him to be merciful to sinners while maintaining His perfect justice and holiness.
☩Terminology
The Greek word hilasterion (or hilasmos), rendered 'propitiation' in Romans 3:25, 1 John 2:2, and 1 John 4:10, and 'mercy seat' in Hebrews 9:5, corresponds to the Hebrew kapporeth—the blood-sprinkled lid or covering of the ark of the covenant. In common Greek usage, hilasterion designates an expiatory or propitiatory victim. The Hebrew root kipper means 'to cover'—as guilt is covered or withdrawn from God's sight so that the guilty may approach Him with confidence. Biblical usage differs significantly from classical Greek: in Scripture the verb is never construed with God as its direct object (as in pagan notions of appeasing an angry deity), but with 'on behalf of' the person for whom propitiation is made.
☩Distinction from Pagan Concepts
All unworthy conceptions are removed from the Christian doctrine of propitiation by the fact that God Himself provided Christ as the 'mercy seat'—the supreme expression of divine love. In pagan religion, propitiation meant offering something to induce an offended deity to alter his disposition toward the offerer. Biblical propitiation is radically different: God's gracious disposition is original and unchangeable; nothing external is needed to make Him propitious. The question is not whether God is willing to show mercy but how it is consistent with His righteousness that He should do so. The change effected by propitiation is not in God's character but in the administration of His government—providing just grounds for pardoning offenders.
☩Christ as the Propitiation
In Romans 3:25, God 'set forth' Christ Jesus as a hilasterion (propitiatory/mercy seat) through faith in His blood, 'to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past.' This demonstrates that God is both just and the justifier of those who believe in Jesus. Christ is 'the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the whole world' (1 John 2:2). Herein is love—not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son 'to be the propitiation for our sins' (1 John 4:10). Christ's blood alone atones for and covers our guilt; when faith is exercised in this sacrifice, its propitiatory effect is produced.
☩Expiation and Propitiation Distinguished
Expiation denotes doing something that furnishes just ground for pardoning a convicted offender; propitiation is that which disposes or causes the judicial authority to admit the expiation as valid reason for pardon. Expiation regards the condition of the offender; propitiation regards the judge or sovereign. The same act—Christ's sacrifice—is both expiation (removing sin's guilt) and propitiation (satisfying divine justice). A wise government might be disposed to pardon yet unable to do so without compromising public justice; Christ's death provides the ground whereby God can be 'just, and the justifier of him which believeth' (Romans 3:26). God's 'passing over' of former sins (Romans 3:25) awaited this demonstration of His righteousness.
☩Practical Application
The doctrines of expiation and propitiation teach that salvation is entirely of grace—God's love initiated and provided the sacrifice. Human effort cannot propitiate God; Christ alone has done what sinners could never do. The believing sinner receives the benefit of Christ's propitiatory work by faith, entering into reconciliation with God (Romans 5:1, 10-11). The Romish doctrine that the Mass is a propitiatory sacrifice for the living and dead contradicts Scripture, which allows no propitiation but that once offered by Jesus on the cross (Hebrews 10:12, 14). Christ's sacrifice is complete, sufficient, and unrepeatable—'once for all' settling the sin question and opening the way of access to God for all who believe.
Related Verses8 mentions
See Also
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Propitiation," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. VIII (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Propitiation," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. IV (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.James Hastings (ed.), "Propitiation," in Dictionary of the Apostolic Church, vol. II (T. & T. Clark, 1915–1918).
- 4.James Hastings (ed.), "Propitiation," in Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels, vol. II (T. & T. Clark, 1906–1908).
- 5.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Propitiation," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).
- 6.George Morrish, "Propitiation," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).