Propitiation

About this sermon

Introduction: For the past few weeks we have taken time to talk about the subject of redemption. From verse 25 onward the apostle Paul describes the redemption that we have through Christ Jesus in greater detail. And speaking of Christ, and the redemption that we have through Him, the apostle says, in verse 25, that God “put Him forward as a propitiation”. What does that mean? These are the great words of salvation, justification, redemption, propitiation, reconciliation, sanctification, and the like. As we understand these words and their relationship to one another the beauty of God’s way of saving sinners is unfolded. **We gain a better understanding of what God did in our case and in the case of others when He saved us. **We gain a greater appreciation for our salvation and a greater capacity to worship Him for it and to give Him thanks for it. **We gain a different worldview as we realize what distinguishes the saved from the lost and what the lost man is really in need of, and what God is up to in the history of this world. **We are protected against a false reliance on fleshly weapons in the spiritual battle because we truly realize that salvation is of the Lord. **Above all our view of our Triune God comes into clearer focus and we see that our God is mighty to save. We do not see the Son of God come into the world to simply provide a way for man to save Himself. We don’t see a hypothetical Savior, providing a hypothetical salvation, for a hypothetical people, but rather His name is called Jesus because He WILL save His people from their sins and indeed He has, He is, and He will bring it to pass. So now we come in verse 25 to this unique word. It is the word “propitiation”. God put Christ forward as a propitiation by His blood. What is that telling us? I. WHAT PROPITIATION IS It’s always helpful to begin with a definition. James R. White, in his book “The Potter’s Freedom” gives a very good and concise definition when he writes, “Propitiation is the sacrifice that brings forgiveness and takes away wrath.”1 John Owen, the great Puritan minister, said that there are four things that are essential elements in any propitiation. 1. An offense to be taken away 2. A person offended who need to be pacified 3. An offending person; a person guilty of the offense 4. A sacrifice or some other means of making atonement for the offense2 It is Owen’s 2nd observation that many people have taken great issue with. They have taken issue with the idea that God had to be satisfied, or pacified. Some have tried to say that this word “hilasterion” and the words related to it, only speak of “expiation”. They say that it only speaks of forgiveness, it only speaks of covering sin, it only speaks of putting away sin, it has nothing to do, they say, with turning away wrath. They say this because they feel that the idea of a wrathful God needing to be satisfied, or to have His anger turned away is a pagan idea about God. They try to show that these Greek words, used to translate Hebrew words in the Septuagint, were used to speak only of forgiveness. Leon Morris in his book “The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross” in a very patient and exhaustive way shows how wrong they are. He shows how this group of words DOES speak of forgiveness, but almost always in the context of God’s wrath being expressed and the need to turn away the wrath of God. THE PROPITIATION TALKED IN ABOUT IN ROMANS 3:25 HAS ALL OF THE ELEMENTS THAT OWEN DESCRIBED.

Topics

• Jesus Christ