Propitiation for my Sins

Steven R. Cook

Romans 3:19-28 Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation [hilasterion] in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.

1 John 2:1-2 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation [hilasmos] for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.

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 [hilasmos] for our sins.

Jesus’ death was a propitiation for my sins. The word “propitiation” means “a sacrifice that satisfies.” This means Jesus’ substitutionary death satisfied God’s holy anger towards me, a sinner. God is satisfied with me and accepts me only because Jesus died in my place, bearing the penalty for my sin as though I were on the cross bearing it myself. He died in my place, and then gave me His righteousness, and now I am acceptable to God because of the work of Christ alone. This means there is NOTHING I can do to merit God’s approval! To think there is anything I can do by my own efforts to win God’s approval is to cheapen the work of Christ on the cross and declare it inadequate.

God is holy and can having nothing whatsoever to do with sin except to condemn it, and I am marked by sin from birth all through my life. First, I am marked by Adam’s sin which is imputed to me (and every human) at birth (Rom. 5:12), and I also have a sin nature which is the source of my rebellious heart (Rom. 7:14-25), and lastly I manufacture personal sin when I yield to temptation (Jas. 1:14-15). However, the good news of Scripture is that Christ died for sinners and that I need only accept the free gift of salvation by believing the gospel that Jesus died for me, was buried, and rose again on the third day (Jo. 3:16; 1 Cor. 15:3-4). I believe this.

God can accept me into heaven, not because of any work of my own, but only because of the work of Jesus on the cross, which is the only thing that satisfies His righteous demands for my sin. Scripture declares “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly” (Rom. 5:6). Christ’s death on the cross was a show of God’s love, for Paul goes on to say that “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). Christ died in my place, bearing God’s wrath that was due to me, so that afterward I “might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21). At the moment I trust Christ for salvation, I am “found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith” (Phil. 3:9).

God’s salvation is not merely the subtraction of all my sins (forgiveness) which was accomplished on the cross, but it’s also the addition of His righteousness imputed to my account. He takes away my sin and gives me His righteousness as a gift.

God is satisfied with me, not because I stop sinning and live a prefect life, but because Jesus died in my place. The truth is, I can never be perfect, or pay for my own sin in a way that satisfies Him. Christ paid the price for my sin IN FULL, and there is nothing left for me to pay. Jesus PAID IT ALL! I simply come with the empty hands of faith, trusting in the work of Jesus as the only thing that satisfies God’s righteous demands for my sin. If I reject Jesus’ substitutionary death, I will spend eternity in the Lake of Fire, forever separated from God. That’s my choice if I turn away from God’s wonderful offer of salvation. I have no one to blame but myself. What a terrible thought: eternal punishment because I decided to “do it my way” rather than His; because I decided I would try to be “good enough” to earn my way into heaven, rather than accept the free gift of righteousness offered by faith alone in Christ alone.

Salvation has been received by faith, trusting only in Jesus as my savior, admitting I can do nothing to save myself because I am dead and helpless without Him. Salvation is never what I do for God, but rather, what God has done for me in the person and work of Jesus who died in my place, satisfying God’s righteous demands for my sin, and imputing His righteousness to my account. I come by faith, believing only in the work of Jesus, believing the Scripture that His death satisfies my holy God.