Propitiation and Expiation - The Full Atonement : Two theological terms might sound academic, but they capture the heart of what Jesus accomplished on the cross. Today, we'll explore how Christ's death provides both propitiation and expiation for our sins.
1 John 2:2 "He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world."
Big theological words often hide simple but profound truths. Propitiation and expiation might sound intimidating, but they capture the full reality of what Jesus accomplished on the cross.
Let's start with propitiation. This is the satisfaction of God's righteous wrath against sin. God isn't a cosmic grandpa who laughs off the treason of His grandkids. He's holy, and His holiness demands justice. The sacrificial system of the Old Testament made this vividly clear – sin requires blood, requires death.
The most important question you could ever ask is: How can God be a just judge and allow the guilty to go unpunished? If God simply said, "No worries, you're forgiven," what would that tell us about His character? It would tell us He has no integrity, that He's not truly holy.
But on the cross, Jesus bore the full weight of God's wrath against your sin. He was the slaughtered goat on the Day of Atonement, whose blood satisfied divine justice.
But there's more. Expiation deals with the removal of guilt. On the Day of Atonement, the high priest would lay his hands on a second goat, confess all the sins of Israel, and send it into the wilderness to die alone – abandoned, alienated, forsaken.
On the cross, Jesus fulfilled both roles. He bore the punishment for sin and absorbed the guilt of sin. That's why He cried out, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?" He was experiencing the total dereliction, the abandonment that we deserve.
This is what makes the gospel so powerful. Jesus didn't just pay the penalty; He took the guilt. He wasn't just punished in your place; He was cursed in your place. "Christ has become a curse for us," Paul writes in Galatians 3.
To be saved means more than escaping hell – it means being rescued from the righteous wrath of God through the blood of Jesus Christ - it means that your sin AND your shame have been removed. Have you trusted in this complete atonement? Have you received both the propitiation and expiation that Christ offers?
How does understanding God's wrath against sin change your view of what Jesus accomplished on the cross?
What does it mean to you that Jesus not only bore your punishment but also absorbed your guilt?
How might your worship and gratitude deepen by reflecting on the full scope of Christ's atonement?
Stay dialed in,
Jonny Ardavanis
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