What is propitiation?
The word ‘propitiation’ occurs in 1 John 2:2: “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for [the sins of] the whole world”. In what sense ‘for the whole world’? Well, His sacrifice is so great and has such value in the eyes of God that, on this basis, He can offer salvation to all – although not all accept the offer (see questions 5 and 6). Remember that God is holy and just. Therefore, every sinner would have to be judged and condemned by Him. Without the work of Christ on the cross, this would have been the only possible outcome. But, thank God! Christ has died, became the propitiation and now God is free to offer free salvation. In this sense, He gave Himself ‘for all’ (1 Tim. 2:6). A related word occurs in Romans 3:25 which states that God has presented Christ as ‘propitiation’ or ‘propitiatory’ through faith in His blood. This terms alludes to an Old Testament picture, namely that of the lid of the ark which, once a year, was sprinkled with blood (L
