After
reading the title you might be asking yourself, what exactly does ‘atonement’ mean and what is ‘propitiation’? Before we
delve deep into the mystery of the finished work of the cross and the
significance of the blood of Jesus, we need to have a biblical understanding of
these two terms.
In
lay terms atonement means offering, penitence or penance for sin or an offence
committed against God. It can also be used as a form of compensation or expiation
for a wrong committed or evil done. The wages or payment of sin is death. The
scripture is very clear on that. This is the heart of what Jesus did through
His death and resurrection.
Revelation
1: 5 AMP
And from Jesus Christ the faithful
and trustworthy Witness, the Firstborn of the dead [first to be brought
back to life] and the Prince (Ruler) of the kings of the earth.
To Him Who ever loves us and has once [for all] loosed and freed us from our
sins by His own blood,
This
is the foundation of the acts of salvation and redemption. Without the BLOOD of JESUS there is no
redemption and salvation. Let us look at what Jesus said during “the last
supper”
John
6:53 AMP
And
Jesus said to them, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, you cannot
have any life in you unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man
and drink His blood [unless you appropriate His life and the saving
merit of His blood].
When
we receive Jesus, God looks at us through His blood and therefore the life that
is in the blood of Jesus cancels the death that was and is brought by sin. We
need the blood of Jesus for there is nothing in us that can meet the strict
requirements of perfection before God except for the blood of Jesus.
Nonetheless,
at the heart of this act is a deep form of contrition and repentance [a turning
away from, a shunning and separation from evil ways and habits] of the offender.
We need to acknowledge or need for the saving merit in His blood to appropriate
it. This brings us to the concept of Godly repentance and worldly sorrow.
2 Corinthians 7 AMP
10For godly grief and the pain God is permitted to direct,
produce a repentance that leads and contributes to salvation and deliverance
from evil, and it never brings regret; but worldly grief (the hopeless sorrow
that is characteristic of the pagan world) is deadly [breeding and ending in
death].
We
see that there is a stark difference between the two and that the salvation that
comes through and of Christ is eternal and brings life. When the Spirit of God
convicts and chastises us He brings remorse. To understand what Godly remorse
is let us go to the 51st Psalm. David was crying out of a contrite
heart that was repentant. In verse 3 and 17 he says:
3For I am conscious of my transgressions and I acknowledge them; my sin
is ever before me.....17My sacrifice [the sacrifice acceptable] to God is a broken
spirit; a broken and a contrite heart [broken down with sorrow for sin and
humbly and thoroughly penitent], such, O God, You will not despise.
David
cried out to God because he understood that the Spirit of God is merciful and
able to remove for all eternity the penalty that sin brings. In verse 1 he
appeals to God to:
1HAVE MERCY upon me, O God, according to Your steadfast love; according
to the multitude of Your tender mercy and loving-kindness blot out my
transgressions. 2Wash me thoroughly [and repeatedly] from my
iniquity and guilt and cleanse me and make me wholly pure from my sin!
The
above mentioned scripture is a perfect example of the Hebrew definition of the
word atonement. I will refer back to the relevant portion of scripture in [...] to illustrate my point. According to Strong’s
concordance the figurative meaning of the word atonement means to expiate or condone, to placate or cancel. So it means,
‘God please don’t just cover my sin’ but also [verse 9 blot out all my guilt and iniquities.”]. For the word of God says in
1 John 1:7AMP
But
if we [really] are living and walking in the Light, as He [Himself] is in the
Light, we have [true, unbroken] fellowship with one another, and the blood
of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses (removes) us from all sin and guilt [keeps us cleansed from sin in
all its forms and manifestations].
It
also means to appease, make (an) atonement, cleanse [“verse 7 purify me...wash
me]. The challenge with sin is that it mars its victim,
it defiles its victims and covers them with guilt, shame, reproach, death and
makes them targets of God’s wrath. The
blood of Jesus is the only antidote for this poison.
Hebrews 13:12 AMP
Therefore
Jesus also suffered and died outside the [city's] gate in order that He
might purify and consecrate the people through [the shedding of] His own
blood and set them apart as holy [for God].
We
must remember that God is a holy God who cannot co-exist with evil. It is the
antithesis of His nature. But because He is a loving God, He sent His Son,
Jesus to pay for our sins so that we can be free to be with Him without the
yoke of sin separating us from Him. This is how the blood of Jesus atones for
our sin. Atonement also means to disannul, pacify, forgive. The
blood of Jesus was shed for the forgiveness of our sins beloved. It is the
steadfast love of the LORD that led Him to endure the shame of hanging naked on
a cross for you and me, subjecting Himself to insults and inhumane torture. It
is is out of His great store of His tender mercies and forgiveness that He made
a way for us to be saved. That is why atonement also means to be merciful [verse1 ‘have mercy’]. Mercy means do not give me the
death and punishment that I deserve. Instead defer your righteous judgement and
grant me a stay of execution. This was all made possible by the blood of Jesus
under the new covenant.
Hebrews 12:24 AMP
And
to Jesus, the Mediator (Go-between, Agent) of a new covenant, and
to the sprinkled blood which speaks [of mercy], a better and
nobler and more gracious message than the blood of Abel [which
cried out for vengeance].
So
we see that atonement also means to ‘pardon, purge (away), put off, [the penalty of sin and ] (make) reconcile (-liation). Remember
beloved, sin brings separation between God and man.
Ephesians
2:13 AMP
But now in Christ Jesus, you who
once were [so] far away, through (by, in) the blood of Christ
have been brought near.
But
the blood of Jesus brings reconciliation and puts us in right standing with
God.
Hebrews 10:19 AMP
Therefore, brethren, since we have full
freedom and confidence to enter into the [Holy of] Holies [by the power
and virtue] in the blood of Jesus.
It
is the blood of Jesus that becomes our righteousness and allows us to be positioned
above all sin and the rulership and dominance of satan. Amen. Psalm 51 is full
of powerful imagery and clues to the power of the blood of Jesus Christ and is
a comprehensive definition of what atonement really is. This brings us to the meaning
of the second key word, ‘propitiation’.
Propitiation
simply means to turn away the anger of God through an offering. It is placating
the wrath of God by atonement or expiation. What then is the wrath of God?
According to Strong’s it is, ‘a burning anger, hot/sore displeasure, fierce (ness),
fury, indignation, rage and ire’. If we can understand how powerful the
Almighty is, these words take on a new dimension. Let us just thank God for
Jesus and salvation.
This
act of propitiation took place when Jesus was sacrificed on the cross of Calvary
for our sins.
1
John 2:2 AMP
And
He [that same Jesus Himself] is the propitiation (the
atoning sacrifice) for our sins, and not for ours alone but also for [the
sins of] the whole world.
Jesus
was the perfect sacrifice because He fulfilled all the requirements of the law.
Romans 3:25 AMP
(Jesus) Whom God put forward
[before the eyes of all] as a mercy seat and propitiation by His blood [the
cleansing and life-giving sacrifice of atonement and reconciliation, to
be received] through faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in
His divine forbearance He had passed over and ignored former sins without punishment.
Beloved,
this time of the year is a very special time for us as Christians. It a time
for us to celebrate the finished work of the cross of Jesus Christ. The
salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ is a free gift to you but it came at a VERY great
price. It is our responsibility as believers to understand and treasure what
Jesus has done for us and know how we can use the benefits that come with
salvation to further the kingdom of God in the earth. Never
take the mercy of the LORD for granted. Stay blessed in Jesus name. Take time
to thank Jesus for being the atoning sacrifice for your sins. Be blessed in Jesus name.
To
know what Jesus went through on this day, follow these links from our previous
posts titled, THE LAST SUPPER
and,
NO GREATER LOVE
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