Leslie M. John
”And he is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world”. (1 John 2:2)
The word, ”Propitiation” which occurs in the New Testament, has the same meaning as ”Atonement” in the Old Testament. The word ”Atonement” was used in Leviticus Ch 6;30; Ch 8;15; Ch. 16;20 etc. The priest who offers the sin offering and all the males of the priests shall eat it in the holy place. (Leviticus 6;26, 29). There was a meticulous requirement to deal with the blood sprinkled on any garments while the sin offering was made. If there were droplets of blood found sprinkled upon any garment, they should be washed in the holy place. . This is done to point to the fact that the blood of Christ shed for us should not be taken lightly. The earthen vessel shall be broken. If it was soaked in a brass pot it should be cleansed and rinsed in water. These requirements show that the sin was not completely removed by the sacrifice of animals, but the blood of Christ only could cleanse from all sin. This also shows how pure was the blood of Jesus that cleansed us from our sin (Leviticus 6;27-30)
”For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh” (Romans 8;3)
”Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God” (Romans 3;25)
”For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5;21)
The word ”Propitiation” means to reconcile or appeasement, condone, or expiate or cancel. In Scriptures, it means the sacrifice rendered by Jesus Christ in order to cover the sins. John 6;44 says ”No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him; and I will raise him up at the last day”. Jesus became propitiation for us in order to make a provision for us to have salvation. We, who were fallen, once are made righteous by confessing our sins to Jesus and by accepting him as our personal Savior.
Here is the love of God. Jesus became propitiation not only for our sins but also for the sins of the whole world. God loved us first and he sent his One and Only begotten Son, for our sake. John 3;16 has a condition and that condition is ”that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”.
In Old Testament the blood of the bullock was taken and sprinkled. The priest sprinkled it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and seven times before the mercy seat. But, when Christ became propitiation for us, he became the high priest of good things to come, by a perfect tabernacle, which is not made of hands, and not of the blood of the bullocks, of goats and calves but by his own blood. Christ entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. Jesus Christ has thus become the mediator on behalf of us. The blood of Jesus was without any blemish. Now, we have Jesus Christ as our High Priest, who was in all points tempted like any one of us (Hebrews 4;14-16). We have, therefore, every right to come to the throne of grace, so that we may obtain mercy, find grace to help in time of need.
”For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin”. (Hebrews 4;15)