Word Studies

Propitiation

I. Understanding The Word:
A. Our English dictionaries tell us that propitiation has something to do with appeasing the feelings of another.
1. The word itself is found only four times in the bible.
2. All four are in the New Testament (NKJV); however, the words translated propitiation (three different Greek words which are all closely related), are found in six verses of the Greek New Testament.
? (Luke 18:13) And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful (hilaskomia - hil-as'-kom-ahee) to me a sinner!'
? (Romans 3:25) whom God set forth as a propitiation (hilasterion - hil-as-tay'-ree-on) by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,
? (Hebrews 2:17) Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation (hilaskesthai - hil-as'-kom-ahee) for the sins of the people.
? (Hebrews 9:5) and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat (hilasterion - hil-as-tay'-ree-on). Of these things we cannot now speak in detail.
? (1 John 2:2) And He Himself is the propitiation (hilasmos - hil-as-mos') for our sins, and not for ours only but also for 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 - hil-as-mos') for our sins.

B. In the Septuagint, some form of these terms is repeatedly used to reference God’s “mercy seat” (Exodus 26:17-21; 25:18-19; 31:7; 35:11; 37:5-9; Leviticus 16:2, 13-14; Numbers 7:89; 1 Chronicles 28:11).
1. But, with few other exceptions – “ledge” (Ezekiel 43:14, 17, 20).
2. “Doorposts” (Amos 9:1) hil-as-tay'-ree-on
3. They are used to convey the same emphasis as that found in the New Testament.
? Leviticus 25:9, - halasmos - hil-as-mos' refers to the “Day of Atonement” set aside by God.
? Numbers 5:8, - halasmos - hil-as-mos' and exhilasetai refer to “making atonement” with God.
? Psalms 130:4, - halasmos hil-as-mos' is used for the “Forgiveness” that is with the Lord.
? Ezekiel 44:27, - hilasmos - hil-as-mos' is the “sin offering” offered to God.
? Daniel 9:9, - hilasmos - hil-as-mos' is translated “forgiveness” along with the mercy of God.
? Amos 8:14, - hilasmos - hil-as-mos' is in the “propitiation” for sin that was supposedly granted to Samaria by their gods.

II. Reading the Word:
A. As the words above indicate, it is hard to think of propitiation without the “mercy” of God.
1. Careful research will also reveal that it is hard to think of propitiation apart from the blood of Jesus Christ (Romans 3:25; Colossians 1:25).
2. Accordingly, it is recommended to a student of the Bible to make a careful reading of these passages we are about to cover.
B. Let’s take another look at mercy and the teachings of Luke 6:27:38.
1. How many times have you heard it preached to give to God, only for God to give back to you “good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over?
2. Fleshing out that word picture can provide a pretty awesome illustration; “But, wait!” as the TV salesman says!
3. Let’s look at the context.
4. This passage is encapsulated in verses teaching us to love and be merciful to those that hurt us.
5. It is talking about our forgiving, not our giving.
6. That means, according to the contextual flow of this passage, if we are merciful to others, God will be abundantly merciful to us.
7. Now compare that with James 2:12 and 3:17 and get ready to teach others about the feelings we should have for each other based on the feelings God has for us we want God to have for us.
B. Look at propitiation and the teachings of Romans 3:25.
1. The first time our English translations provide us with the word propitiation, it is here in this verse.
2. Looking at this verse in its context, we see that it is directly connected to:
a. Our “transgressions” – sin that calls for the mercy of God (vs. 23; 1 John 3:4)
b. Our “justification” - the peace of being “just-if-I’d never-sinned” before God (vs 24; 1 Corinthians 6:11).
c. Our “redemption” – the ransom that was paid when the mercy and love of God sent Jesus to satisfy the offended holiness and avenging justice of a God angry with us because of sin (vs 24; Titus 2:14)
3. Along with these verses, we could add Psalm 51:1-2; Isaiah 1:18; and Revelation 1:5, 9; 7:14; 12:1.
4. Figuratively speaking, Jesus’ red blood makes me white as snow.

III. Preaching the Word
A. Introduction:
1. Propitiation.
a. How is that for a word?
2. When was the last time you used it – or even heard it – outside of a Bible class, a sermon or some deep religious discussion?
3. Where is that word found in the Bible?
4. What does it mean to you?
5. What does it mean to me?
B. Quote:
1. Atonement might be spelled at-one-ment to get an idea of its meaning.
2. It carries the emphasis of our being on with God again.
3. It is one of those great Bible words for the heavenly fellowship we can enjoy with our Father in Heaven.
C. Illustration:
1. A faithful Christian dreamed of Satan unrolling a large scroll; on the scroll was a list of every sin the man had committed.
2. There was a sparkle in the devil’s eye, thinking he had just escorted another into the “den of doubt”.
3. Instead the man replied, “There one thing you have not written on this scroll.”
4. “And what would that be?” Asked the devil.
5. Then the man quoted the words of 1 John 1:7 – “the blood of Jesus … cleanses us form all sin” – and, when he finished, every word on the scroll vanished.
6. It was as spotless as his soul.
D. Idea:
1. Hebrews 9 is one of those great chapters of the Bible that links the Old and New Testaments with the concept of “propitiation” or “atonement”.
2. The chapter may be divided into two parts.
3. First, there is an “illustration” (Hebrews 9:1-10).
a. The Old Testament tabernacle is introduced to indicate what the Old Testament high priest did inside its Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement.
b. By his shedding and sprinkling animal blood, the sinful could be at one with God again.
c. Verse nine tells us that all of that “was symbolic” [the word translated is parabole, “a parable” or “illustration”] (vs 9).
d. What the Old Testament high priest did with blood on the Day of Atonement is an illustration of what Jesus’ blood does for us!
4. Second, there is a reformation” (Hebrews 9:11-27).
a. The word translated “reformation” (vs. 10) references the mending of something broken.
b. In this context, we are the “something broken” and the blood of Jesus is that by which we are repaired.
c. In fact, this context presents Jesus as the key to our:
1.) “redemption” - (vs 12-15; Ephesians 1:7)
2.) “remission” - (vs. 16-23; Acts 2:38; 10:43)
3.) “intersession” with God – (24-28; Romans 8:34)
E. Outline for a Lesson.
1. Belief – the obedient faith that moved Abraham to accept, trust in, and act upon what God said (Romans 5:9; 5:1; Hebrews 11:8).
2. Blood – the precious blood of Jesus (Romans 5:9; 1 Peter 1:18-19).
3. Baptism – the “immersion: (washing; Acts 22:16) that results in our “sanctification” (how the world sees us) and “justification” (how God sees us) (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)
4. Bible – the “faith” [as in “the faith of the Gospel”] (Philippians 1:27; Jude 3) that came after “the law” (Galatians 3:23-25)
5. Conclusion – Turn to “Nothing but the Blood of Jesus” in your song book and discuss the questions asked and answered in this song.

IV. The Appeasement of God’s Wrath Romans 3:21-26
A. Each instance of propitiation in the English translations of the Bible is a variation of the same Greek word Hilasmos.
1. Bible study resources consistently associate this word with an act of appeasement towards an offended or wrathful party.
2. Greek scholars tell us that this word indicates “the means of appeasing God, or of averting His anger; and not a single instance to the contrary occurs in the whole of Greek literature.”
3. If we are going to form an understanding of propitiation, we absolutely must start by grappling with the concept of God’s wrath.
B. Some may not like the idea of a wrathful God, but a comprehensive view of Scripture does not leave us much choice.
1. John 3:36 states:
He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." (John 3:36)
2. Ephesians 5:6 and Colossians 3:6 also speak in clear terms of the wrath of God.
3. Revelation 16 recounts the pouring out of seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God.
C. Consider the reading from Romans 3.
1. In verse 25, we are offered “the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith”.
2. Why do we need this propitiation?
3. Because, as the first chapter of Romans has already stated plainly in verse 18,
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, (Romans 1:18).
4. Propitiation is the appeasement of wrath!
D. The tax collector described by Jesus in Luke 18:13 understands this reality, and he “beat his breast, saying, “God be merciful to me a sinner!”
1. As it happens, the tax collector actually uses a variation of the word hilasmos.
2. And is literally praying, “God be propitiated for me!”.
3. Praise God for Jesus’ analysis in the next verse: “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified…
4. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
5. Always bow before God in prayer as one who has incurred His righteous wrath and who humbly accepts the propitiation by His Son’s blood.

V. It Isn’t Fair! Leviticus 16:3-22
A. The English term scapegoat comes from the principle of Azazel, which you will find in our Scripture from Leviticus 16.
1. Azazel literally means “complete removal” in Hebrew, and the unlucky goat that is selected by “the lot for Azazel” has all of the iniquities and transgressions of the people placed on its head, that it might completely remove them from Israel’s midst.
2. It appears that in this way the righteous indignation of God that would have fallen on the Israelites falls on the scapegoat instead.
3. By means of the scapegoat, Israel receives propitiation.
B. Of course, in contemporary times, the idea of making a scapegoat out of someone is frowned upon.
1. Quite frankly, it is just not fair for one individual to pay the price for that for which an entire group is actually to blame.
2. We may never know whether God struck down the scapegoat, or simply allowed it to wander around in the wilderness to die on its own, but one thing is certain: That poor goat got the bad end of the deal, and the people of Israel got off easy.
C. The incredible truth of the Gospel is that rather than an unlucky goat, Jesus Christ is now the propitiation for God’s people once for all.
1. In 2 Corinthians 5:21 Paul tells us:
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
(2 Corinthians 5:21)
2. The only sinless man to walk the face of the earth was made to be sin so that we could go free.
3. It sounds like a good for us, but it certainly does not sound “fair”.
D. We are forever indebted to God for giving us propitiation in Jesus the Christ.
1. When life treats us unfairly, let us remember that Jesus Himself knows how it feels to suffer unjustly what is rightfully deserved by others.
2. As 1 Peter 2:19 says,
For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. (1 Peter 2:19)
3. Everyday, we need to be mindful of God’s own unjust suffering as I graciously endure any injustices done to me.

VI. God’s Ultimate Act of Love 1 John 4:7-12
A. In the General sense, the concept of propitiation is not unique to the Christian faith.
1. Throughout human history, various groups have made animal or even human sacrifices in an effort to appease their gods.
2. Even in modern-day religious practices, we se all kinds of rituals that re designed to appease a deity’s wrath or somehow remove guilt.
B. But there is something about the propitiation described in the Bible that is truly unique among all worldviews in all of human history.
1. The truth that shines in the darkness is the fact that God sent His Only Son as a propitiation.
2. In fact, our propitiation is literally a member of the Godhead, in whom “the fullness of deity dwells bodily” as we read in Colossians 2:9.
3. The unprecedented, mind-blowing, beautiful core of the Gospel is that the God who is being appeased offers of His own self as a propitiation.
4. Can you imagine a sheep in Ancient Israel approaching the shepherd and requesting to be this year’s Passover lamb?
5. Or a goat from the flock volunteering to be the scapegoat this year?
C. This kind of “self-propitiation” is the ultimate act of true, Biblical love.
1. The well-known declaration “God is love” is supported in this lesson’s scripture by the words:
In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (1 John 4:10)
2. Love is evidenced by self-sacrifice for the greater good of another.
3. What greater love could ever be shown than for the God against who we have all sinned, to make the necessary sacrifice of Himself, so that we could live with Him?
D. In this way, God has truly forgiven us.
1. As we follow this example in our own lives, extending forgiveness will require us to be “appeased” or “propitiated” as we let go of our anger.
2. It may also require us to endure and absorb in our own lives, the negative consequences of the actions of others.
3. This kind of forgiveness is an act of true Biblical love, just as our God, who is love, has carried out the ultimate act of love on the cross.
4. Look around you, by your love, release the anger that they may in fact may truly deserve, so that you can better serve them.

VII. A Cause For Unceasing Gratitude Genesis 22:1-14
A. Genesis 22 is one of the most incredible and potentially troubling passages in God’s Word.
1. This is not a passage to be taken lightly.
2. How could God possibly ask Abraham to offer his ow son Isaac on an alter?
3. What must have been going through Abraham’s mind?
4. Does he waver in his devotion to God, wondering if it might actually be better to disobey God and spare the life of his only son?
5. Does he so much as dare to entertain the thought that if he goes through with God’s instructions, God might stop him before he has done this terrifying act?
B. Hebrews 11:19 tells us one of Abraham’s considerations.
concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense. (Hebrews 11:19)
1. But even if God does raise Isaac back to life, would Isaac remember what his father has done to him”
2. How would Abraham be able to explain something that he himself surely could not understand?
3. And when the moment actually comes, and Abraham has no choice but to do what God is asking, how could he possible find the strength to go through with it?
4. Perhaps Abraham is a man of greater faith than your or I, but I imagine that for most of us, to actually have to consider these questions would be nauseating, excruciating and exhausting.
5. I wonder is Abraham carries this burden when Isaac asks him the obvious question,
"Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" (Genesis 22:7b)
6. Is Abraham filled with anxiety and anticipation as he says, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for a bunt offering”? (vs, 8).
C. What an immense relief Abraham must feel when God does in fact provide a ram that is caught in a nearby thicket in the place of Isaac.
1. Do we feel the weight of that?
2. Do we realize that we, and our sons and daughters, have all been spared by God’s provision of Jesus, the Lamb of God?
3. What an incredible relief it is to know that God has provided the Lamb that died in our place!
4. This is cause for unceasing gratitude and love for our God.
5. If spiritual sacrifice to God is something you have been holding back, realize that your very life has been spared by His providing of the Lamb.

VIII. Pass It On Matthew 18:21-35
A. 1 John 2:2 tells us that
And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. (1 John 2:2)
1. Does this indicate that all of humanity, whether they reject God or not, will ultimately be saved by Christ’s sacrifice?
2. This would clearly contradict many other passages, such as Jesus’ assertion that “the gate is narrow, and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:14).
3. So what do we make of John’s assertions that Christ is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world?
4. Perhaps he means that the propitiation that Christ has supplied is limitless and free enough to cover any and all of us.
5. Perhaps he means that we must take this mercy that we have been given and pour it out onto the world around us as well.
B. The wicked servant in this lessons Scripture reading failed to live out this principle.
1. He is more than willing that his master be propitiated for him.
2. Oh, what a sweet deal it is that gives relief and has his crushing debt removed!
3. But rather than passing on that propitiation and finding it within his own heart to be appeased for his brother, the wicked servant seizes his fellow servant and demands payment from him.
C. The propitiation we have in Christ is not for us to hoard for ourselves; it is to be shared with the whole world.
1. We are not bow our heads in gratitude and lift our voices in celebration of God’s mercy, only to go out and enforce swift and merciless judgment on our debtors in the world.
2. We are not to cherish God’s forgiveness only to go out and rain righteous indignation down on the world around us.
D. The propitiation that we have in Christ is not only for us, but also for the whole world.
1. We no more deserve it than the rest of the world does, and we must not keep it to ourselves.
2. We have received it: now we must pass it on.
3. Today and every day, look not for opportunities to enforce swift justice but look to show the mercy God would extend.

By Gary D. Murphy

Return to the Word Studies Index page

Home / Bible studies / Bible Survey / Special Studies / General Articles / Non-Bible Articles / Sermons / Sermon Outlines / Links / Questions and Answers / What Saith The Scriptures /Daily Devotional / Correspondence Courses / What is the Church of Christ / Book: Christian Growth / Website Policy / E-mail / About Me /