Propitiation

Several years ago an acquaintance of mine announced the birth of his son. Via email he related the time of birth, the weight of the baby, the health of the mother, and their joy at finally holding their little bundle. However, he neglected to give the name. When I asked him about that later, he told me that he and his wife were following the biblical custom of waiting until baptism to name their children. The baptismal liturgy has the Presbyter take the child into his arms and say, "Name this Child." It is at that moment that the godparents disclose the name. And that is what this couple did. They christened their son at the font. Baptism is the New Testament sacrament that corresponds to circumcision.

Thus, Jesus too was named at the font, so to speak. Joseph and Mary gave Him His name during the circumcism ritual at the local synagogue. We read it in our Gospel passage on this Sunday that we observe the circumcision of Christ. Luke 2:21 says, "And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb."

The Church has set aside January 1, about eight days after Jesus' birth, as the time to commemorate the Circumcision of Christ, and His naming. If Jesus were born on December 25, His parents would have officially christened Him today. Traditionally, a common theme that presents itself on this feast is the name "Jesus." We see this emphasis in our epistle lesson. Philippians 2:9 says: "God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

One day every knee will bow to Jesus, and every tongue confess that He is Lord and God. What about the word "Jesus"? Gabriel told Joseph that that was to be the name of his firstborn, "for He will save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). What should we know about that name? In ancient cultures the naming of a person was no casual matter. Your name was to reflect your character and your reputation. What does "Jesus" mean? "Jesus" is the Greek form of the Hebrew "Joshua." Jesus is the new Joshua, which means "Jehovah is salvation." Jesus therefore means "Savior," the One who will save His people. From what does Jesus save us? He saves us from God's wrath by deflecting it to Himself. He turns away from us God's anger. Propitiation is the word we use to describe the turning away of God's wrath by means of a blood sacrifice or the bearing of punishment. We hear the word "propitiation" every time we celebrate the Eucharist. The Presbyter recites 1 John 2:1-2 as part of the "comfortable words." "If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the propitiation for our sins."

The Bible's teaching on propitiation is what we want to examine on this Feast of Circumcision. It is a circuitous route from Christ's circumcision to propitiation, but it makes sense. Christ's circumcision entails His naming. His name "Jesus" leads us to the word "salvation," and His "salvation" invites us to ask, "From what does Jesus save us?" Why do we need a Savior? The answer to these questions has to do with propitiation.

Propitiation brings out the hard side of God. It is an unpopular doctrine today, and can sound stern. Yet, the teaching is biblical and a great help for grasping the good news of the Gospel. To understand propitiation we start with the truth that God is holy. The Triune Creator and Ruler of the universe is totally without sin. He is holy, and to be true to His holiness God punishes those whose righteousness is not the same as His. That means you and me. We are born in sin and we sin every day. Before we can get to the good news of the Gospel the Bible establishes the bad news of our sin and guilt and condemnation. Our very lives are imperiled. We are under the wrath of a holy God. John 3:18 says, "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." That word "condemn" and condemnation, carries us into the courtroom. It conjures up the image of the defendant rising to hear the legal verdict. We are on trial. The judge in the courtroom reads the verdict. We hold our breath. The verdict is "guilty." We stand condemned. We are convicted criminals. It is a sentence of death, of eternal punishment. That is the bad news. And without the bad news the good news of the Gospel makes little sense. Only if we understand the horror of coming under the wrath of a holy God for our sins will we appreciate what Christ did on the cross.

When Christ died on the cross, He was our substitute. He took upon Himself the righteous wrath of God that we deserved. The guilt of our sin has been dealt with. The penalty paid. In reference to propitiation, someone has said that we are saved from God by God. It is a mystery, yet true. The depth of God's love for us is revealed by the extremity of His actions for us: The holy Son of God became a man and died a horrible death in our place. St John states this eloquently in 1 John 4:9-11. [Read them.]

Propitiation means that the wrath of someone who has been unjustly wronged has been satisfied. It is an act that soothes hostility and satisfies the need for vengeance. Providing His only begotten Son as the propitiation for our sin was the greatest possible demonstration of God's love for man. The doctrine of propitiation brings together both the love and wrath of God. On the cross all of God's anger, all of the wrath we would ever deserve, was poured upon Christ, and Christ became sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21). This was the primary reason why God told the Archangel Gabriel to tell Joseph that he must name Mary's son Jesus. Jesus would save those who trusted in Him. Jesus saved us by propitiating the wrath of God as He hanged on the cross. Because Jesus paid the penalty for our sins, and God's wrath was avenged, God no longer looks upon us through the eyes of judgment. Instead, He now lavishes His love upon us. The Scriptures teach that absolutely nothing can separate us from God's love (Romans 8:38-39). He has adopted us into a relationship with Him, into the family of God (Romans 8:15).

Propitiation, then, means that Christ has satisfied the holy wrath of God through His payment for sin. There are objections to this teaching. What are they? Some Bible translators are so uncomfortable with the idea of God's wrath they leave out the word propitiation. Propitiation most accurately conveys the Greek words hilasmos and hilasterion. It means the turning aside of anger through the offering of a sacrifice. In the place of propitiation the modern translators put the word "expiation" or something else. But this dilutes the doctrine, and ends up clouding the gospel message.

Here is another objection. A writer declared, "According to St. John, God is love... Therefore, God loves both the just and the unjust equally. God does not get angry. God does not get offended. These images from the Scriptures are anthropomorphisms. They are human characteristics attributed to God... It is inconceivable that God be offended or be angry." [The Truth by Clark Carlton.]

This statement will puzzle anybody who reads the Bible. In the Old Testament there are about twenty words that speak of God's ire. The total number of references to God's wrath exceeds 580. Let's read one of these: Isaiah 30:27-30. [Read them.]

The Old Testament abounds with passages like this. How about the New Testament? God's anger is a little less pronounced in the New Testament, but not by much. Jesus talks about Hell, and St. Paul occasionally mentions the fury of the Holy Almighty. Here are some examples: "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men." And, "for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience." And let's not forget the memorable phrase from Hebrews, "God is a consuming fire." (Romans 1:18; Ephesians 5:6; Hebrews 12:29). When God's anger and fury are mentioned so many times in Scripture it is difficult to write off these texts as merely anthropomorphisms, as merely human idiosyncrasies attributed to God to teach some other point. No. There is something more here that must be taken literally and seriously.

Opponents of propitiation also call attention to the fact that pagan nations too describe their gods as angry. "The heathen gods possess a capricious and almost irrational anger. That wrath the pagans believe is turned loose against them without perceptible rhyme or reason. Doesn't the doctrine of propitiation make Christianity like paganism? No, there is a big difference. The Hebrew people were totally clear about why their God was angry with them. They knew that one thing and one thing only aroused God's anger, and that was sin. Over and again we see in the pages of Scripture the anger of God burning against idolatry. But also against murder, oppression, and greed. Even the small sins provoke the same reaction from the Holy God. God is Holy and he will punish all sin with an eternal and righteous vengeance."

This is where the cross of Christ looms large for believers. "When John speaks of the death of Christ as a propitiation for our sins" (1 John 2:2) the meaning is clear. Christ's death on the cross turns aside God's wrath that otherwise would be directed toward us in the judgment. Christ accomplished this for us through His offering up of Himself as the sacrifice on whom God has poured out His anger. Christ shed His blood, in part, to appease the Holy God's anger toward our sins. Since God cannot simply overlook sin but must punish it, Christ must stand in the sinner's stead." [From "No Ordinary Death: Jesus Christ, the Propitiation for Our Sins" by Kim Riddlebarger in Modern Reformation March/April of 1996.] Some of you realize that there is a lot of overlap with this doctrine of propitiation, the atonement and justification. The three teachings are almost the same.

Let's mention one last objection to the doctrine of propitiation. It is claimed that propitiation makes salvation sound too legal. The words "condemnation, justification, satisfaction, penalty, guilt, and propitiation" are too focused on the courtroom. Rather, salvation has to do with family relationships. Remember the Father who welcomed home his prodigal son? That is the true picture of salvation, not the courtroom scene. This, however, is a false dichotomy. Both pictures are correct. The only way to a secure relationship with a holy God in a family of love is by the legal satisfaction of God's glorious nature. How can you enter into the joyful family of God and His people until you know that your guilt is remitted, that you are adopted legally into God's household and justified in spite of your ongoing sinfulness? Once you are God's child by adoption, God the Father invites you to His heavenly table. Your Elder Brother Jesus makes it a habit to eat a meal with you. The Holy Communion is a family feast. [Mike Horton in the same MR issue brings this out.]

Propitiation gives you and me permission to come to the Lord's Table, and makes it possible to belong to the household of faith. 2,000 years ago, Joseph and Mary circumcised their son and named Him Jesus. Jesus means Savior. He saves His people. From what does He save them? From God! From God's wrath! Rightly understood, the doctrine of propitiation highlights both the wrath and love of God. Christ not only paid for your sins at one point in time but also continues to love you and teach you day after day. You will continue to sin and Satan may cause you to question your family status with God the Father and Jesus, His Son. You have a weapon to use against Satan as he attacks you with doubts about God's love for you. Your weapon is the fact that Christ took your punishment upon Himself at Calvary. You no longer have to fear punishment for your sins. Christ paid for them all - past, present, and future. This tremendous truth of propitiation clearly demonstrates that you are truly and deeply loved by God. His love casts out all fear (1 John 4:18). You are a son of God; you are a daughter of God. Come to Jesus. He is your Lord and Savior and King and Elder Brother. He invites you to the table.

Let us pray.