Propitiation and Expiation

          The atonement of Christ is the sacrificial work of Jesus in His death on
     the cross to satisfy the wrath of God, with reconciliation accomplished for all
     who will be redeemed.

          Atonement was necessary because of our sinfulness, which required God's
     punishment.  Jesus became the substitute for His people's sins, as God the
     Father imputed our sin to His Son, and gave us His righteousness in return.

         
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          "To grasp the depth and reason for the atonement, we must understand the
     enormity of our sin.  Sin is an evil of infinite magnitude, for it is committed
     against an infinite Person, unto whom every creature is under infinite obliga-
     tions of rendering unceasing and joyful obedience."

          "This is why God's punishment of sin unatoned for will be eternal;  neces-
     sarily so for nothing less will fit the case, nothing less will satisfy Divine
     justice.  And this is why God could receive no satisfaction to His broken law
     save from one that possessed infinite merits." 

          "Sin is coming short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23), which dishonors
     God.  Fallen people cannot restore God's honor and the sinner cannot be
     pardoned until the law is followed completely.  This is impossible for sinful
     men.  Only a mediator who is both Divine and human is able to bring full
     satisfaction to God."  (From 'The Satisfaction of Christ')

          Before Christ died, only a spotless animal sacrifice without blemish was
     acceptible to satisfy God's wrath against mankind for its sins.

          Therefore, only a perfect, spotless, sinless human sacrifice would be
     acceptable to God also.  No ordinary human being is able to meet that
     standard.  Only God in human form could do that.

          Jesus' death was a vicarious sacrifice, one given in the place of the sinner,
     so that the person never has to face the penalty for his sin.  Christ's atoning
     work for His people brought total satisfaction to God the Father for all time.  


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          Two fruits of the atonement of Christ are propitiation and expiation.

          Propititation is the turning away of wrath by an offering.  In relation to
     soteriology (salvation), propitiation means placating or satisfying the wrath
     of God by the atoning sacrifice of Christ.  (Theopedia)


          "But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the
     law, although the Law and Prophets bear witness to it - the righteousness of
     God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.  For there is no dis-
     tinction:  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are
     justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
     whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith."
      Romans 3:21-25a


          "Therefore He had to be made like His brothers in every respect, so that
     He might become a  merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to
     make propitiation for the sins of the people."  Hebrews 2:17

           John MacArthur commments:

          "By His partaking of a human nature, Christ demonstrated His mercy to
     mankind and His faithfulness to God by satisfying God's requirement for
     sin and thus obtaining for His people full forgiveness."


          "In this is love, not that we have loved God, but that He loved us and sent
     His Son to be the propitiation for our sins."  1 John 4:10


          John wrote this epistle to recall believers to the fundamentals of the faith.
     The words "we," "us," and "our" refer to God's people.  Jesus died as a sub-
     stitute for His people.


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           Expiation is God's removal of the sins of believers.  The difference be-
     tween expiation and propitiation is that the object of expiation is sin, not God.
     One propitiates a person, and one expiates a problem.


          "For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His steadfast love
     toward those who fear Him;  as far as the east is from the west, so far does He
     remove our transgressions from us."  Psalm 103:12


          (John the Baptist said), "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin
     of the world."  John 1:29 

          Here, the word "world" means humanity in general, not every person in the
     world.  Jesus' sacrifice for sin is efficacious only for those who believe.


          "For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."
           Jeremiah 31:34b

          This was God's proclamation to individual people and Israel as a nation.
     Later, it also applied to all who believed in Christ for salvation.

          "Because Christ's expiation of sin is indivisible, inexhaustible, and sufficient
     to cover the guilt of all the sins that will ever be committed, God can clearly offer
     it to all.  Yet only the elect will respond and be saved, according to His eternal
     purpose."  John MacArthur


           "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I
     will raise him up on the last day."  John 6:44


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          Jesus fully accomplished the Father's will through His atonement on the cross,
     as a vicarious sacrifice for His people, removing and forgiving their sins.