1 jn 2:1-2 Propitiation

[savedbygrace57]

Propitiation is linked with the Lord Jesus Christ High Priest sacrifice as per heb 2:

16For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.

17Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation [propitiation] for the sins of the people.

Now lets look at some scripture pertaining to His sacrifice and what it accomplished as a High Priest..

Heb 10:

1For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.



2For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.

3But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.

4For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

That is, animal blood could never take away the sins of the people, even after the scape goat did in figure take them away lev 16:

21And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:

22And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.

But of course, this must be repeated yearly..

But not so with Jesus Christ, for His sacrifice of Himself took away once and for all the sins of the people Jn 1:

29The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

Now see the contrast from this verse which describes what Christ sacrifice accomplished and what the blood of animals failed to accomplish in heb 10:

4For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

You see, The blood of Christ did or accomplished once and for all, regarding the sins of Gods covenant people [ both jew and gentile= world] and that is the taking away, the removal of their sins, of which the Old Covenant economy could not do..

The animal blood merely covered their sins from a year to year basis, but Jesus blood once and for all removed the chosen peoples sins from God's Holy sight forever, even john the baptist had been brought into the knowledge of this blessed truth..

Heb 9 26, says that He was manifested or appeared for the putting away of sin, by the sacrifice or offering of Himself..

Heb 9:

26For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

There is actually no more sin to be punished for those whom He gave himself a sacrifice [ offering] for..God cannot find a reason to ever punish them for sin..not ever..for their sins have been put away once and for all...

 

[savedbygrace57]

Rom 3:24-25

24Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

25Whom 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;

This scripture is needed to offset the error many have been ensnared by in 1 Jn 2:2. Many have twisted that verse to say that Christ has propitiated God on behalf of the sins of all men without exception, but that cannot be True, because many will and have died in their sins !

Jesus Christ is a propitiation through Faith in His Blood. In other words, all for whom Christ has propitiated God in behalf of will be given Faith to believe it. For Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen. For one to have had their sins forgiven completely is a unseen blessing, and something we cannot come to know of except it be revealed, and God given Faith is that means that God gives to all Christ has died and propitiated God's Righteous Claims against them. Propitiation through Faith does not mean by faith or because of Faith. For faith is not the ground for Justification or propitiation. The original cause for both is God's Grace, and the Effectual cause is the work of Christ, His obedience unto death. The means by which the sinner comes to know of their personal Justification by reason of God being propitiated for them by Christ Blood is through Faith [God given Faith]. Justification as propitiation is by Blood, by God and not by ones Faith.

Those who have been deceived have made a god out of their faith, their act of believing, however there is no merit in ones faith, but the merit is in the object of Faith, Christ and His blood and His Righteousness 1 Cor 1:30

30But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

All what Christ accomplished in His spotless obedience to The Father's Will and Law, for He made a Righteousness for God's People to be put to their account, and in time, God the Holy Spirit gives Faith to the ones whom this righteousness has been imputed, so they may come to a converting Knowledge of it, and so it is by this regards that one is Justified by Faith, having had all their sins removed from before God's Justice by the propitiation of Christ blood.

 

[mondar]

I would agree that the term "propitiation" is the gift that turns away Gods wrath. There is no more wrath for anyone for whom Christs blood was poured out in behalf of. When Christs blood was offered as a gift, there was no more wrath for those for him the gift was offered. None. It was not a potential gift, it was a real actual gift that stopped Gods wrath from being poured out. The gift of Christs blood (propitiation) is that which saves us to the uttermost. In fact, to me, it seem unthinkable that God's wrath was not turned away by Christs act of shedding his blood. Yet this is the view that one would have to take if you see propitiation as happening, and people still went to hell. Did God turn away wrath and then after the gift was offered, God decided that the gift was not good enough and then sent his wrath. No, I could never degrade the precious shed blood of Christ like that. If the gift of Christs shed blood turns away wrath for the whole world, then you have a doctrine called universalism, or universal salvation.

Understanding the above statement might not be easy. The usual counter argument is ... "but you must have faith to actuate this salvation." This argument is a misunderstanding of two different terms in the scripture... justification and propitiation. No one disputes that faith is the human requirement for justification. But justification is not John topic in 1 John 2:1-2. Christ propitiates Gods wrath without any assistance from us. Then after this, he regenerates the soul so that faith results. Then we have the person justified. This is called the "ordo-salutus." Without getting the order of salvation correct, you have doctrine that includes human merit for salvation. Propitiation is the act of God in behalf of believing man, it in now way includes any act of man for God. Propitiation is never pictured as a joint exercise between God and man. But when we look at the end of the order of salvation, justification, then yes, human faith is the requirement for justification. But since that faith is caused by regeneration, there is no human merit. Faith pleases God (Heb 11:6) but this faith is also the work of God (1 john 5:1). Faith is the only requirement for justification, but the scripture does not say that faith is a requirement for propitiation.

There is a sense in which you could say that Christs blood is a potential propitiation for a group far far exceedingly larger then the elect of this universe. That is certainly true. The value of his shed blood is infinite. If you God were to make zillions and zillions of elect, and then multiply that to the zillionth power, and make the entire space between every planet and every star filled with elect people, and then have them multiply that number every zillionth of a second throughout all eternity, it would not be equal in value to even one drop of his precious blood. In other words, there is no limit to the number of people God can choose because of the great value of his shed blood. However, exegetically, this is not what is being suggested in 1 John 2:1-2. Christs blood is an advocate, and it is a propitiation. When Christs blood becomes an advocate, it never fails. When his shed blood is the gift that turns away wrath, that wrath never comes back.

In a way, it seems double speak to me to say that the gift turned away Gods wrath from unbelievers also, but it is only a potential propitiation. If it did not turn away wrath until certain conditions were met, then it did not turn away wrath at all. You can offer me a million dollars if I jump over the moon, but in the end, that would not be a real offer anyway. I cannot jump that high, and neither can an unbeliever change his own nature and believe.

 

[savedbygrace57]

mon:

I would agree that the term "propitiation" is the gift that turns away Gods wrath. There is no more wrath for anyone for whom Christs blood was poured out in behalf of. When Christs blood was offered as a gift, there was no more wrath for those for him the gift was offered. None. It was not a potential gift, it was a real actual gift that stopped Gods wrath from being poured out. The gift of Christs blood (propitiation) is that which saves us to the uttermost. In fact, to me, it seem unthinkable that God's wrath was not turned away by Christs act of shedding his blood. Yet this is the view that one would have to take if you see propitiation as happening, and people still went to hell.

Well People will be going to Hell, and are alreasy there, simply because Christ was not a Propititiation for them. Matt 7:23

23And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

 

[childeye]

SBG. Upon reading the last posts on this thread, are you saying that God could only access the human soul Through the blood of Christ? I will have more to say once you answer.

P.S. This is not a snare. I would not cast a stumbling block for it would only land on me.