Christ’s Propitiation (Guest Post)
There seems to be some disagreement in Christianity on how Christ propitiates God the Father. We turn to our favorite Visiting Professor, James Quiggle for clarity…
Beginning some years after the Synod of Dort, 1618–1619 (whose purpose was to refute the five points of Arminianism), there began and has continued an ongoing discussion of the limits of Christ’s act of propitiation on the cross. The discussion is, was Christ’s propitiation limited in scope or unlimited in scope? Sometimes this question is framed as, “For whom did Christ die?”
Usually this discussion of propitiation is made using the Old Testament word, “atonement,” “Christ,” says this argument, “made a Limited Atonement,” meaning he died only for the elect. The New Testament calls the atonement Christ made on the cross, “propitiation.” Both the OT “atonement” and NT “propitiation,” when used in a religious context, mean a satisfaction made to God for sin.
The questions that will be asked and answered in this essay are: What was the purpose of Christ’s propitiation? To whom or for whom was Christ’s propitiation directed? What was the scope of Christ’s propitiation? “Scope” is where the “limited or unlimited” question comes in.
Before answering the questions, let us talk for a moment about the Old Testament atonement, which forms, for us, the biblical example of forgiveness through sacrifice. Look at any Old Testament sacrifice for sin. Atonement consists of four essential things: God’s grace; the sinner’s faith in God and God’s testimony as to the way of salvation; the sinner’s repentance and confession of sins to God; the sacrificial act to provide a substitutionary death for those sins. The OT sacrifice itself did not effect forgiveness. The offering must be accepted by God’s grace and its merit must be personally applied by the sinner’s faith, in order to effect forgiveness.
We see, then, the sinner’s faith was directed toward God, and the act of sacrifice, the atonement, was directed toward God. The purpose of the sacrifice was to satisfy God’s justice for the sinner’s crime of sin. The purpose of the sinner’s faith was to apply the merit of tat atonement to effect forgiveness of sin. God by grace accepted the sacrifice and the sinner’s faith.
So, let’s define Christ’s act of atonement, that is, his propitiation of God for sin. Propitiation is the satisfaction Christ made to God for sin by dying on the cross as the sin-bearer, 2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 3:25; Hebrews 2:17; 1 John 2:2; 4:10, for the crime of sin committed by human beings, suffering in their place and on their behalf. Christ’s propitiation fully satisfied God’s holiness and justice for the crime of sin, 1 John 2:2; Romans 3:25.
Question: What was the purpose of Christ’s propitiation? Answer: To fully satisfy God’s justice against human sin.
Question: To whom or for whom was Christ’s propitiation directed? Answer: Christ’s propitiation was directed toward God.
The purpose of Christ’s propitiation was to satisfy God’s justice for the crime of human sin, so God could justly act redemptively toward sinners. God’s justice having been satisfied, God could act to apply the merit of Christ’s propitiation to effect the redemption of sinners. (No not universal salvation. Keep reading.)
Last question. “What was the scope of Christ’s propitiation?” Scripture says the propitiation was, “for the sins of the world,” 1 John 2:2. No amount of linguistic acrobatics and manipulation can make “world” (the Greek kósmos), in that verse mean anything other than the world of sinners.
So, just like the OT atonement, the NT propitiation is both the sacrifice—Christ suffering for sin on the cross, and the application of that merit by God’s grace and the sinner’s faith to effect redemption for the sinner.
Christ’s propitiation is not itself redemption. His propitiation generated the limitless merit that effects redemption. The merit of the propitiation is applied according to the decree of election through God’s gift of grace-faith-salvation. The unlimited merit of Christ’s propitiation for sin (1 John 2:2) is applied according to the decree of election (Eph. 1:4) through the gift of God (Eph 2:8). The merit of the propitiation is unlimited, its application particular and individual.
Christ died on the cross to propitiate God for all sin, so God could act in justice, holiness, and righteousness to save sinners. Salvation, then, is the application of Christ’s infinite merit to overcome the demerit of sin and save a soul, as specifically applied according to God’s sovereign decree of election, through God’s gift of grace-faith-salvation, which is then personally applied by each sinner through his/her saving faith in Christ, in response to having received God’s gift of grace-faith-salvation.
There are three reasons the limitless merit of Christ’s propitiation is not universal salvation. Each is equally important. The first reason is God acts in harmony with all his decrees and all his attributes. The limitless merit of Christ’s propitiation is applied according to God’s decree in election, Ephesians 1:4, through God’s gift of grace-faith salvation, Ephesians 2:8. Thus the application of Christ’s limitless merit is limited when it is applied for salvation. The merit of Christ’s propitiation is applied to particular individuals according to the decree of election. This is known as Particular Redemption.
The second reason is the salvation principle, Ephesians 2:8. That principle is “saved by God’s grace through the sinner’s faith.” Salvation is always dependent on faith in God and God’s testimony. Without personal faith there is no salvation.
The OT teaches us. The sinner brought the sacrifice with faith in God and God’s testimony. The sinner laid his hands on the sacrifice and confessed his sins, in faith believing God and God’s testimony the animal now bore his sins. The sinner killed the animal with faith in in God and God’s testimony that the animal died in the sinner’s place, bearing the penalty for the sinner’s sins. God in grace accepted the sinner’s faith and forgave the sinner’s sins. The sacrifice was then offered on the altar to God. Salvation by God’s grace through the sinner’s faith.
Today we have faith in God and God’s testimony that the proper sacrifice, Jesus Christ crucified buried, resurrected, and ascended, when presented to God through our faith in God and God’s testimony as to the way of salvation, with our repentance for our sins, will result in forgiveness of all our sins. Salvation by God’s grace through the sinner’s faith.
The third reason is Christ’s limitless merit is applied toward the whole world in ways other than salvation. Because his justice was satisfied, God can act in mercy toward the world by delaying the immediate justice sin requires, which is the endless punishment of the unforgiven sinner. In mercy God gives the sinner a lifetime to believe and be saved. In love God’s kindness and goodness can act to disperse his blessings upon the good and evil alike, for as Jesus said, God makes his rain falls on both the good and the evil. Because God can justly act in blessing toward the world, his common grace disperses the good news to all. In blessing, God prevents every unsaved sinner from being as bad as he or she could be.
In the matter of salvation, Christ’s propitiation/atonement is not in itself redemption, it powers redemption. Christ’s propitiation was not directed toward sinners, but toward God. The purpose of Christ’s propitiation was to fully satisfy God’s justice so God could justly act to redeem sinners and act in common grace, kindness, and goodness toward the world. The application of Christ’s propitiation for salvation is according to election through God’s gift of grace-faith-salvation and the sinner’s personal faith.
