“God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of His blood – to be received by faith.” - Romans 3:25
Most people do not want to think of God as angry. The truth is, however, that a loving God will and should be angry about sin because sin hurts His creation and sin hurts the people He loves. Propitiation is a word in the Bible that means, “to placate someone’s anger; to satisfy someone’s debt.” There is nothing we can do to “propitiate” God when it comes to sin. There is no way we can remove the wrath of God against evil and sinfulness. It is as much a part of His character as grace and mercy are. This is where the wrath of God is joined with the love of God, and how this happens is incredible.
In order to understand this concept we must first understand that all sin is first and foremost against God. While others are of course affected and even wronged by our sin, it is God we have transgressed and disobeyed. He makes the rules, so when we sin it is chiefly against Him. Herein lies the great tension of the Gospel. In His grace, God wants to justify us even though we are guilty. In His justice, He must see that sin is punished. And as the One wronged, He has the right to satisfaction.
It is here that Jesus steps in not only as our sacrifice but also as our propitiation. He not only purchases our freedom, but He also satisfies God’s wrath against our sinfulness. He sees that God’s justice is carried out and He assures that our sin is totally paid for. Because of Jesus, there is total satisfaction.
When we look at the cross, we see everything. Do you want to see the greatest evidence of God’s love? Look to the cross. Do you want to see the greatest evidence of God’s justice? Look to the cross. Do you want to see where the wrath of God and the mercy of God meet because of the grace of God? Look to the cross. It was there that love of God that satisfied the wrath of God through the Son of God.
Father, thank You for the cross. I know I could never earn salvation, yet You freely offer it to me in Christ. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Topics: Salvation
