Leadership Thought : An Important Theological Term You Might Not Know

Dear Friends,

One of my favorite pastors and Bible commentators is Jon Courson who has written a set of Old and New Testament commentaries that I find of great use when seeking to illustrate difficult biblical truth.

One such truth is the term propitiation; a word John, the apostle of love, uses to describe what Jesus did for us on the cross. 

In 1 John 2:1-2, John, writes: “My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father- Jesus Christ, the righteous One. He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not only for our sins, but also for those of the whole world."

In bringing to light the meaning of the theological word propitiation, he shares a wonderful illustration to reveal its significance.

Jon writes. “The tactic of our defense attorney is not to manipulate the evidence for us or to make excuses for our Sin. No, our advocate bases his entire case upon the fact that He is the propitiation for our sins. That is, He took upon himself, the righteous indignation of the Father that should have been hurled on us.  

“Think of it this way. While driving 80 miles an hour through downtown Medford, Oregon, I’m pulled over by an officer of the law and taken into a courtroom. But although I walk in with knees knocking and face perspiring, I am greatly relieved to discover that the presiding judge is my dad.

That is why there is a smile on my face even after the evidence against me is presented. After all, the judge is my dad, and he knows boys will be boys.

Imagine my surprise, then, when I hear his voice thunder, “Guilty. The fine is $5000 or five years in jail.”

“How can this be?” I cry. “You’re my dad.”

“Sir,” he answers, “in this courtroom I am your judge. And justice must be done.”

So, I opened my wallet to pay the fine, but all I found was a crumbled dollar bill and some change. And just as a bailiff is about to slap cuffs on my wrist and haul me to jail, the judge stands up, deliberately takes off his robe, and leaves the bench to stand beside me and to pay my fine.

Thus, justice is served because the price for my sin of speeding was paid – not by me, but by my father who paid a debt. I was completely unable to pay.

And that is exactly what happened when Jesus Christ became the propitiation, the payment for my sin.

And now you know the meaning of this significant theological word. God in his infinite love for you chose to appease and satisfy His righteous anger against sin through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the cross. In doing so, He turns  away His divine wrath and makes reconciliation possible by satisfying His justice while still allowing Him to be just and merciful. Aren’t you glad He did?

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom