June 28

He Himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. — 1 John 2:2 BSB

What is “propitiation?” By propitiation, we mean an atoning sacrifice acceptable to God, one that satisfies His righteous demands and makes way for mercy, grace, and forgiveness to flow freely. Sin, along with the law that condemns it, had blocked God's favor. These were the obstacles to God’s love. God, in His holiness, cannot love sin or sinners; therefore, sin and His holy law, which reflects His infinite purity, stood as a barrier, keeping back His favor. It was necessary for this barrier to be removed, providing a channel through which God’s grace, favor, and mercy could reach us. Sin had to be erased, and the law had to be fulfilled in all its demands so that God could remain just, without compromising any of His righteous attributes, while still being the justifier of those who believe in Jesus.

How could this be accomplished? No angel or created being could have devised a way. The solution lay hidden in the eternal counsel of the Triune God, that the only-begotten Son, who had been in the Father’s bosom from eternity—the brightness of His glory and the exact representation of His being—would become the sacrificial Lamb. This Lamb, preordained before the foundation of the world, would take on human nature, becoming flesh and blood—pure, spotless, and holy—and offer His body as a holy sacrifice. His sacrifice began the moment He entered the world. Every holy thought, word, and action that came from the Son of God, in His suffering and obedience on earth, was part of this great sacrifice.

The culmination of this offering occurred on the cross when His body was nailed to the tree, and His blood was shed to atone for sin. This is the atoning sacrifice—the only way by which sin is pardoned, the only means of redemption.

For this atonement to become personally effective in our lives, it must be embraced by faith. The Apostle declares that God has set forth Jesus as a propitiation “through faith in His blood.” This is the pivotal moment in a person's salvation. When, by living faith, one is able to look to the atoning sacrifice and find rest in the blood shed on Calvary, the soul begins to experience the grace and favor of God in a deep and personal way.