Propitiation

This is my planned communion meditation for this Sunday:

You may have heard it on an afternoon talk show, read it in a popular Christian novel, or even been taught it by a well-meaning Bible teacher. It goes something like this: God is not a God of anger. He is not mad at you. He has never been mad at you. It's just not who he is.

But somehow, you have never really bought into it. You have considered your sins, and you have realized that you have done some ugly things with some horribly bad motives. You know that you have been unbelievably selfish and arrogant.

You have also read enough of the Bible to know that God hates sin. He has more than sufficient reasons to be mad at a sinner like you. You believe that he would be completely just if he were to strike you down and condemn you forever.

The truth is your gut instincts are right. But there is more to the story and more about the character of God that needs to be remembered as we think about the crucifixion of Christ.

In Romans 1:18, we read, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth." For the rest of the chapter, the apostle Paul details our unrighteousness: idolatry, homosexual activity, envy, murder, strife, deceit, gossip, slander, disobedience to parents, and several other actions and attitudes.

Then, in chapter two, he attacks those of us who believe we may have escaped the first chapter's list of sins. He tells us that judgmentalism and hypocrisy are just as bad. God is not pleased.

Finally, in chapter three of Romans, Paul hits us with these words, "(A)s it is written, 'None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:10-12, 23).

But then, a dramatic turn occurs in the next verse. We learn that we Christians "are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith" (Romans 3:24-25).

Christ became a propitiation. That's not a word we use much these days, but it's an important word. A propitiation is a sacrifice designed to take away the wrath of God. In Christ's sacrifice, he took away the wrath of God. He became our Savior.

It's true that our sins have caused our God to become angry at us. But even in his anger, he has loved us and provided us with Jesus as a sacrifice to take away both our sins and his wrath.

As Romans 5:1-2 says, "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God."

That's something worth remembering as we take the Lord's Supper today.

Hell

Walking past Janet on my way to the computer, I mentioned, "I'm going to write about hell." She just rolled her eyes, as if to say, He just doesn't know how to stay away from controversial topics. I'm sure she's right.

Actually, I have been reading a fascinating book called Heaven by Randy Alcorn. I have never read anything quite like it. The book clarifies some of the vague concepts that I have had about heaven for a long time. In addition, it has filled me with a greater passion about going to heaven. I plan on writing about heaven after I have finished the book in a couple of weeks.

In the meantime, I would like to share a good quote about hell from Why We're Not Emergent by Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck. It is found on pages 198-200.

"We need the doctrine of eternal punishment. Time and time again in the New Testament we find that understanding divine justice is essential to our sanctification. Believing in God's judgment actually helps us look more like Jesus. In short, we need the doctrine of the wrath of God.

"First, we need God's wrath to keep us honest about evangelism. Paul reasoned with Felix about righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment (Acts 24:25). We need to do the same. Without the doctrine of hell, we are prone to get involved in all sorts of important God-honoring things, but neglect the one thing that matters for all eternity, urging sinners to be reconciled to God.

"Second, we need God's wrath in order to forgive our enemies. The reason we can forego repaying evil for evil is because we trust the Lord's promise to repay the wicked. Paul's logic is sound. 'Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord' (Rom. 12:19). The only way to look past our deepest hurts and betrayals is to rest assured that every sin against us has been paid for on the cross or will be punished in hell. We don't have to seek vigilante justice, because God will be our just judge.

"Third, we need God's wrath in order to risk our lives for Jesus' sake. The radical devotion necessary to suffer for the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus comes, in part, from the assurance we have that God will vindicate us in the end. That's why the martyrs under the throne cry out, 'How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?' (Rev. 6:10). They paid the ultimate price for their faith, but their blood-stained cries will be answered one day. Their innocence will be established when God finally judges their persecutors.

"Fourth, we need God's wrath in order to live holy lives. Paul warns us that God cannot be mocked. We will reap what we sow. We are spurred on to live a life of purity and good deeds by the promised reward for obedience and the promised curse for disobedience. If we live to please the flesh, we will reap destruction from God. But if we live to please the Spirit, we will reap eternal life (Gal. 6:6-7). Sometimes ministers balk at the thought of motivating people with the threat of eternal punishment. But wasn't this Jesus' approach when He said, 'Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell' (Matt. 10:28)? Sometimes we need to literally scare the hell out of people.

"Fifth, we need God's wrath in order to understand what mercy means. Divine mercy without divine wrath is meaningless. Only when we know that we were objects of wrath (Eph. 2:3), stood condemned already (John 3:18), and would have faced hell as God's enemies were it not for undeserved mercy (Rom. 5:10) can we sing from the heart, 'Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me!'

"Sixth, we need God's wrath in order to grasp how wonderful heaven will be. Jonathan Edwards is famous (or infamous) for his sermon 'Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.' It's still read in American literature classes, usually as a caricature of the puritanical spirit of colonial New England. But few people realize that Edwards also preached sermons like 'Heaven is a World of Love.' Unlike most of us, Edwards saw in vivid colors the terror of hell and the beauty of heaven. We can't get a striking picture of one without the other. That's why the depiction of the heavenly New Jerusalem also contains a warning to the cowardly, unbelieving, vile, immoral, idolaters, and liars whose place is in 'the fiery lake of burning sulfur' (Rev. 21:8). It's unlikely we will long for our final salvation if we don't know what we are saved from.

"Seventh, we need the wrath of God in order to be motivated to care for our impoverished brothers and sisters. We all know the saying that Christians are so heavenly minded they are of no earthly good. The idea is that if all we think about are heaven and hell we'll ignore ministries of compassion and social justice. But what better impetus for social justice than Jesus' sober warning that if we fail to care for the least of our brothers we will go away to eternal punishment (Matt. 25:31-46)? The wrath of God is a motivator for us to show compassion to others, because without love, John says, we have no eternal life, and if we don't share our material possessions with those in need, we have no love (1 John 3:17).

"Eighth, we need God's wrath in order to be ready for the Lord's return. We must keep the lamps full, the wicks trimmed, the houses clean, the vineyard tended, the workers busy, and the talents invested lest we find ourselves unprepared for the day of reckoning. Only when we fully believe in the coming wrath of God and tremble at the thought of eternal punishment will we stay awake, keep alert, and be prepared for Jesus to come again and judge the living and the dead."

Reasons to Love Jesus: #3 Propitiation

"This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as the one who would turn aside his wrath, taking away sin through faith in his blood" (Romans 3:22-25a).

The doctrine of propitiation is a key doctrine of the Bible, because it is essential to the definition of Christ's mission. The word propitiation is rarely used today, but it is an offering with the purpose of appeasing the wrath of God and taking away sin. The apostle Paul described Jesus' work on the cross as a propitiation when he wrote, "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!" (Romans 5:6-9).

In Christ as a propitiation, we see a God who was properly angry at us. We deserved his wrath. We had violated our relationship with him as people made in his image. We had insulted our Creator by going our own way. We had sinned by committing acts of selfishness and evil. Our situation was hopeless, because we had no defense.

However, although God was angry with us, he also loved us. He knew that we deserved the full force of his wrath, but he also knew that we could not handle it. He is a God of wrath, but he is also a God of compassion and love. So he decided to appease his own justified wrath. On the cross, Jesus Christ took the wrath. He became our propitiation and our saving grace.

Because the Son of God took the punishment for our sins, we do not need to walk in condemnation. We can live freely, without the burden of guilt and shame. When we place our confidence in him as our propitiation, we enjoy the benefits of his sacrifice.

And that's just one more reason to love Jesus.

A Fear Graced With Love

Jesus said, "But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell" (Luke 12:5, NIV).

Later his apostle John wrote, "And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love" (1 John 4:16-18, NIV).

When we first learn about the holiness of God, the wrath of God, and our sins, we fear God. Such a fear is entirely appropriate. We recognize the gravity of our situation. We can see that we deserve hell.

When we learn about the love and grace of God as it was shown on the cross of Christ, our fear begins to be mixed with an strong appreciation of the Lord. While we deserved death and hell, Christ died and faced the wrath of God in our place. Motivated by a mixture of fear and love, we become followers of Jesus Christ.

As we mature, we grow more secure in our relationship with our God. We fear punishment less and love him more.

However, while our fear of punishment subsides, our fear of the Lord does not vanish. It changes. Now we fear the possibility of bringing shame or embarrassment to our Savior. We love him so much that we want to honor him in every way possible.

In some ways, we are like children. In early years, a child will obey because he fears punishment. In later years, his fear will change. He will not want to embarrass his parents by behaving badly. He loves them too much. As Bible teacher Jim Roberts at the Contact Church has said, "By the time I was old enough to realize that I could resist my father, I couldn't."

As hymn writer John Newton put it, "'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved. How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed!"

Father, Forgive Them

"But Jesus was saying, 'Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing'" (Luke 23:34, NASB).

In Jesus Christ, we see a quality of character that cannot be easily faked.

We see a man who had been falsely accused of crimes that he had not committed. We see a man who had been betrayed by one of his closest friends, and abandoned by the others. We see a man who was abused by the system. We see a man who was mocked and tortured without mercy. We see a man who deserved all the praise that could be given, but who received anger and hatred instead. We see a man who was facing the wrath of God for the sins of his enemies.

But we do not see a bitter and resentful man. We do not see a man gritting his teeth, trying not to call down the armies of heaven to wipe out an evil and ungrateful humanity.

In Jesus Christ, we see the character of God. We see a man who would rather suffer than see us suffer. We see a man who would rather forgive than destroy. We see a man of strength surrounded by a sea of weakness. We see the supernatural...not merely a man of God, but God himself in the form of a man.

The Agony of Christ

"And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground" (Luke 22:44, NASB).

Before Jesus went to the cross, he spent some time praying in a garden. During that time, he became so involved in talking to his Father that his sweat became like drops of blood.

Earlier this week, I heard that people doubted that such sweating could occur, until the Germans conducted experiments during World War II involving how people responded to fear. They discovered that people could be terrified to the point of sweating blood.

If that is the case, what could have frightened Christ to such an extent? He had taught his disciples that they did not need to fear circumstances or people. Even more, Jesus had modeled fearlessness every day of his life. So, what was happening? Was he afraid of death? No, he feared neither people nor what they could do to him. Was he afraid, as I have heard taught, of being seperated from his Father? Not exactly.

I am convinced that Jesus feared facing the wrath of God. As the apostle Paul wrote, "Much more then, having now been justified by (Jesus') blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him" (Romans 5:9, NASB). As he faced death, Jesus knew that he was dying in the place of sinners who deserved to face the awesome wrath of God. While we may wish to downplay the seriousness of our sins and their consequences, Jesus recognized that "it is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Hebrews 10:31, NASB).

So why would Jesus Christ place himself in such a position? He looked forward to the results. He knew that his Father would be satisfied with his sacrifice. He understood that many people's lives would be changed forever as they placed their faith in him and what he had done for them. He realized that his resurrection would change everything, bringing hope to all who would follow him.

Jesus approached the cross dreading the agony of facing God's wrath, but anticipating the joy of renewing the relationship between his loving Father and his rebellious brothers and sisters. "For the joy set before Him, (Jesus) endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:2, NASB).

The Wrath and Grace of God

"And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:1-7, NASB).

The grace of God is more fully appreciated when I remember the wrath of God.

God has every reason to destroy my life and cast me into hell. My sins are that offensive. My sins hurt God that much. He is fully justified in being that angry toward me.

However, God's justified wrath makes his grace even more amazing. With every reason to punish me more than I can imagine, he took the intiative to save me. He had mercy. He showed unusual kindness.

On the cross, Jesus Christ demonstrated how angry God is toward sin. He took the full force of God's wrath for us. His death was painful, humiliating, and lonely.

On that same cross, the Son of God demonstrated how far he was willing to go to save us, along with how deeply the Father loved us. He was not content to leave us as hopeless children of wrath. He was intent on sacrificing in order to deliver us from what we deserved.

When I stop to consider the wrath and grace of God as displayed on the cross of Christ, I find the motivation needed to thank God and to turn away from sin and temptation.