The Weekend Word
What did you teach?
What did you learn?
Did you hear the Gospel?
PROPITIATION
Here we reach the real heart—the heart of the heart, we may say—of Christianity; for if the Incarnation is its shrine, the Atonement is certainly its holy of holies.
If the Incarnation was the supreme miracle, it was yet only the first of a series of steps down from the joy and bliss of heaven to the pain and shame of Calvary (Philippians 2:5-8).
The reason why the Son of God became man was to shed his blood as (in the Prayer Book’s words) “a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction, for the sins of the whole world.”
God “did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all” (Romans 8:32): that was the measure of his love (cf. Romans 5:5-8). It is in the same terms—terms, that is, not of tolerant avuncular benevolence but of this particular precious gift—that John explains what he means by his great and glorious, but much-misunderstood, declaration, “God is love.” “In this is love,” he explains, “not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins” (1 John 4:8-10).
The cross of Christ has many facets of meaning. As our sacrifice for sins, it was propitiation (Romans 3:25; 1 John 2:2; 4:10; cf. Hebrews 2:17)—that is, a means of quenching God’s personal penal wrath against us by blotting out our sins from his sight. (“Expiation” in the rsv rendering of these texts signifies only “a means of blotting out sins,” which is an inadequate translation.)
As our propitiation, it was reconciliation, the making of peace for us with our offended, estranged, angry Creator (Romans 5:9-11). We are not wise to play down God’s hostility against us sinners; what we should do is magnify our Savior’s achievement for us in displacing wrath by peace. Again, as our reconciliation, the cross was redemption, rescue from bondage and misery by the payment of a price (see Ephesians 1:7; Romans 3:24; Revelation 5:9; Mark 10:45); and as redemption, it was victory over all hostile powers that had kept us, and wanted still to keep us, in sin and out of God’s favor (Colossians
Packer, J.I. (2009-04-10). Affirming the Apostles’ Creed (Kindle Locations 679-682). Good News Publishers/Crossway Books. Kindle Edition.
for if the Incarnation is its shrine, the Atonement is certainly its holy of holies.
—————————————————
Michael, can you shed light on why Dr. Packer used the word, atonement, here, when the article is about the propitiation. Specifically, does he use the terms interchangeably?
(The article is great. I’m likely hitting on this tomorrow myself)
I believe he’s using the word atonement here as a cover all word for the complete work of the cross of which propitiation is one “facet”.
What I learned this week, first I am lost, I get that. I was watching Mike Murdock on tv this evening, he shared that there is nothing as beautiful as a 100$ bill, in that I say amen, well actually I dont but that is another post. He spoke about how God wants to fulfill his faith promise and spoke about how God increased his income while he gave more. Personally I give money out and I go to great lengths to not even know how much I give out, I live in terror I may sin by thinking about how much I give or God forbid and I mean this, I might find some joy in giving. I usually loath myself forgiving because I am almost always sure there is some Satanic reason for it. He went on about faithing out 100$ bills. I will be honest when I gave to God if He did not slaughter me and mine I considered that a victory or at least a reprieve because I was always so sure, some type of wrath was being stored up.
There is a side to me that I wish I could work the business like he does, I admire him, he does it with no side effect. He tells good stories, he has nice hair, and he can rake it in. The audience laughed and there was a few more pleas for offerings. People might get me wrong, I think we should not in any way limit this type of faith, I believe in religious liberty that much, I actually think we should strengthen tax exempt status of religious non profits and churches. Because I see the good they do on the local level, granted I am sure I am possessed of Satan himself but that is how much I support the first amendment. I have seen the alternative and it is much uglier.
He talked about how God kept him in clothes for some 30 what ever years. Almost every day when I wake up I say this simple prayer, God thank you for not killing me because of the holy wrath I know I have earned. I do not even expect a next breath from God, I consider that grace. If God killed me dead right now I would consider that grace. It is a tiring religion. I am trying truly I am trying to find the good news people speak about. I dont see it, I am sure its me, but I dont see it.
Dang, Michael. While I was reading this I assumed you wrote it and I was so enjoying it. Then I saw it was written by some guy I don’t know. It’s good anyway. One day I’ll clean out my garage and I’ll go through all the boxes of books I haven’t seen in years. Maybe I’ve read this guy before. I had to look up some words I didn’t know. Avuncular. I used to have avuncle Fritz. He introduced me to LSD.
I love the word propitiation cuz it’s hard to say and it makes me consider how hard it is to fathom what Jesus did for me. Those 3 questions at the top- are those rhetorical?
When I read that the cross has many facets I thought of Salvador Dali’s painting of Christ on the cross in space and imagined cgi sparkles emanating from it and each light was a deep aspect of God’s atonement awaiting full explanation from God Himself in a future age, perhaps in heaven.
I appreciate the tension between God’s wrath at sin and His complete forgiveness of mine. we play down His wrath cuz we thing we Americans are speshul!
In Genesis God “…blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth to conquer the earth and subdue it.” If there’s a new testament fulfillment or equivalent to this it may be to plumb the depths of His word. If that’s the case, then we have quite a wait until the rapture or the end of the age. If the fulfillment is “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world.” then we still have a long way to go.
How many years until Packer’s words are venerated alongside the Apostles’ Creed? I heard someone say that he thought Milton’s works should be canonized. Do you think?
Aaah, to linger at the cross.
To meditate upon what it means.
To consider who it was that hung there.
To understand all that was done, before, during, and after.
To know from the beginning of human history and throughout the ages.
To grasp that even before this, the cross had been wrought by grace.
To believe that God’s grace, love, and justice compels one to receive.
To grieve that which have kept one from doing so at the cost of one’s very soul.
To rejoice for it cannot be undone and it is finished, completed, and victory is ours to receive as we walk in the light and give our lives to Him likewise, to do as He pleases with what little we have to offer in return.
Edited
Ah– to linger at the cross.
To meditate upon what it means.
To consider who it was that hung there.
To understand all that was done, before, during, and after.
To know from the beginning of human history and throughout the ages.
To grasp that even before this, the cross had been wrought by grace.
To believe that God’s grace, love, and justice compels one to receive.
To grieve that which has kept one from doing so at the cost of one’s very soul.
To rejoice for it cannot be undone and that it is finished; completed, and victory is ours, to receive as we walk in the light and give our lives to Him likewise, to do as He pleases with what little we have to offer in return.
Today’s message was from Galatians 3. Definitely heard the Gospel!!!
Packer hits a home run, again. I love that he calls the Atonement the “Holy of Holies”. Without the Atonement, the veil before the Holy of Holies would still block our approach to the throne. Without propitiation for our sin, the gospel wouldn’t be the good news that it is. We’d still be outside the curtain, seeing a glimpse of our salvation, but unable to obtain it.
Finished Job last week. Started Ecclesiastes this week. It went really well. Big assist from Steve Wright, and Dr. John Phillips 🙂
I’ll be in Ecclesiastes for 5 more weeks, and then I am super-pumped because I will be teaching through the Gospel of John for the next 4 months!