April 19, 2026 | Our Spiritual Assets | Lesson 6
Propitiation
The Greek word for propitiation is “hilasmos,” and means to appease the wrath of an offended party or to satisfy the just demands of someone that has been offended. The Greeks used the word for appeasing their pagan gods. The Greeks had to do this by some “righteous” act, which would demonstrate their true “good” character.
Since God is absolutely righteous, He must judge sin wherever He finds it. The Bible is very clear that all human beings are born with Adam’s original sin and a sin nature and are spiritually dead, separated from God. We know from Romans 3:23 that no one possesses the righteousness necessary to spend eternity with a perfectly righteous God. In other words, God’s righteousness cannot have fellowship with mankind’s “righteousness.” God is “offended” (not shocked) by the lack of righteousness and subsequent sinful condition of people. It is this offense that must be appeased. “God is offended” is an anthropopathism (language of accommodation ascribing to God human emotions that He does not possess) to explain His policy with regard to man’s sin. (John 3:36; Romans 3:10–12, 23; 6:23; Isaiah 59:2, 64:6)
God’s integrity (holiness) must be satisfied. God’s integrity is made up of His righteousness and His justice. God’s righteousness is the standard or principle of His integrity and must judge sin. The judgment that God pronounced upon sin was spiritual death. (Romans 3:9, 23) We cannot forget that the other half of God’s integrity is justice. Justice is the function or action of God’s integrity. Therefore, what the righteousness of God condemns, the justice of God judges. In the case of human beings, God’s righteousness must be satisfied (propitiated). Everyone is born physically alive but spiritually dead (separated from God). Under the sentence of spiritual death, mankind is helpless to remedy the situation. (Romans 3:25–26)
Since the sentence that God pronounced on sin is spiritual death, only spiritual death will satisfy the just demands of God’s righteousness. Only one Person in history was qualified to meet this just demand. Jesus Christ became the propitiation for the sin of the entire world. By His sinless life, Jesus satisfied the perfect righteousness of God that was demanded by the Law of Moses. By His spiritual death, Jesus satisfied the perfect justice of God that His righteousness demanded. (I John 2:1–2, 4:10)
The Substitutionary Character of Propitiation
The Greek word “huper,” translated “for” in Romans 5:8, is a preposition meaning “on behalf of” or “in place of.” The Greek word for “us” is “ego.” Combined in this passage and others, we see the substitutionary character of propitiation. Jesus Christ became sin “on behalf of us” or “in place of us.” (II Corinthians 5:21) It is the substitutionary spiritual death of Christ that completely satisfied/propitiated the righteousness of God and provides eternal life for all who believe in Christ.
Christ’s sacrifice was complete and eternal. It was complete in that it never had to be repeated. Christ died once for all mankind. Any time a person attempts to secure eternal life by means of good works, the Bible declares that they are, in effect, attempting to crucify Christ over again (a blasphemous thought). It was eternal in that the results continue throughout the history of mankind and forever. God’s righteousness had to be satisfied in order for Him to be just in giving eternal life and the other spiritual assets to those who believe. The Doctrine of Propitiation explains how this was accomplished by Jesus Christ. (Romans 3:25; Hebrews 9:28; I John 2:1–2)
Christ was a willing substitute. He was not forced by God the Father to become humanity and die in our place. Jesus willingly and joyfully fulfilled a plan that was designed in eternity past. This plan of salvation called for the substitutionary spiritual death of Christ, which would propitiate (satisfy) God’s righteous judgment of sin (a judgment carried out by God’s justice). (Hebrews 12:1–2)
The Character of Jesus Christ
The perfect substitutionary payment for sin that satisfied the righteousness of God was accomplished by a Person of perfect character. This Person, of course, is Jesus Christ. As deity, Christ was not able to sin and as human, He was able not to sin. Therefore, He went to the Cross in a state of sinless perfection. How did Christ accomplish such a feat as living a sinless life? We must remember that Christ in His humanity could have sinned and was tempted to do so on many occasions. In His humanity, He endured much greater temptations and testing than we will ever face, and yet He was able to refrain from any form of sin (even mental attitude sin). The power that Christ used to overcome the temptation to sin is the same power that we have as believers. This power is the supernatural power of God the Holy Spirit.
Every miraculous act that Christ performed: healing the sick, walking on water, calming the raging sea, or feeding the 5,000 was done by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ came as our “prototype,” to demonstrate that the Christian Way of Life could be executed by means of the filling of the Holy Spirit. His impeccable life and the miracles that He performed were positive proof that He was the promised Messiah (the Savior). It took a Person of perfect character to satisfy the perfect character of God.
Another proof of Christ’s impeccability is the fact that He fulfilled the righteousness demanded by the Mosaic Law. No other person in history has been or will be able to do this. Only Christ, under the filling of God the Holy Spirit, was able to keep the Law perfectly. This is one more reason that He and He alone was qualified to make the payment for our sin. (Romans 10:4)
The Results of Propitiation
Because the penalty for sin was met by Christ, God is free to bestow 40 spiritual assets upon all who believe in Christ for salvation. These 40 assets are transferred to every believer at the moment of salvation. These assets are not seen or felt. The instant a person believes in Christ as Savior all their sins of the past are forgiven, they are in fellowship with God and filled with the Holy Spirit. The potential then exists for them to execute the Christian Way of Life.
The first time a believer sins after salvation they are out of fellowship with God and no longer filled with the Holy Spirit. This is why God gave us the Rebound Technique. When we simply acknowledge our sins to God, He forgives us, restores our fellowship with Him, and restores the filling of the Holy Spirit. God is justified in doing all these things because Christ accomplished propitiation at the Cross. This means that though personal sins are not an issue at salvation, they are an issue in the Christian Way of Life and must be dealt with God’s way – Rebound.
God is also justified in imputing (crediting) His righteousness to sinful man because of propitiation. Only by possessing the righteousness of God can a person spend eternity with a holy God. Mankind’s righteousness falls well short of the perfection needed to enter Heaven. However, God is free to give His righteousness to all who believe in Christ because His righteousness and justice have been satisfied by Christ’s death. (Romans 10:4; II Corinthians 5:21)
When Christ became our substitute on the Cross and paid the penalty for the sin of the entire human race, the barrier of sin that previously existed between God and man was removed forever. The removal of this sin barrier means that sin is no longer an issue at salvation. The issue of salvation is whether a person will accept God’s free offer of eternal life through faith in Christ.
Because His righteousness has been satisfied, God is justified in bestowing His grace blessings upon all who believe. God’s blessings, however, are only potential for believers in Christ. Though God has promised certain logistical grace blessings to all believers, He has also promised greater grace blessings to those who faithfully execute His plan for their lives. Only increased capacity to receive blessing from God, through the consistent study and application of God’s Word, will allow these greater blessings to be given. God does not give greater grace blessings to immature, inconsistent Christians. God’s “blueprint” for success must be followed precisely, if believers are to enjoy the greater blessings in this life and in the one to follow. (Romans 5:19–21)
Every blessing that we have, as believers in Christ, is a result of propitiation. If God’s righteousness and justice were not satisfied by Jesus Christ, none of us would be in a position to be blessed by God. It is only because of our union with Christ and the fact that we possess God’s righteousness, that God is able to bestow blessings on us.