The Gospel of Christ

Propitiation and Substitution

The cross is “The place of Propitiation

It is the place of expiation of sacrifice; it is where God dealt with the sin question. It is the basic foundational truth of the Christian message. It is where God pronounced sentence upon all men, in that all have sinned and the wages of sin is death.

But the way of deliverance from sin had to be found somewhere beyond man. So the grace of God sent His Son into human history.

The word Propitiation is often diluted to atonement, the NIV says of Rom 3:25

God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement,

The word propitiation is used in the N.T as the place of propitiation “the mercy seat” (Heb. 9:5)

In the Old Testament the mercy was the place where the atoning blood was sprinkled on the Day of Atonement (Lev 16:14) representing that the righteous sentence of the law had been executed it’s a judgement seat. What Christ’s sacrifice represented was so much more than judgement it was satisfying the righteousness of a holy God, thereby making it possible for Him to show mercy righteously

“To declare his righteousness for the remission of sins”

The word Atonement in the Old Testament  is to translate the Hebrew word  which means cover, covering or to cover.  It did not take away sin merely covered it i.e., God passed over.

Notice the verse in Exodus Ch 12:13

And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you,

The redemptive and propitiatory work of Christ is judicial act of God whereby He justly declares and treats as righteous the one who believes in Jesus Christ. The justified believer has been declared by the judge Himself  (Rom 31:31) to have nothing laid to his charge  (Rom 8:1, 31-34)

There is therefore no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

2.  The Cross is    “The place of Defeat”

The cross did not mark the defeat of the Son of God, It was not the untimely death of a good man, and He did not die as a martyr. He did even die to set before us the supreme example of devotion to a principle

His death was not a defeat, but a glorious victory, when the Lord Jesus Christ uttered those words upon the cross “it is finished” it was the shout of victory his work was complete

Notice in John 17: 4  I have glorified thee on the earth; I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.

But it was a defeat; it was the defeat of the Adversary of our souls, Satan, the devil. It was the scene of judgement

Sin and death entered into a perfect world through Adam, he disobeyed God, and though his rebellion was separated from communion with God.

The Scriptures tell us “in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die”

And they died spiritually The N.T tells us in Rom. 6:23.

“The wages of sin is death”

Adam and Eve become slaves to sin and to the evil one, and all who are outside the sanctuary of God’s grace are under the same condemnation.

Man was made for authority and dominion but he sold that right and allowed the Evil one to have rule over him.

The cross broke that power

Notice in John 12:31  “Now shall the prince of this world be cast out”

The devil is a defeated foe; no man has to beaten by the devil. No soul has to be dragged in the dust of defeat by the enemy.

No matter how strong the habit of sin has hold over you, the Almighty Saviour who has overcome the evil one has broke the chains of sin, He has broken the fetters of iniquity and will deliver the soul that trusts in Him.

“Now is the prince of this world cast out”