Jesus the Propitiation for Sins (1 John 2:2)

The words of this verse – ‘He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world’ – are frequently used in the theological discussion of the question, ‘For whom did Christ die?’, with regard to the extent of the atonement. I would suggest that this question was not in the mind of John when he penned the words, but we will have to consider it as we think about the verse.

The verse is a cause of conflict in liberal Christianity as well because those who are so described regard the idea of a God requiring propitiation as a remnant from a barbaric past.

The necessity of understanding theological terms

Often the gospel is presented as being simple in nature. Such a description needs to be clarified because the word ‘simple’ has more than one meaning. When we use it in connection with the gospel of Christ, do we mean that it is simple as opposed to complicated or simple as opposed to profound? It is true that the gospel is not complicated as far as the required response is concerned. In that sense, the gospel message is simple and straightforward – every sinner is called upon to repent of his sins and trust in Jesus. Yet if we use the word ‘simple’ to describe the contents of the gospel and try and reduce the various features of it then we are not going to discover the fullness of riches that there is in its message.

Having said that, it is possible for theological terms to be misunderstood. For example, the gospel brings to us reconciliation with God, remission of our sins by God, and righteousness from God. It is possible that these words may be confusing, although we must note that the Bible uses them. Nevertheless, it is possible to use plainer language, so we could describe those three blessings as peace with God, pardon by God, and a right standing before God because of Christ’s obedience. Yet, does using simpler words make our understanding clearer? What does peace with God mean? How and why does God forgive us? What is involved in receiving the obedience of Jesus as our standing before God when we trust in Christ? The point I am making is that often even simpler terminology has deeper meanings.

In any case, we have in this verse a word that explains a very important theological concept and describes a crucial aspect of what happened to Jesus on the cross. The word is propitiation.

The meaning of Jesus as the propitiation

Sometimes we come across words in the Bible that we no longer use in ordinary conversation today. When we read such words we should remind ourselves that these words would have been understood by the original readers. One such word is propitiation and it means that the wrath of God is turned aside by a sacrifice. The word points to a specific aspect of the work of Christ on the cross and we should note that John introduces it when he is explaining to Christians what happens in heaven when a believer sins on earth. John has already pointed out that Jesus is the Advocate in heaven who functions as the friend and helper of his people when they sin on earth. But John wants his readers to realise that an important aspect of the method of Jesus’ representation of his people is that he is their propitiation.

There is one obvious difference between Jesus as a propitiation and all other propitiatory sacrifices – Jesus is alive. Notice that John uses the present tense – he says that Jesus is the propitiation for our sins. This means that the effect of the sacrifice of Christ is long-lasting. Sixty years had passed since Jesus died, and John says that the achievements of his Saviour’s death are still effective. This was in contrast to the sacrifices that were offered in Israel which had to be repeated because their effect was short, such as the annual sacrifice on the Day of Atonement, which had to be repeated every year, or the daily sacrifices made for sins. And the sacrifice of Jesus is still effective today – it will never have to be repeated.

The effect is also long-lasting personally as far as each believer in Jesus is concerned. Christians who are in a healthy spiritual state will be concerned about their sins. Each of them knows that these sins result in divine chastisement and will wonder if God’s anger against sin will be revealed against them. When they come to God and confess their sins they are to remind themselves that in heaven their Advocate achieves their security because he presents himself continually as the propitiation for their sins.

Five responses to Jesus as the propitiation

Having thought about the fact that Jesus is our propitiation in the courts of heaven, what deductions can we make about this heavenly reality?

First, there has to be recollection of what we Christians were before we met Jesus Christ. Paul states in Ephesians 2:3 that believers ‘once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.’ It is an awesome thought to contemplate that throughout those years when we were strangers to Christ we were under the wrath of God. No doubt it was true that our election before time would result in our salvation in time. Nevertheless we were in an awful situation, deserving divine judgement.

Second, there has to be a realisation of what Jesus endured on the cross. It is true that he suffered at the hands of angry humans, an anger that was the expression of sin because it arose from envy and hatred against Jesus. However, much more than human anger was 0n display at Calvary. There, holy divine anger was revealed against Jesus because on the cross he had become the sinbearer. At Calvary, Jesus became a curse and endured the full onslaught of the wrath of God. We should never forget what our sins cost the Son of God.

Third, there has to be a recognition that we will always need his atonement. On the cross Jesus finished the work that the Father gave him to perform, the work of providing atonement for sinners by paying the penalty that was due by them. Throughout his Christian life the believer experiences several spiritual privileges: the benefits connected to being a child of God, particularly prayer; progress in sanctification, and daily repentance for his sins. Yet his acceptance with God does not remain true because of these spiritual activities. His growth in grace does not earn forgiveness for him. Instead he always depends on what Jesus accomplished at the cross.

Fourth, there will also be rejoicing that the sacrifice of Jesus has eternal benefits. It is not only in this life that we will trust in Christ for security. We will do so on the Day of Judgement, and throughout eternity we will depend on the Saviour whose death at Calvary purchased for us every spiritual enjoyment we will have in eternity. Throughout the endless ages we will follow the Lamb that was slain into the rich experiences of the eternal world.

Fifth, there will be a remembering that these blessings are shared among all those who trust in Jesus. We are not converted to live in solitary Christianity; there is something very wrong with a Christianity that does not want fellowship with other believers. In this life we join the vast number who confess their sins and who are represented by Jesus in the courts of heaven; in the next life we join the innumerable number who will experience the grace of God throughout the universe of glory. Both in this life and in the next, we have common experiences with the people of God.

Significance of Jesus being the propitiation for the whole world

As I said earlier, this statement has been thrown back and fore in the debate concerning the extent of the atonement of Jesus. Which view of this verse is correct? Is it the case that this verse indicates that Jesus died for all? After all, John says that Jesus is the propitiation for the whole world.

Right away we should be able to see what the words cannot mean. Since propitiation means the turning away of divine wrath, we should ask this straightforward and basic question: did Jesus take away the wrath of God which was against every individual who has ever lived? The obvious answer is that he did not. There are millions of people in a lost eternity who are currently suffering the wrath of God against their sins. It is clear that Jesus has not taken away the wrath of God against them.

Since John could not have been referring to every individual, what did he mean by the whole world? It may help us is answering this question to ask another one: of what is the world compose in addition to individuals? Several answers can be given. One is that biblically the world is composed of two groups – Jews and Gentiles. John could be reminding his readers that Jesus has turned away God’s wrath from Gentiles as well as from Jews.

A second answer is that the world ethnically is composed of many racial groups. John could be reminding his readers that, at the close of human history, the redeemed people of God will have come from every people group. This is the wonderful picture that is given to us of heaven in Revelation 5:9-10: ‘And they sung a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign on the earth.”’

A third answer is that the term kosmos means the world in its rebellion against God. It is not the bigness of the world, but its badness, that is stressed in this term. John is saying that Jesus can be the propitiation for the worst of sinners, that there will never be a person whose sins are so great that the sacrifice of Jesus cannot deal with them effectively.

A further suggestion can also be made concerning John’s use of the whole world. He is reminding his readers that Jesus is exclusive way of avoiding the wrath of God. The recipients of this letter lived in a multi-faith society in which all kinds of ideas were promoted as ways to God. John here tells his readers that all alternative ways are useless, that only Jesus can help sinners throughout the whole world.

We may imagine that to say that Jesus did not die for every person is discouraging. In fact, the opposite is the case. If Jesus did die for each person, then he has not achieved his purpose in coming into the world. But since he did die for a specific, definite number of people, the gospel declares a Saviour who never fails. Its message for us is that Jesus will save numerous Gentiles from every race who have been guilty of countless sins. He comes to us in the gospel and offers himself to us as the Saviour we need, and as the only Saviour that is available for us. Our response should be to turn to him in repentance and avail ourselves of his mercy. When we do, we discover that we have in heaven One who is the propitiation for our sins and who will represent us as our Advocate as long as we are in this world, and who will then be our Companion for ever in the world to come.