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Substitution, Expiation and Propitiation

No, I'm not blogging in tongues over here. These are just three of the reasons Jesus had for sacrificing himself on the cross. I learned about these in Sunday's sermon (yes I know it's a little late to post now). I'll give you a brief glimpse at each of them.

Substitution is a pretty easy concept to grasp, really. Jesus took our sin upon Himself and died in our place. Jesus took the sin and God destroyed it. This is more than just the sin itself. Jesus took the guilt of sin along with the sin itself and it was all taken.

1. Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
2. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
3. 2 Corinthians 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Expiation is another concept that is easy to understand once you realize that the word "atonement" is a synonym. Jesus was made into a payment to satisfy God's penalty for sin. The liability to suffer for sin was removed in this act, and that's a liability that we all once shared. Before the crucifixion, a system of sacrifices was needed to pay for sins. This was similar to paying the interest on our sins, but Jesus took the remaining balance on Himself. The balance was so high that we could never have hoped to pay it ourself.

• Hebrews 13:11 The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. 13:12 And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood.

Propitiation is the act of Jesus removing God's displeasure against us because of our sin. The anger was satisfied along with the sin as it was placed upon the perfect lamb of God.

• Romans 3:25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished--

Pastor Bryan used a modern-day parallel for these terms and it really helped me grasp the ideas better. Say you just got to church in your brand new car. You've saved up and protected your good credit and when you pull into the parking lot, you feel good about your purchase and the fact that all 12 miles on the odometer are yours. Suddenly, the pastor (who has been hearing voices in his head) walks by and puts a key scratch along the car from bumper to bumper. You'd be pretty miffed, wouldn't you?

Well, it just so happens, that a deacon of the church is aware of the pastor's tendencies and came running out moments later. After helping you to your feet and letting you sob into his suit for a bit, he tells you that it's all on him (substitution). He offers, no, insists on paying for the damages to make sure your paint job is restored to the factory condition it was in (expiation).

The next week you cautiously drive your restored car into the parking lot, glancing at the 23 miles on the odometer this week, then scanning the horizon for that wacky pastor. Out of your blind spot comes the deacon, who somehow manages to take all of the distrust and residual anger you had toward the pastor and places it upon himself (propitiation).

I can't begin to tell you how awesome that makes me feel! Jesus did so much more than take our sins on that fateful day two millennia ago. He took it all upon himself so our slate could be cleaned and we could accept our place as adopted sons of God! Without this great act of love, we are nothing more than convicted serial sinners, worthy of the flames of Hell.

There is nothing in the history of man that we can be more thankful of! I've thanked the Lord for this several times since I heard that message. We are redeemed and so many people out there reject what has already been done for them. Missionary work isn't all overseas. It's over the back yard fence. It's at family events. It's available every waking moment of our lives! The best part about it is that our offer is free, and the benefits are much better than a shiny new paint job.

For more reasons why the crucifixion (and later on, the resurrection) are so vital to our lives, see this post from a favorite blog.