PROPITIATION IS EXPIATION It means to make atonement, or to make satisfaction.
PROPITIATION means to turn away wrath.
As a function, PROPITIATION is the spiritual counterpart of the O.T. MERCY SEAT.
“Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus whom God has set forth to be a PROPITIATION by HIs blood, through faith, to demonstrate HIS rlghteousness, because in HIS forbearance God had passed over the slns that were previously committed (Rom. 3:24,25).
And above It were the cherubim of glory overshadowlng the MERCY SEAT. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail (Heb. 9:5).
Note the underlined words: PROPITIATION and MERCY SEAT. They are the same Greek word which appears only these two times in the New Testament. So, it would appear PROPITIATION = MERCY SEAT.
Propitiation means “to make atonement or satisfaction.” The result of this atonement or satisfaction is that wrath has been turned away.
How did the O.T. MERCY SEAT foreshadow the Lord Jesus Christ as our PROPITIATION?
The children of Israel had been slaves in Egypt for 430 years (Ex. 12:40). When God brought them out to be His people, He brought them to Mt. Sinai where He gave them the ten commandments (Ex. 20:1-17) The people premised to obey them all (Ex. 24:3). God gave Moses two tablets of stone on which the ten commandments had been engraved by the finger of God (Ex. 31:18, 32:15-16).
The people broke the very first commandment by making and worshipping another god (Ex. 32:1-8). Because Israel broke the law of God, Moses broke the stones upon which the law was written (Ex. 32:19).
The Lord instructed Moses to make two more tablets of stone and an ark of wood (box-coffin Gen. 50:26). God again wrote the ten commandments on the tablets and Moses put them in the ark or coffin as directed (Deut. 10:1-5).
The ark of the covenant in which the ten commandments were kept was overlaid with gold (Ex. 25:10-16). A MERCY SEAT of solid gold was placed upon the ark, sealing in the ten commandments, also known as “the covenant” or “testimony” (Ex. 25:17-22).
Years later, Israel was at war with the Philistines and they were loosing the battle. Israel decided’ to take the ark of the covenant of the Lord along to battle as a good luck charm. It did not work, they were defeated and the Philistines captured the ark (1 Sam. ch. 4). The ark did not bring them good fortune; in fact it created problems for thorn everywhere they put it (ch. 5). So they sent it back to Israel (ch. 6:1-12). The men of Israel rejoiced to see the ark (V 13). They made offerings to the Lord (V14,15).
Their joy turned to sorrow when the Lord killed more than fifty thousand people (1 Sam. 6:19).
WHY LORD ??
They died because they pulled off the MERCY SEAT and looked to the LAW; the ten commandments. This demonstrates in a very understandable way, the truth of Romans 4:15: The law brings about wrath; for where there ls no law there ls no transgresslon (sin) Rom.4:15.
As long as the mercy seat covered the ten commandments, God’s wrath was turned away (propitiation) but when the mercy seat (propitiation) was removed, the wrath of God was unleashed on all those who had looked to the law. It was indeed: The mlnlstry of death, written and engraved on stone (II Cor. 3:6,7). It is still the ministry of death!
“For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse” (Gal. 3:10).
“The law ls not of faith” (Gal. 3:12) .
If then, Christ is a propitiation or a mercy seat, it is because He has turned away the wrath of God:
“Even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come” (1 Thes. 1:10).
He delivered us from the wrath to come by delivering us from the law:
“But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve In the newness of the Spirit and not In the oldness of the letter” (Rom. 7:6).
The price Christ paid to become our mercy seat (propitiation) was accomplished at Calvary. It was there that He delivered those of us who believe, from the condemnation of the law through the instrumentallity of His flesh and blood:
“Having abolished in His, flesh the enmity, that is,, the law of commandments contained in ordinances ” (Eph. 2:15).
“Chrstt Jesus whom God sent forth to be a propitiation by His blood” (Rom. 3:25.
“You He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you ALL trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to His cross” (Col. 2:13,14).
Is the Lord Jesus Christ YOUR mercy seat? Or are you still peeping under the lid?
Do you look to the ten commandments to check your own, or another person’s salvation? If so, that is NOT of faith!
“But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, do not say in your heart, who will ascend into heaven? (That is to bring Christ down from above) or, who will descend into the abyss? (That is to bring Christ up from the dead)” {Rom. 10:6,7)
Let us, like the apostle Paul:
“Be found in Him, not having my own righteousness which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith” (Philippians 3:9)