The doctrine of propitiation

1. Propitiation is taken from the Greek word i(lasthrion which actually means the mercy seat, the mercy seat over the ark of the covenant. Technically it should probably be translated “the place of the propitiation.”

2. To understand the mercy seat one must first of all comprehend the ark of the covenant — Exodus 25:10-22; 37:1-9 declare the concept of the ark of the covenant.

3. In summary, the ark was a wooden box two and a half cubits long [45 inches] by one and one half cubits high [27 inches] by one and one half cubit wide [27 inches]. The wood was acacia wood and it was overlaid with gold. The gold represents the deity of Christ, the wood represents the humanity of Christ.

The gold in the box: Jesus Christ is God. He is sovereignty, absolute righteousness, justice, love, eternal life, omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, immutability, veracity. But as God He cannot go to the cross. Sovereignty cannot become obedient to death, eternal life cannot die, omnipresence cannot reduce itself to one point — the cross, immutability cannot change these characteristics, righteousness will have nothing to do with sin [except through justice to condemn it]. There is no way that Christ as God can go to the cross. The wood in the ark speaks of the fact that Christ would become in the fullness of time true humanity, as He did. The wood represents the fact that Christ had a human body, that He had a human soul which possessed self-consciousness, mentality, emotion, volition, conscience. He did not have an old sin nature — virgin birth. He also was born with and retained a human spirit. The hypostatic union and the impeccability of Jesus Christ are portrayed by the ark of the covenant.

4. There are three verses of scripture in the Bible that tell us the content of the ark — Numbers 17:8, 10; Hebrews 9:4. There were three things in this box. There was the table of the law which spoke of sin as transgression of God’s perfect standard. There was Aaron’s rod that budded which speaks of sin in terms of reversionism, revolution against God. There was the pot of manna which speaks of sin, in rejection of the provision of God. So all three articles inside of the box picture sin. They picture Christ bearing our sins in His own body on the tree.

5. The content of the box therefor indicates the work of Christ on the cross. On the cross Jesus Christ was bearing our sins — 1 Peter 2:24.

6. Over the top of the ark was a mercy seat, the i(lasthrion, the throne with a golden cherub on each side of the throne. This throne or seat was made of solid gold. There was a cherub on each end to represent the pertinent characteristics of the essence of God. One cherub represented +R, the other cherub represented the justice of God.

7. On the day of atonement the high priest took the blood of an animal sacrifice, entered the holy of holies and sprinkled the blood over the top of this golden throne. When righteousness looks at that blood righteousness is satisfied because that blood is a representative analogy of the work of Christ in bearing our sins. Righteousness is satisfied and justice is satisfied. Righteousness is satisfied because the animal sacrifice was without spot and blemish representing the impeccability, the perfection of Jesus Christ. Justice is satisfied because Jesus Christ bore our sins in his own body on the tree. This is what is meant in the English by propitiation. Propitiation means satisfaction.

8. The mercy seat represents the doctrine of propitiation or satisfaction.

The doctrine of propitiation

1. There are three words which every believer ought to know and understand. The Godward side of salvation whereby the essence of God is made compatible with man’s salvation through Jesus Christ is propitiation. Remember that propitiation is always Godward, taking care of the essence of God so that it is in no way compromised. Reconciliation is manward. That is the removal of the barrier between God and man. Redemption is sinward. Propitiation means satisfaction. God the Father is satisfied with the work of God the Son on the cross. He is satisfied with the person of Christ — impeccability; He is satisfied with the work of Christ bearing our sins.

2. Propitiation was communicated to Israel through the mercy seat — Exodus 25:17-22; 37:6-9.

3. Propitiation is appropriated by faith and is the basis for imputation of divine righteousness — Romans 3:25,26.

4. Propitiation is related to the work of Christ on the cross — Leviticus 16:13-16.

5. The mercy seat represents the presence of God — Exodus 25:22; Leviticus 16:2; Numbers 7:89.

6. The New Testament confirms the importance of the mercy seat — Hebrews 9:5.

7. The mercy seat or propitiation is related to unlimited atonement — 1 John 2:2.

8. Propitiation demonstrates the perfect love of God — 1 John 4:10.

9. Therefore propitiation is used to express the celebrityship of Jesus Christ — Romans 3:25. Celebrityship is established on the basis of propitiation.

10. The importance of propitiation can be observed from the existence of the tables of the law in the ark of the covenant. Note, then, the true function of the law: a) The law is not an instrument of justification — Romans 3:20; Galatians 2:16; Romans 3:28; b) The law is an instrument of condemnation to both Jews and the entire race - Romans 3:20; Galatians 3:21-28; 1 Timothy 1:9,10. c) The purpose of the law is to curse mankind with a hopeless curse - Galatians 3:10 — and only the work of Christ on the cross can remove that curse — Galatians 3:13; d) The law does not produce a righteousness which has credit with God. Therefore the law cannot produce a righteousness having credit with God and cannot compare with the imputation of divine righteousness received by faith in Jesus Christ - Philippians 3:9. e) Many Jews of the previous dispensation failed because they attempted to be saved on righteousness based on keeping the law — Romans 9:30-33; f) They failed — like the rich young ruler — and the conclusion is obvious: the law cannot provide justification — Acts 13:39. Therefore the prayer of the publican is not only mistranslated but as it stands in translation it is a very subtle and vicious form of apostasy. He said, “O God, be merciful to me a sinner”. That is not correct. Luke 18:13, “O God be propitious to me a sinner.”

11. Propitiation is the only approach to God — Luke 18:13. a) He said, “O God be propitious to me a sinner”; b) Dr Chafer: “God cannot be merciful toward the sinner in the sense of being generous or lenient, and the publican did not ask God to do the impossible”; c) God cannot be merciful without propitiation which removes the compromise to His righteousness and justice; d) The publican asked God to be propitious, he did not ask Him to be merciful. Why? Because propitiation is compatible with the divine plan and divine essence, mercy is not; e) Being merciful excludes Christ, but being propitious includes Christ; f) What the publican said — o( qeoj, O God, i(lasqeth which is the aorist passive imperative of i(laskomai. I(laskomai does not means to be merciful, it means to be propitious. The aorist tense of i(laskomai is a constative aorist, it contemplates the action of the verb in its entirety, it sees the perfection of God, His essence.