When we consider what salvation is, we tend to think upon the things that make us feel comfortable and privileged. We love the doctrine of justification, and rightfully so, for there is few other truths that should give us such joy. We think about eternal life in heaven, walking down the street of gold, having no pain, no suffering and every tear will be wiped from our eyes. All this is a beautiful reality for those who have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, yet in the midst of our joyous hope have we forgotten why we are able to share these wonderful riches? The propitiatory work of Christ is, in my opinion, one of the most misunderstood doctrines with in the church today. The word propitiation does not occur in the Gospels, it is used to by Paul (Rom. 3:25), John (1 John 2:2) and the writer of Hebrews (Heb. 2:17), to explain the work Christ accomplished on the cross. Propitiation is translated from the Greek word ἱλαστήριον, which means, that which serves as an instrument for regaining the goodwill of a deity. Thus in terms of Christ work on the cross propitiation is understood as the turning aside of Gods wrath. The word expiation is often substituted for propitiation in some English translations of the Bible. “What is the difference? The difference is that expiation means only half of what propitiation means. Expiation is an action that has sin as its object; it denotes the covering, putting away or rubbing out of sin so that it no longer constitutes a barrier to friendly fellowship between man and God. Propitiation, however, in the Bible, denotes all that expiation means, and the pacifying of the wrath of God.”
We see that the propitiatory work of Christ in the Gospels is often referred to as “the Cup.” Jesus refers to this cup as an event that will occur when talking to his disciples in Matthew 20:22, Jesus answered, “You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink the cup I am about to drink? They said to him, “We are able.”
What was this cup that the disciples were convinced they were able to drink from? The cup mention by Jesus is the same cup that caused Jesus to be grieved to the point of death in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mat. 26:38). Jesus prayed three times for this cup to be taken away, yet the Father knew that His cup of wrath must be completely poured out for there to be remission of sins. In the Garden of Eden God promised that if man sins against God’s word then they would surely die (Gen 2:17). Thus, ever since the Garden of Eden God has been patiently storing up His wrath against the sins of man so that God may be proven to be righteous, both as the just judge, and the loving justifier (Rom 3:26). God in his mercy has allowed man to live under the consequences of their sin, yet the full wrath of that sin God has stored away until the appropriate time. Jesus knew in the garden that the time for this cup to be emptied eminent, and the very thought of Gods complete cup of wrath being poured out on himself brought him to his knees in agony. Jesus would be the object of Gods holy wrath and fury against all the sins, of every believer, from the beginning of time.
It is often believed that Jesus’ prayer to the Father for another way of completing His will was prayed out of fear for his eminent torture of crucifixion. I argue that the physical torture was the last thing on the mind of Christ. It was the very thought of being, not only out of fellowship, but being the very object His Fathers wrath that drove Jesus to the ground in agony. The perfect fellowship the Son and the Father had enjoyed from eternity past was about to, not only be broken, but also be inverted into a cosmic display of hate. Jesus Christ received from God what all believers past, present and future deserved. He took upon himself the entire cup of the almighty’s wrath, so that we would not have to. On the cross Jesus was treated as if he was a murderer, a liar, a pervert, a rapist, as if he had committed every sin that every believer has ever or will ever commit. He took upon himself the guilt of everything that seeks to stain his eternal majesty. He did not just take a portion of Gods wrath, nor did it fall diluted upon his back, but he took the entire cup, every drop of Gods holy wrath. Thus being finished.
“We cannot escape the embarrassment of standing stark naked before God. It is no use for us to try to cover up like Adam and Eve in the garden. Our attempts at self-justification are as ineffectual as their fig leaves. We have to acknowledge our nakedness, see the divine substitute wearing our filthy rags instead of us, and allow him to clothe us with his own righteousness.” The cross was a juxtaposition of God’s holiness, wrath, love and glory all bound up in the person of Christ. It was on the cross that the divine transaction of wrath took place, the lamb died taking upon himself the wrath due to us. The propitiatory transaction was not contingent upon the actions of future individuals in whether or not they trust in Christ as savior, but it was finished upon the cross, thus Gods wrath being satisfied at the cross.
[1] Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature (3rd ed.) (474). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
[2] JI Packer, ‘The Heart of the Gospel’ in In My Place Condemned He Stood p. 32
[3] Biblical Studies Press. (2006; 2006). The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible (Mt 20:22). Biblical Studies Press.
[4] John Stott, The Cross of Christ, pg. 162
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