Propitiation And Expiation

Temple Baptist Church - 27 February 2008

2 Corinthians 5:21

Introduction:

A. In verse 21, though there are several great doctrines found in this verse, I want to deal with two of them tonight: propitiation and expiation. Let me define these two words as we begin.

PROPITIATION – to appease by substitution. Christ completely satisfied the just demands of a holy God for judgment on sin by His death on the Cross. Propitiation literally means to make favorable and specifically includes the idea of dealing with God’s wrath against sinners. “For he hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin!” (The root word for Propitiation is also translated “mercy seat.”)

1 John 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for [the sins of] the whole world.

EXPIATION - Expiation literally means to make pious and implies either the removal or cleansing of sin. “That we might be made the righteousness of God in him.“

B. In these two words, we find salvation in Christ alone! Since it is Christ who both propitiates and expiates, then salvation must be an act of God and Christ the only way to heaven.

C. I want to look at this verse tonight for a few minutes in order for us to have a proper understanding of what happened at the moment of salvation. Most people know that they are saved but know little of what it took to save them.

D. The word “made” is used twice in this verse: once in reference to propitiation and once in reference to expiation.

1. Our Lord Jesus Had To Be Made Sin Because He Had No Sin - Propitiation

a. Christ Was Made Flesh - John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,)full of grace and truth.

Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

b. Christ Was Made Under The Law - Galatians 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, (God was not under the Law. God is the Law! It is “my commandments.”)

Luke 2:21-24 And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb. 22 And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord; 23 (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;) 24 And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.

c. Christ Was Made Sin - Romans 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

1) Christ was Sinless - Acts 4:30 By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.

Hebrews 10:5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:

2) Christ made Sin - 2 Corinthians 5:21a For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; (Notice that Christ was not made a sinner! He was made sin!)

1 Peter 2:22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: (He did no sin! He spoke no sin!”)

2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (He thought no sin!”)

Hebrews 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as [we are, yet] without sin.

Hebrews 7:26 For such an high priest became us, [who is] holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;

Isaiah 53:4-12 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

2. We Had To Be Made Righteous Because We Had No Righteousness - Expiation

a. We were born Sinful - Psalms 58:3 The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.

Psalms 51:5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

Job 15:14 What [is] man, that he should be clean? and [he which is] born of a woman, that he should be righteous?

Isaiah 48:8 Yea, thou heardest not; yea, thou knewest not; yea, from that time [that] thine ear was not opened: for I knew that thou wouldest deal very treacherously, and wast called a transgressor from the womb.

b. We chose to be Sinful - Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

1 John 1:8-10 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

c. We had to be made Righteous - 2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (Notice that we did not become righteous. We had to be made righteous!)

Romans 3:10-12 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. (We did not righteousness.)

Romans 3:13-14 Their throat [is] an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps [is] under their lips: 14 Whose mouth [is] full of cursing and bitterness: (We spoke no righteousness.)

Genesis 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man [was] great in the earth, and [that] every imagination of the thoughts of his heart [was] only evil continually. (We thought no righteousness.)

Ephesians 2:1-3 And you [hath he quickened], who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean [thing], and all our righteousnesses [are] as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Galatians 3:6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

Ephesians 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Jude 24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present [you] faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,

1 John 4:17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

Conclusion: Jesus Christ Became What We Were That We Might Be Made What He Was!