1 John 2:1-2 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
Have you ever realized how much a parent takes care of problems when their child does something wrong? A child may be walking through one of their neighbor’s houses while visiting and may accidentally knock over something fragile, causing it to break. The parent, even though they themselves didn’t do it, will then take the responsibility to make amends with the neighbor by replacing the broken item. What they have done is smooth things over, and make it as though nothing had ever happened. This type of action is called propitiation.
To propitiate means “to conciliate, appease, or make peace with someone. To make atonement.”
There was a situation that the Apostle Paul took care of between two men that would be considered an act of atonement, or propitiation. In his letter of Philemon, Paul had written to Philemon, who was a land owner and a “master” over a servant who it appeared had left his duty as a servant. This servant, called Onesimus, had come to learn about the truth of the Lord Jesus, and had become a Christian. So what Paul was doing through his letter was trying to bring about a peaceful reconciliation between the two men, and even desired to take any blame or repayment upon himself, just so that Philemon and Onesimus would be once again in a place of friendship.
Philemon 1:10-20 “I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds:
Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me:
Whom I have sent again: thou therefore receive him, that is, mine own bowels:
Whom I would have retained with me, that in thy stead he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the gospel:
But without thy mind would I do nothing; that thy benefit should not be as it were of necessity, but willingly.
For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that thou shouldest receive him for ever;
Not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved, specially to me, but how much more unto thee, both in the flesh, and in the Lord?
If thou count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself.
If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that on mine account;
I Paul have written it with mine own hand, I will repay it: albeit I do not say to thee how thou owest unto me even thine own self besides.
Yea, brother, let me have joy of thee in the Lord: refresh my bowels in the Lord.”
What Paul was willing to do for Onesimus is what Jesus offers to do for the sins of the entire world, because just like Onesimus we have done something wrong. What Jesus does is takes the sins that we have committed and makes an atonement between us and the Heavenly Father, so that we may no longer have to remain in a place of God’s wrath. Instead of facing the consequences for our actions, Jesus makes it so that we can have forgiveness.
Romans 8:34 “Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.”
1 Timothy 2:5-6 “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.”
Hebrews 9:24 “For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:”
Without the love of Christ we would all have to reap the consequences for our sins before God, but thankfully we have a loving and merciful Savior Who is willing to take our sins from us and make an atonement before the Father. This is the kind of a Lord that we have, One Who was willing to die for the souls of His creation. It truly is amazing.
I hope the next time that you have to take care of a situation like what happened between Philemon and Onesimus that you remember how Paul took care of the situation, how he was willing to take the blame upon himself. And then remember what Jesus does each time that you ask Him for forgiveness. Jesus is our propitiation to the Father, our Lord and blessed Savior.
In Christ
Andrew
Teufer Lake King James Bible Church 