1 John 2:2

1 John 2:2 — [Jesus Christ] is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
 
This past Sunday, we talked about the wrath of God, and for many, this may be uncomfortable. The idea of God being angry can easily be anthropomorphized into the image of a fallen father figure with poor emotional regulation and repressed feelings blowing up at the children’s shoes not being put away or some other trivial, albeit potentially annoying, occurrence. But we must remind ourselves of God’s infinite goodness, justice, and love and remember that the wrath of God is not a bad thing, it is a righteous thing. It may seem bad to us because we are unrighteous in our own strength due to sin.

But the beauty of the Gospel is that the bad news points us to the good news, that rightfully deserved wrath that sin deserves has been fully received and dealt with by Jesus Christ. It has been satisfied and appeased. John tells us that Jesus Christ’s work on the cross, his death and resurrection, is the propitiation of our sins. And the propitiation for our sins stems from Christ’s work as an expiation of our sins. So let’s unpack what that means!

Expiation is the removal of sin and guilt and propitiation is satisfaction and appeasement of wrath. In other words, we are cleansed, and we find favor with God through the cross. And it’s not just us but the whole world! Christ’s work is sufficient for the whole world. Every sin, ever! But that raises another question, does that mean every one is saved? Unfortunately not, but it does mean that there is a universal invitation for all to come to Christ. Yet we know from Jesus that many are called and few are chosen (Matt 22:14).

I appreciate the wisdom of Martin Luther on this mystery. The revealed will of God is that God desires all to be saved, and that’s what we as created beings are called to focus on. Yet in the Bondage of the Will, Luther speaks of God’s hidden will, which mankind should not focus on. Karl Barth warned in a sermon that Christians must look to the cross of Christ but should resist the urge to look behind it. In other words, for Barth and Luther, God’s will to save some belongs to the knowledge of God alone, and we should not try to peer behind the curtain into the mind of God beyond what he has revealed to us in His Word. And by following what He has revealed, we hear the call to proclaim the truth of Jesus Christ to all!
 
And with that, we can have confidence that there is a universal invitation to come to Christ and have humility knowing that God knows who will receive that invitation and grow into the fullness of Christ. But those who reject Christ, reject his propitiation and will still find themselves guilty before the judgment seat of God and experience the wrath that sin deserves and was satisfied in Christ.

To wrap up, Scripture reveals that God has a righteous wrath against sin. Scripture also reveals that Christ has satisfied that wrath. But Scripture also teaches that the benefits of this propitiation are only found in Christ, so come to Christ, abide in Christ, and invite others to experience the freedom, joy and peace of Christ without worrying about whether your invitation will fall on deaf ears.
 
Christ’s death is sufficient and complete, so let’s praise God for the One who saves!

United in Christ,
Rev. Joshua Fried
Pastor
Christ Presbyterian Church